The med center employee resource group RISE held a discussion Oct. 12 to highlight Sasha Shillcutt, MD, and her new book, “Brave Boundaries: Strategies to Say No, Stand Strong, and Take Control of Your Time.”
Dr. Shillcutt, a professor in the UNMC Department of Anesthesiology and a cardiac anesthesiologist with Nebraska Medicine, shared her personal and professional expertise on how to overcome burnout by learning to set clear work-life boundaries. Keys to her success include focusing on how to control her time and addressing the cycle of self-criticism and the social expectations of women in the medical workplace.
Dr. Shillcutt asked three questions to decide whether taking on additional tasks fits into someone’s goals: Is this part of the company’s strategic plans? What funds or resources follow the request? And what is it I am being paid to do that will need to be paused for this unpaid task to get done?
Dr. Shillcutt also advises visualizing and practicing setting boundaries to be prepared.
“Take a moment and imagine what setting the boundary would be like. Reality will be easier than the narrative you created in your mind,” Dr. Shillcutt said.
Dr. Shillcutt’s book contains a helpful and easy-to-follow “Brave Boundaries Model” that uses her concepts and exercises to both empower and bring harmony to people’s work and home spaces.