A family physician living with mild traumatic brain injury
A family physician shared their story about the impact of mild traumatic brain injury on their practice.
They were unable to continue practising full-time family medicine after their injury, and have switched to taking on locum positions instead.
Please tell us a bit about yourself.
I am a family physician who graduated from residency in 2005. I worked in rural family medicine for five years before moving to the city for family reasons, where I worked full-time in urban family practice for ten years. During this time, I had three children. I sustained a mTBI in the fall of 2020 and decreased my hours for five months. At that time, I moved to full-time rehabilitation with intermittent attempts to return to work. In summer 2022, I gave away my practice for good and moved to intermittent locum positions.
What sort of challenges did you face at work related to illness?
Any multi-sensory, emotional or thinking activities increased my TBI symptoms. The more I continued to do, the worse my brain was able to function. As family medicine is very much multi-sensory, emotional and thinking, my symptoms would get worse every time I worked.
How did this affect your ability to practice?
As brain fog and memory issues were symptoms, it was imperative to only work short periods to be safe and able to cope. Also, the more I worked outside the home, the less I was able to do at home with my family.
When you were planning your return to work, what accommodations were helpful for you?
The only accommodation that made a difference was working fewer hours. It was not possible for me to maintain my family practice only seeing patients two to six hours per week.
What do you wish you knew earlier in your illness journey?
I wish I had been more aware of the details of my condition (mTBI and eventually Functional Neurologic Disorder and POTS) and how long the journey was going to be. I also wish I had known more about my disability insurance company and how they were going to view and interpret my symptoms and my journey. If I had known that they were going to use my attempts to return to work (which failed) as evidence that I was able to return to work, I would have tried to find more guidance in dealing with them.
What would you say to other physicians who identify with your story?
I would advise others in my situation to:
- Listen to your instincts
- Be willing to take the time you need to work on yourself
- Learn to live where you are, not where you used to be or where you wish you were
- Gather a support network
- Make yourself very familiar with your disability coverage and tell them how you are on your worst days, not how you are on your best days
Legal disclaimer:
The OMA is providing this space for physicians to share their personal stories about their experiences with disability. The experiences and challenges faced by each individual with disabilities are unique. The stories presented here do not reflect the specific needs or experiences of everyone, and may not reflect the present state of commitments or policies at any facility. While we are providing this information to support inclusion of all physicians with disabilities, you should inquire about the policies specific to your facility and personal circumstances.