We’ll discuss a blueprint on narrowing down what values are important to us through the process: Discovery → Identify → Expression → Behavior.

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Establish Core Values

Start by scanning the values list in our word cloud. All are admirable values, but not all can be core values.^2-4 Core values are meant to be unique to you, present even when no one is watching. They’re not our organization’s values or even the values of our closest confidants. They are not the expected values of “being a physician” in the eyes of the public, our mentors, parents, friends, or partners. They are our individual beliefs of what it means to be fulfilled, to have a shift well-played, and be the best physician we strive to be.

Terms may seem synonymous but resonate differently with different people. For example, reliability and dependability overlap definitions, but someone may interpret reliability as more task-based (i.e., consistently showing up to shift early or finishing notes on time) and dependability as more emotion-based (i.e., keep the confidence of colleagues in times of crisis).

To unearth your core values, systematically reflect on three key areas: impactful moments, role models, and your desired legacy.

What makes an impactful moment? “Peak” moments encompass experiences in which you feel a sense of flow, ikigai, and meaning. “Violating” moments are those that make you feel visceral defensiveness. Analyze those moments carefully. What is it about that peak moment for the end-of-life care that you rendered? Did you find deep meaning in the competence or leadership of running the code expertly? Did you find flow in the openness of speaking honestly and compassionately with family members?

Conversely, what was it about the sign out from a well-intentioned colleague that deeply troubled you when reevaluating the patient? Was it most jarring that there may be a lack of understanding when the patient was instructed to keep his diabetic ulcers clean but had no ready access to running water, shoes, or dressing supplies? Hidden in those moments are your core values, either expressed or breached.

Consider those you admire. What behaviors do they display? Is it respect manifested as your colleague who always sits or kneels when talking to a patient, bed, or hallway? Is it adaptability when you see your charge nurse flexing to triage a patient and teaching continuous bladder irrigation to a new nurse while running the flow of incoming ambulances?