As we celebrate South Asian Heritage Month, I wanted to reflect on the ties that bind East Asian and South Asian cultures.
Shared Cultural Experiences
The longer I work in healthcare and coach physicians, the more I have learned that the struggles South Asian health care providers deeply mirror those in the East Asian community. While our distinct traditions and histories offer unique richness, our professional trajectories—and the cultural expectations we navigate—are more similar than not. We share common values, such as a focus on filial piety, a commitment to communal well-being, and a profound respect for education and expertise. We both grapple with the weight of the “model minority” myth and the inherent pressures of high professional expectations. I had thought only East Asians were victims to this mindset, silly me!
Perfectionism is Universal
I worked with a South Asian family practice doctor who refused to use templates for their notes because the templates didn’t reflect their thought process exactly. The pre-set templates wouldn’t indent the right way or bold the things they wanted to highlight for ease of viewing. As a result, they spent close to 2 hours a day manually typing out each patient’s note, often getting home after their toddler had been put to sleep by their spouse. They were behind in their billing and message/lab management as a result of never having enough time to finish these perfectly designed bespoke notes.
A deep dive revealed a work ethic grounded in “you have to work harder than everyone else to be successful”. While a tenacious work ethic is admirable, it led them to consider 2 hours a day charting and being chronically behind as normal, it was simply the price to pay for getting the notes ‘just right’.
Work Smarter, Not Harder-like a real Asian would!
Once we were able to help them redefine “working hard” as working to the top of their license more often than not, and “doing it your own way” as any way that helped them get home sooner, things slowly started shifting. Change away from perfectionism isn’t easy, so we started with simple templates. We slowly introduced the idea of pre-charting and enlisting the help of her MA/RN to help populate some of the data. After 6 months of small incremental changes, they were finishing most of their notes the same day (even the billers noticed the improved timeliness!) and getting home at least 30 min earlier every day. More importantly, their confidence was growing every day and their home life began flourishing. They finally had time to teach their daughter piano!
We all deserve freedom from perfection and space for joy
With so many of our providers of South Asian descent, I wanted to share my message directly with these heroes of medicine. We can all bust through cultural structures of thought that us weigh down. We all deserve freedom from perfection and space for joy in our lives.
I salute all my South Asian brethren in medicine. I see you, I appreciate you, I’m honored to work alongside you. And I’m here to support you. Give me a call, we can trade ‘tiger mom’ stories and trauma bond. 🙂
Thanks for reading and take good care, my friends.