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Don't be a jerk - and other secrets to staying sane in the Emergency Department

November 4, 2008

By Wade Smith, DO

What’s the secret to career longevity and life balance for those of us in the trenches in the Emergency Department? According to Craig Williams, DO, (pictured at right with son, Eric) it’s not as much of a secret as you might think. Craig retired from Premier this year, after 28 years in the ED. Anyone who has worked with Craig knows his style, demeanor, and expertise in the practice of Emergency Medicine are worth emulating.

Emergency Medicine is a “problem–solving” business. We, as emergency physicians, take chaos and reduce it to some semblance of order. Citing the general tendency of doctors (including himself) to exhibit obsessive/compulsive personality traits, he acknowledges that it is not an easy task to keep the disorder in which we commonly work from getting to us. It’s a humbling job, one in which we can never truly be on top of everything. One of his secrets is, “Don’t let it rule you.”

Craig’s advice to his residents was sage: “Remember, it’s not your emergency; figure it out.” He learned early in his career that keeping his emotions in check and not being socially judgmental are key to maintaining personal composure and civility during Emergency Department encounters. We all experience the occasional horrible shift filled with difficult patients. Using a football analogy, Craig says, “Like the defensive back who gets badly beaten by the opposing receiver, you have to shake it off, get your head back in the game, and ready yourself for the next play, or in our case, the next patient. Sometimes our patients die, and sometimes we can make a real difference in someone’s life.”

Craig Williams Craig developed good work/life balance during his career. He was blessed with the support of a strong family. He and Carol (pictured at right with Dr. Williams) were married in 1978, and have three children, Joy 28, Casie 25, and Eric 23.

An easy-going demeanor and personality served Craig well when dealing with patients. He has a natural ability to put people at ease. His formula for avoiding bad EM karma:

Luck
Don't be a jerk
Apologize for things you are responsible for
Explain and take the responsibility for everything else. “It stinks, but we bear the brunt of all hospital delays, excuses, and such.”

Craig also encourages us to talk with our colleagues and partners, listen to what they have to say, and learn from their experience and knowledge.

Craig kept things in perspective by focusing on the spiritual side of what EM doctors do. The work is meaningful and is truly for a greater good. The need for our services will always provide job security. However, Craig notes that the spiritual side of the practice of Emergency Medicine is juxtaposed against the business side. “What we do is a ridiculous business but a noble pursuit.” His opinion is that Emergency Medicine makes for a poor business model by traditional standards: it is very labor intensive, requires extensive training, and is performed by a staff that is not easily replaceable.

Craig deeply enjoyed his career in Emergency Medicine. He sums it up this way: “Very occasionally you save a life—mostly you figure out what’s going on and help someone. And very occasionally, you miss something bad. But hopefully, you mostly live between those two standard deviations of the mean. And always remember my rule: under certain circumstances, no matter what, you’ll always be wrong!” Although, those of us who have worked with him know he was rarely wrong.

Craig grew up in the Akron, Ohio area. He graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 1971. In 1973, he found his way to the University of Health Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine, in Kansas City, Missouri. He interned at Doctors’ Hospital in Columbus and started residency at University Hospital in Jacksonville, Florida. The director of his program was friends with Carl Jelenko, MD, the founder of Wright State’s newly formed Emergency Medicine residency program. Dr. Jelenko needed someone to fill the new spots, and Craig was recommended. He graduated a year later in the first class of WSU’s EM residency program. In the words of longtime residency director Dr. Jon Singer, “Craig was the first and still the best.”

After residency, Craig spent two years in the Indian Health service in Arizona. His return to the Dayton area saw the start of his tenure at St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center, where he practiced for 14 years. He then joined Premier to practice in Piqua and Troy. Upper Valley Medical Center came into being soon after, and he spent seven years there. The last five years of his practice were spent at Middletown Regional Hospital until he retired at the end of 2007.

Retirement has been an opportunity for Craig and Carol to share their common interests, like traveling (they recently visited Alaska). He notes that during his career, there were periods when he was “not in sync” with his family because of Emergency Medicine’s schedule demands. This underscores the importance of developing individual interests. Cultivating friendships, reading non-medical literature, collecting and studying fossils, and exercise helped keep his personal and professional lives in balance. However, he recalls, those same schedule demands that sometimes kept him apart from his family on weekends and evenings sometimes allowed him to show up for things on his days off that most working individuals miss. Also, he recommends that we should take our vacation instead of stockpiling it. “Work overtime, but do take time off.”

Craig’s career has had a great impact on the lives of many people, not just patients, but residents and medical students as well. We will miss Craig’s presence on the ED floor, but he has left a lasting legacy through his years of service. We all wish him well in his retirement!

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