The first time I presented the ideas mentioned in this video, I was speaking to “the choir” (a group of people known for thinking outside of the box and entertaining new ideas before rejecting them). However, the response was anything but supportive. I was nearly laughed out of the room.

Two people spoke up, though. One publicly said, “Now wait a minute. Oftentimes, when the whole group laughs at an idea, you will find that whatever was just said may very well be the most creative thing you’ve heard all day.”

The other, pulled me aside afterwards and asked me to talk to him more about my ideas because he was quite intrigued.

It is difficult enough to address a few hundred people. It is even more difficult to actually get the guts to present ideas that were previously thought by innovators to be ridiculous. But I did it anyway. What I discuss here is too important.

See for yourself and let me know what you think:

The feedback I’ve gotten from this talk has been tremendous. Emails have flooded in clamoring for more. And more is coming… I will be releasing a course on influence for health professionals and caregivers.

(If this talk resonated with you, go to YouTube and give it a “Like”)

My iPhone game company, Big Goose Egg Games, has as a part of its mission, the gamification of healthcare and learning. (Although, not all of the games are geared towards those things… some are used to test game design, to test gameplay, and some simply to earn some money for the company)

Anyway, gamification is applying game design features to non-games (usually to encourage participation or to make mundane tasks not-so-boring). But recently, I tried using a pre-release version of Guano! to assist with diagnostics in the Emergency Department with my own son. Guano! has almost nothing to do with healthcare or learning, though. I used it because I knew my son’s baseline for playing it – I knew how far he normally gets, how engaged he normally is, etc.

When we ended up in the ED after he banged his head and needed stitches, I made him play Guano! – not for distraction, but to see how close he was to baseline. Of course, I didn’t let him play it for too long since the current recommendations following head trauma are for complete brain rest.

I posted an article about the experience on the Big Goose Egg games site. Check it out: Gamification – Medical Uses For iPhone Games In The ER

Dr. Tori tells the story of a young boy, Saleem – He is a normal boy in most senses – his likes, his dislikes, and how he interacts with his friends Mary, Larry, Kareem and others. Saleem is normal in his desires and his hopes, but not so much in his dreams.

What Saleem does during the day is accounted for at night. Inanimate objects and previously voiceless organs come to life to testify for him or against him. The lessons learned are invaluable, the friendships gained are precious, and the strength to act is life-changing.

First three games are coming in March 2012.

Big Goose Egg Links:

• Big Goose Egg – home for free mobile games
• Big Goose Egg on Twitter
• Big Goose Egg on Google Plus

So, initially, I compensated for being average and feeling this weight of responsibility by arriving extra early, staying extra late, working extra hard on presentations, etc… all the while sacrificing my health, my relationships, my hobbies, etc. I was burning out… quickly. In fact, I started carrying out plans to leave medicine altogether.

In just 1 year and 6 months later… I was awarded Resident of the Year. After that, I was asked to be Chief Resident.

So, how did it happen?

Well, covering that story and translating it into your success in your training is the mission of RookieDoctor.com. There is simply too much burnout in medical and surgical training. Too many good people are leaving these professions – many leave physically by changing careers altogether. But there are too many that leave emotionally… They’re burned out. Don’t become one of them. Check out RookieDoctor.com, RookieDoctor.net (the RookieDoc blog), and Internship-Tips.com (to get you started).

RookieDoctor.com Links:

• RookieDoctor.com – Home
• Internship-Tips.com – Dr. Tori’s number 1 secret to success in the clinical training years – internship, residency, and the 3rd and 4th years of medical school
• Ask Dr. Tori A Question About Your Training – Questions Answered about Internship, Residency and Medical School
• RookieDoc Blog – RookieDoctor.com/blog
• RookieDoc on Twitter
• RookieDoc on YouTube
• Dr. Tori on LinkedIn

Membership Matrix Links:

• Membership Site How To – visit the MembershipMatrix.com blog
• Membership Site Tips on Twitter – follow Membership Matrix

PressFoo Links:

• 3 Ways to Benefit From Cafepress You Didn’t Think About (video)
• PressFoo FAQ Attack – Questions Answered about Cafepress, Zazzle, LuLu and other print-on-demand services
• PressFoo on Twitter