The ISMA is pleased to announce that physician and nationally recognized author and speaker Rebekah Bernard, MD, will present “Physician Wellness in the Exam Room: How to Use Psychology to Optimize Patient Visits” during a special presentation on the Saturday of convention weekend.

The event – open to ALL ISMA members – will be held from 4 to 5 p.m. on Sept. 9 and has been organized by the ISMA’s Women in Medicine Committee. The event will offer 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™, and pre-registration is not required. The discussion will not be recorded or broadcast.

All ISMA members attending this year’s convention will get a free copy of “Physician Wellness: The Rock Star Doctor’s Guide … Change Your Thinking, Improve Your Life,” by Dr. Bernard and Steven Cohen during check-in.

Dr. Bernard shared that the topics of the discussion will include:

• Using mindful self-awareness to set expectations and boundaries and to deal with bad outcomes and negative experiences.
• Communicating with patients so that they feel “heard,” and giving the perception of spending more time than you did.
• Defusing the emotionally charged patient with emotional mirroring and validation.
• Practicing motivational interviewing to help move patients toward change.

Dr. Bernard is a family physician and the author of four books: “Patients at Risk: The Rise of the Nurse Practitioner and Physician Assistant in Healthcare,” “How to Be a Rock Star Doctor,” “Physician Wellness: The Rock Star Doctor’s Guide,” and “Imposter Doctors: Patients at Risk.”  She is a national speaker on physician wellness and practice management.  

A native Floridian and daughter of two registered nurses, Dr. Bernard grew up in the rural town of Clewiston. She completed her residency at Florida Hospital in Orlando.

Following residency, Dr. Bernard served for six years at a federally qualified health center in Immokalee, Florida, as a National Health Service Corps Scholar. She then worked for a large outpatient hospital group for five years before opening her own practice, which she converted to a direct primary care practice in July 2016.