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On today’s episode of the Faculty Factory Podcast, Kimberly A. Skarupski, PhD, MPH, discusses a dilemma she calls “Competent Person Syndrome.” This is an issue facing many highly productive people in academic medicine who find themselves immersed in extra work as a direct result of their reliability and competence.
First and foremost, it is important to remember that this is a blessing. It is essentially a good problem to have, although it is a problem nonetheless.
If you are facing this common issue in academic medicine, there are strategies for overcoming it as Dr. Skarupski outlines on today’s show.
Dr. Skarupski has hosted the Faculty Factory Podcast since its inception in 2019. At Johns Hopkins Medicine in Baltimore, she serves as:
- Senior Associate Dean for Faculty Development, Office of Faculty Development
- Professor, Department of Medicine (Division of Geriatric Medicine and Gerontology)
- Professor, Epidemiology, Bloomberg School of Public Health
Having the courage to say no was a constant theme on today’s podcast.
“No is a decision. Yes is a responsibility. And when you say no you’re only saying no to one option, but when you say yes, you are saying no to every other option,” she said.
As the Faculty Factory’s podcast producer, I had the privilege of interviewing Dr. Skarupski for today’s episode. Some important resources that coincide with a lot of what Dr. Skarupski mentions on today’s show:
- The Time Management Matrix
- Faculty Factory Podcast Episode 46 – Prioritizing and the Art of Saying No with Jennifer Haythornthwaite, PhD
- Faculty Factory Podcast Episode 68 – Time Management for Faculty with Donna L. Vogel, MD, PhD
- Faculty Factory Podcast Episode 83 – Why You Need a Mission Statement with Dave Yousem, MD, MBA