How I Work Smarter: Katie Holmes, DO FACEP

One word that best describes how you work?

Hustle

Current mobile device

iPhone 12 Pro

Computer

Macbook Air

What is something you are working on now?

Updated Curriculum for our EM Clerkship, VSAS, Conference Material, Intern Orientation planning, and more

How did you come up with this Idea/Project?

We are always trying to improve our curriculums to make them better based off of feedback from previous years!

What’s your office workspace setup like?

My kitchen counter or my office at the hospital.

What’s your best time-saving tip in the office or home?

Keep a To Do list and divide into “right now” and “ideas for later”.

What’s your best time-saving tip regarding email management?

Start with the longest sitting email and work your way up, but always respond quickly to urgent emails, even if it’s to recognize you saw it.xt

What apps do you use to keep yourself organized?

iPhone To Do lists, Notepad shared with my team, Google Docs/Sheets

How do you stay up to date with resources?

Twitter, podcasts, subscribed emails

What’s your best time-saving tip in the ED?

Epic’s Work space, Updating ED Course frequently, Epic messaging, multitasking constantly

ED charting: Macros or no macros?

Minimalist Macros unless I have a complex patient, then it’s story time with M-Modal

Advice

• What’s the best advice you’ve ever received about work, life, or being efficient?

  Always make time for the things you love. Travel hard. What you do matters. Don’t engage difficult people. Don’t take yourself too seriously… you just have to laugh it off sometimes. Take care of patients passionately. Encourage others around you always. Work can and should be enjoyable, if it’s not… you’re doing something wrong.

• What advice would you give other doctors who want to get started, or who are just starting out?

We have the best job in the world, but you must truly love what you do to sustain a long and happy career in medicine.

• Is there anything else you’d like to add that might be interesting to readers?

Surrounding yourself with motivated, helpful and kind people who are passionate about what they do is the best thing you can do in this demanding job! I don’t know what I would do without my people.

Who would you love for us to track down to answer these same questions?

• Dr. Anant Patel, DO  @anantpatels

Read other How I Work Smarter posts, sharing efficiency tips and life advice.