AI Technology: Friend or Foe?

Your day already feels like semi-organized, nonstop chaos: 20-minute appointments, texting clients, telehealth to manage the urgent overflow, and now the PM is calling a team meeting! 

The PM begins, “In our ever-growing efforts to meet client needs, management has decided to introduce Artificial Intelligence to the practice. Training starts tomorrow for speech recognition medical records. Also, to further improve patient care, we will use an app to generate diagnostic algorithms and interpret radiographs in real time. We believe AI will improve efficiency, patient care and save costs.”

Your immediate thought is, “Ugh, more technology, more webinars, lunch & learns and pizza." You doubt if AI will improve efficiency in dealing with the backlog of appointments, patient care, and client communication. “I am already swamped”.

Then, after a few painful trial and error weeks, you notice you are taking less time to complete your medical records, making fewer mistakes, and surprisingly, the app is saving time on case management. You feel good that you have proudly taken another step into the digital age and created more free time in your crowded day. Now, you wonder, 'How can I best leverage this unexpected windfall of time’?

Let’s consider five hidden benefits of this new technology.

1- You can leave work on time and still manage your caseload.

2- You can now take breaks in your day to recharge. Eat lunch without multitasking.

3- You can now set clear boundaries for after-hours communication and taking work home with you.

4- You can get proper training and tech support as you learn new technology.

5- You can stop equating your success as a DVM based on your production numbers. You will, in time, be able to see more patients with greater efficiency.  

Bonus tips:

* Don’t spend needless time becoming the IT specialist at the practice when the system fails. And it will! Have your contingency crash plan prepared in advance.

* Your career is a marathon and not a sprint. Enjoy your learning on the journey.

Summary

AI is just another tool – let it work FOR you and not CONTROL you.

Constant 24/7 connectedness is one more sure pathway to burnout and stress. Set clear work boundaries and disconnect from technology. Creating tech-free time will promote your physical and mental well-being. Remember, no one wishes they had worked more when they reached the end of their career.

Use your time wisely; your future in the profession is depending on you.

Dr. Bill