We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Celina Lin. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Celina below.
Celina , so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?
When I was 15 years old, I had volunteered my services to weed a community pumpkin patch for my high shcool. It was a hot summer weekend, and at the time, I wondered why I had agreed to do it. As I started weeding, focused on my task, a teacher at my school was working beside me. We had never met before, but over the course of that morning we talked and built a strong connection. By the end of the morning, she had explained to me that her daughter had cerebral palsy, a severe type called spastic diplegia. This condition meant she was non’verbal, and although she could make noises, and you could interpret those noises, she couldn’t communicate in any meaningful way. Additionally, she was totally dependent on others for her care. The teacher was looking to have someone join their care team for her daughter. One week later I was at their house and met her daughter. She was 13 years old when I met her, and I sat beside her and talked, and something clicked for me. I wanted to be part of supporting her and her family. I was hired, and immediately was welcomed in to their family. I would spend one day most weekends with them, providing support for their daughter and a reprieve for her parents. I went on vacation with them. I cared for her when her parents and older brother went on a much needed vacation as well. As a caregiver, I was allowed an intimate view of the joys and challenges of living as a family with a child with a disability. It was as beautiful as it was difficult.
I worked with this family throughout university. Although I explored areas that interested me, which included ecology, evolution, and biology. I felt myself drawn back to medicine and was fortunate enough to get into medical school. As I explored various specialties I was clearly drawn to one, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (also known as Physiatry). As a physiatrist, I consider myself a function doctor. In addition to diagnosing and treating various medical issues, my primary goal is to improve function for all my patients, regardless of any impairment or disability. I have further specialized in Prosthetics and Orthotics, and work with patients with limb loss or limb difference, as well as patients with complicated lower limb pathology. I am fortunate that when I work with amputee patients, I get to form a lifelong relationship with them. I see them immediately at the time of limb loss or birth, and get to be part of their journey. I see them change and grow. I see them as they age, and it is a privilege to share in that journey.
As I”ve moved through my practice, my experience as a caregiver has guided me be the physician I am. When I see a patient, I recognize that they are a person, and it is important to connect with people as ‘people’. The act of conversation, storytelling, and validating people is extremely powerful in their care journey. These are principals that give me purpose, specifically the importance of connecting with a person and acknowledging who they are and how it has affected who I am meeting during a visit.
One of the greatest compliments I have had in my career, is when a patient trusts me enough to want me to see their family member. The trust that indicates brings me great joy, and it is a pleasure getting to know people and their families.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
At my core, I am a physician. My specialty is Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. Within my specialty, I have a special interest in Prosthetics and Orthotics and Sports Medicine. Essentially, I help amputees restore function, primarily with the assistance of a prosthesis. I assist in managing complications of having limb difference or limb loss. For my limb loss patients, I provide hope for what life means and how they will move forward, and that they are supported by myself and my team. For families with children with limb difference, my goal is to ensure that those children can grow up confident to participate in any activity they wish. The goal is to ensure they have all the support, or prosthetic devices, they need to participate with their peers, and to enjoy being a kid. I can connect them with peers who have similar presentations so they feel seen and supported.
In my other areas of practice, I work with adults and children with various lower limb pathologies. This involves diagnosing and treating broad conditions that ultimately impact their function and participation in activities. I work with atheltes who have suffered injuries. I work with children born with foot or ankle deformities. I work with people who have suffered damage to their limb as a result of trauma or a medical condition. I also work with individuals with neurological issues that may affect their ability to walk or use certain muscles. All of this is combined with a patient and family centered approach of understanding who they are and how this affects their condition and their treatment. I am fortunate enough to have many other specialists turn to me for diagnostic clarification and support in managing their patients. Essentially when someone needs help, and patients feel there is nowhere to turn, they often come to me. It is a privilege to be the person that can support indiividuals, especially those who have never felt heard or ‘udnerstood what was going on with their body’. At the same time, it can be challenging to have all the pressure of being ‘you’re the last person left for me to get home.’ These moments are when I really excel, in acknowledging that these people have been on a journey, and it is important to validate that, and meet them in that moment.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Integrity – Throughout my life, I was always considered a person with integrity. When I was younger, I didn’t quite understand what that meant. I am the type of person that understands what is right and wrong, at least based on my own values, and I never shied away for upholding them. This involved standing up when I thought my peers were in the wrong, defending the vulnerable, and sticking up for what I knew was right for me. That often looked like saying no to late nights or parties to prioritize sleep, and standing firm when someone would try to pressure me into something that was not in my best interest. As I have aged, I now see the concept of right and wrong is complex, and I certainly embrace the grey, but I use my values as my compass. This has been a trait that I am proud to allow to define me. Any advice I can offer for fostering this, is to truly understand who you are and what you stand for. Explore your values and ask yourself the challenging questions.
Authenticity – Who I am as a physician, is who I am as a person. When a patient comes to see me, it is important to be real, and for many patients I see, I form a relationship. This is important for connecting with patients, and being ‘real’ with them. In medicine, they often teach us to ‘leave ourselves out of it’. This is something I have always challenged. There is a physician-patient relationship, and how can I be in that relationship if I don’t present as myself. This has allowed me to get to know people and to truly understand who they are, so I can make the most accurate recommendations for them. Especially when discussing lifestyle changes, it is important to know how someone makes habits and what motivates them, and this comes from being authentic and genuine. The older I get, the more comfort I feel in knowing who I am, the good and the bad. It is a very peaceful feeling to not have to question that aspect of myself. Take the time to be confident in being alone, and to foster the ability to stare yourself in the mirror and be happy with who you see.
Storytelling – Medicine is complex, but in its simplest form it is storytelling. Actually, its more like hearing someone’s story, interpreting that meaning, and then retelling it to them with more information. One of the most impactful lesson’s I heard in medicine was from a surgeon. As I was in clinic with him one day, he told me to sit down, talk with patients, and listen. Even before any physical examination I would perform on them, their story would give me the answer. This is something I have carried with me into practice. People want to be heard, and they want their story told. As a physician, I am in a privileged position to hear these stories, often vulnerable stories, and reflect it back to them. One of the most powerful treatments I have, is to validate someone’s story. Years of harnessing my ability to listen has led to my success in this avenue, as well as sharing genuine interest and pattern recognition in what they’re telling me.
Thanks so much for sharing all these insights with us today. Before we go, is there a book that’s played in important role in your development?
In many professions, medicine included, feedback is imperative for improving performance. This has become incredibly important as medical school and residency training curriculums have moved towards developing competencies through feedback. Beyond just my profession, feedback is present everywhere, especially our relationships. Although I always considered myself to be relatively good at receiving feedback, Thanks for the Feedback by Douglas Stone and Sheila Heen changed all of my relationships for the better. This book validated the challenges of feedback, while also naming what makes feedback hard.
After reading this book, I have noticed huge changes in my work and how I relate to colleagues, in my teaching and how provide feedback to learners, and in my relationship. It helps to acknowledge that this is human nature, and there is power in understanding that people behave this way. It also provides excellent tips in overcoming this challenges. In fact they provide a road map at the end of the book, which breaks down all the topics and subtopics. This is very useful when wanting to focus in on a specific area such as truth triggers, relationship triggers, and identity triggers. Understanding yourself, and your triggers is hugely helpful in managing them and creating the right mindset to receive feedback.
Having been with my husband for almost 15 years, we are solid. We know each other, we play off of our strengths. We ground each other. That doesn’t mean we don’t both do things that drive each other crazy, or have triggers. In the book, I was introduced to ‘switchtrack’ conversations. This is essentially when one individual brings up feedback, it triggers something in yourself, and you change the topic. Once I realized this, it helped me to ensure I wasn’t switching the conversation and knowing when it was happening to me. They say it best in the book, ‘switchtracking defeats feedback.’ Once I got to labeling that, ‘I want to talk about this topic, and then I will be happy to discuss your topic,’ it really defused situations. There is time to acknowledge what both of us feel, but that won’t work if we are constantly changing topics on each other.
Truthfully, we all need feedback to grow. This book allows one to understand themselves, and others, and form a better relationship with feedback.
Image Credits
The two build images credit to: Hamilton Health Sciences
