Careers Will Change: Medicine, Transition and You

A group of family physicians brainstormed topics for presentations at this year’s Family Medicine POP! Long COVID? Yes. Diabetes? Of course. Career transition? Wait… career transition? Suddenly everyone had something to say. Members of the group, from residents to retirees, all had a story about their own struggle with identity, failure and change in their careers.

“I felt stuck in my first job after residency and felt like I failed when I wanted to leave.”

“When I decided to shift to a specialized practice, I struggled with my identify as a family physician.”

“While it was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, I finally mustered the confidence to quit and go after my dream job.”

Join Jay Lee, MD, MPH, FAAFP at POP’s session Transitions: Supporting Your Leap of Faith and Search for Fulfilment as he brings family physicians from a variety of career junctures to the stage to share an open conversation about transitions in practice. Let’s shine some light on this topic and support each other through the ups and downs of the life of a family physician.

Change is necessary and inevitable. Med students become residents, residents get their first job, and their second, many move into administration, part-time work for various reasons and ultimately retirement. So why talk about it? Because we don’t talk about it enough and we need to support each other through the inevitable change that comes with being a family physician.

Between 2020 and 2022, with COVID raging, nearly half of U.S. physicians changed jobs. Prior to the pandemic, a third of U.S. physicians said that while they are generally happy in their current job, they would be open to a new opportunity if the right one came along. Another quarter stated that they were looking for a new job for a variety of reasons, while another nine percent were unhappy and definitely looking to change.

No career is static. Even if you stay in one job for 50 years, which is rare indeed, family medicine is constantly changing. Changes in science, technology and social norms keep family physicians on their toes, regardless of title or station. As you and your position evolve, you’re not stuck doing one thing all the time. However, the struggle with change remains.

Doctors tend to be their own harshest judges, whether the changes are prompted by outside influence or inner motivation. Among U.S. workers, physicians are more likely than others to feel the effects of imposter syndrome, a phenomenon in which you feel inadequate despite a track record of competence. Symptoms, especially emotional exhaustion and questioning your accomplishments, were more common among women, and young and unmarried physicians.iii Imposter syndrome leads to harsh selfcriticism and self-blame when a job doesn’t work out, especially in early career positions. Dissatisfaction for any reason, plus imposter syndrome is a perfect formula for physician burnout.

What can be done to make career transition more natural and freer from self-judgement? Experienced physicians, who often appear to have it all together, can describe their own “failure résumés” for junior colleagues to demonstrate that role models also have difficulties. De-stigmatizing and normalizing help-seeking could also contribute to more professional fulfillment. Sharing stories of change, identifying and leaning on your support networks, building confidence to reach out to others for help and advice, and so much more will be discussed at this year’s Family Medicine POP: Celebrating the Spectrum of Family Medicine. Please join us!

Physician career changes 2020-2022i

I changed jobs

I changed to a non-clinical career

I have not changed jobs

I retired

References: https://chghealthcare.com/blog/physicians-changed-jobs-survey/ Survey: Nearly half of physicians changed jobs during the pandemic https://chghealthcare.com/blog/physicians-changed-jobs-survey/ Survey: Nearly half of physicians changed jobs during the pandemic https://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2022/09/physiciansimposter-syndrome.html Physicians experience imposter syndrome more often than other U.S. workers https://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2022/09/physiciansimposter-syndrome.html Physicians experience imposter syndrome more often than other U.S. workers