Career Decision Making, Made A Little Easier

By Jim Rienzo

“It was probably the hardest decision I’ve had to make in my life.”

I heard that comment from a friend and former ophthalmology resident when he was coming out of residency and deciding whether to take a “good” position at a private practice or follow his heart and accept the cornea fellowship he always wanted. I empathized with him, knowing he was saddled with significant loans and really felt he needed to begin seeing patients and start earning an income. It was, indeed, a very tough decision to make!

Such a decision is just one of many that young physicians have to make as they leave medical school: what specialty should I choose, which residency program is right for me, should I accept a fellowship, should I enter private practice?

To help with the decision-making process, I have compiled a number of “peer success tips” I think will help young physicians navigate the challenging career-path process.

Get to know yourself. Make the time necessary to really understand your wants and needs. Try to find out what will make you happy. If, for example, being happy at work is more important than maximizing income, move that up your list of critically important factors.

Use your resources. Remember the people you meet along the way. Keep a list of people you meet in the profession whom you think might be able to help you later on. You never know when you may need them … or they may need you. Keep in touch with people you meet in the profession.

Be flexible. Life throws a lot of curve balls. Be ready for whatever comes your way, both personally and professionally.

Explore all options. You never know what opportunity is going to present itself … or when. Only by exploring all options are you able to determine with any degree of certainty that you are making the right decision. Find out what’s being offered out there.

Don’t close any doors. One new physician said he honestly did not know he was going into academic medicine until mid-way through his fellowship, but he had not closed any doors. He pursued private practice opportunities, and the interview experiences proved extremely valuable. They helped shape his decision to go the academic route. If he hadn’t experienced the private practice job search – the interviews, the offers, the whole nine yards – he said he would not have been so sure that the academic route was the right route.

Create a five-year window. Clearly decide what you want to do and what you want your world to look like in five years. Try to get a broad sense of what you want. Set a life master plan.

Prioritize your work/career. Try to understand that your “medical career” is something that you do when you are not practicing life. What you want in life should dictate what you do with your profession, i.e., where you work, what you specialize in, where you live, etc.

Have a sense of self-awareness. Understand what the decision matrix is going to look like when you are not practicing medicine. Try to understand how everything fits – the life, the spouse, the family, the relatives, etc.

Use common sense. Understand what you want and what is important to you (and your family). Be honest with yourself and set realistic expectations. Then look closely at each situation. Is it a compatible situation? Will this opportunity meet your needs and desires? Look at the intangibles that are important to you. Do your due diligence.

Determine your limits. What are you willing to do or not do in order to be happy with your work situation? You only get one chance at life; you want to be happy.

Whatever your “next” choice is regarding your career, these tips will help you frame a better plan of action when it comes time to putting pen to paper. For more “peer success tips” log onto the Future Focus® website and click on Peer Experiences.

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Jim Rienzo is a Senior Eye Care Business Advisor with Allergan, Inc. He lives in Smithtown, N.Y. Contact him at rienzo_james@allergan.com.

These are a small sample of just a few of the resources available through the Future Focus® website, which also offers extensive coverage of contracting norms and negotiation, considerations for fellowship opportunities, detailed instructions for determining the viability of a solo practice, and many more tools.Current members can sign in through the link below. If you’re not a member, you can use that same link to register, allowing you full access to this invaluable information at no cost.Good luck! And let Future Focus® help you make the decision that’s best for you!