Like change, transition is constant
Now that I have spent two decades in healthcare, I have been a thinking a lot about my career and transitions that I had to deal with and manage. I recently posted a LinkedIn article and I am sharing a version of that article here.
Emran
————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
Just a few years ago, I hit the fifth decade, and I felt like it was time for me to write and share what I have learned all these years, particularly nuggets of wisdom, experience, and perhaps tribulations of a career that is two decades long and growing. Well, I procrastinated for no good reason but I think I am ready now. Perhaps, this is going to be my new year's resolution - writing for a physician audience and writing about career transition.
So, what is so special about career transition in medicine. After all, like doctors, a number of professionals (and workers of all stripes) are changing jobs and handling all kinds of transition in life and at work. It is a changing time for most of us, including physicians. Most physicians consider the profession an inner calling, and if they like their workplace and the salary is fair, I think most doctors simply enjoy patient care and do not necessarily think about switching jobs. I know I am making a lot of generalizations here, and the Millennials and Gen Z physicians may have different philosophy about many things in life, including their roles as doctors. We all know how the work environment for a physician has changed: gone are the days of paper-based chart, taking care of patients, both at the clinic and in the hospital (and wherever they go after discharge!), hand-writing small notes, and having camaraderie with fellow physicians at the hospital's doctors lounge. The last two decades have seen a tsunami of forces (electronic medical records, detailed EMR-based billing, other practice-related paperwork, for example) that have profoundly changed how we take care of patients. And, of course, there is burnout! Now, more than ever, doctors are practicing in an environment that is markedly different than what they trained in.
It is not surprising that about 20% of physicians (according to a survey conducted by the Medicus Firm) now think of switching jobs within 12 months of starting one, and this was not the trend when I started practice medicine twenty years back. Physicians are a stoic bunch and I believe they can handle change or transition better. That said, what I have learned over the years about transition, or a change, is that each one is unique and that anticipatory guidance and planning helps.
My hope is to share what worked and did not work about my own transitions over the last two decades of professional work. This is an area of deep interest to me, and by no means, I am going to claim myself as an expert in this field. My insights will be a reflection of my own personal experiences, along with what I have learned from career coaches and social psychology literature. This body of work primarily would be targeted for physicians who are contemplating career changes, and for those who find change management frustrating at their current work. Happy reading!
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/like-change-transition-constant-emran-rouf-md-mba-facp/?trackingId=E11ZO2a4SF6Mcvy28dcaPg%3D%3D