Photo Credit: Bulat Silvia

 Is the early-mid-career crisis real? Physicians are asking themselves this question and looking to the future to decide their next career move.

This year, I enter my eighth year of practice. According to many medical organizations, I’m no longer a “new” or “young” or “early career” physician. Still, I also feel like I’m not a mid-career physician. So what am I? I’m at an inflection point in my career and thought I’d take this opportunity to share some of my thoughts and insights with you all.

Medical education is an obvious and delineated path. Start in undergraduate college, then go to medical school, then go to residency, and maybe if you want to put off adulthood a little bit longer, you decide a fellowship is right for you. However, our medical education process does not prepare us for the lack of a clear or delineated career path after formal medical training or many transitions that occur throughout our careers. We could and should make several key transitions better to help physicians by preparing and supporting them in the expected and unexpected transitions of a long and fruitful medical career.

When we first started after training as new attendees, there was a lot of excitement and energy and, no doubt, some growing pains. This is anticipated, and many organizations, small practices, or large groups anticipate and provide support and mentorship through this transition period from training to practice. Many medical specialty associations, the American Academy of Family Physicians and the California Academy of Family Physicians, in my case, were very beneficial as I leaped from a fellow to a young practicing family physician.

However, as I said, this year, I am transitioning out of the “new physician” or “early career physician” squarely into the mid-career phase. It feels odd because I don’t feel like a “mid-career” physician. Now, I have more gray hair and experience; however, my identity within my leadership role, organized medicine, and my clinic has been the young, energetic, enthusiastic, and new physician. How do I stay relevant? How do I define myself? I’ll be honest, I’m terrified of becoming an old grumpy physician who rants about the direction of medicine and medical education and longs for the way things “used to be.” I’ve decided to call this my early-mid-career introspection point because “crisis” feels too strong of a word.

Navigating My Early-Mid-Career Crisis

Further confounding my early-mid-career introspection is that I have already accomplished many of my career goals in a short period. Just 8 years after training, I have had the privilege of serving as president of the California Academy of Family Physicians, California delegate to the American Academy of Family Physicians Congress Delegates, promoted to core faculty at the Kaiser Permanente Fontana Family Medicine Residency Program, Assistant Clinical Professor, Sports Medicine Clerkship Director and Family Medicine Preceptor at the Bernard J. Tyson Kaiser Permanente School of Medicine. Additionally, I have been elected to the executive committee of the San Bernardino County Medical Society and Trustee of the California Medical Association. Finally, I’ve been elected to serve on my local school board. Not to self-aggrandize, but I am incredibly proud and humbled to have achieved so much in such a short period. So where do I go next? What’s the next career goal to help me stay focused?

The Key to Motivation

Admittedly, I do suffer from a bit of ADHD and FOMO. As a family physician, I want to be able to do a little bit of everything, and sometimes, I want to have my cake and eat it, too. I want to continue my career in medical education, but I’m also curious if I would like administration and operations leadership within my health system. I want to continue to elevate my voice and the healthcare perspective in public office and continue my work in health policy. However, I’m beginning to feel the stretch at this point in my career. My plate is full of professional duties, yet I also want to ensure I have time for my children and family during their critical formative years. So, how do I prioritize? How do I decide which path I go down and which path I leave for one of my incredible colleagues to pursue? However, I don’t want to have to choose one path or another to advance in any of these areas because I need to focus on fewer efforts.

Slowly, I realized I didn’t have to do it all as long as one of my colleagues did it. I have found that many professional organizations, notably the American and California Academies of Family Physicians, provided the tools and support that have been invaluable as I navigate these career changes. Personal and professional colleagues and networks have provided further support and friendship that have been invaluable. Some have even recommended hiring a professional coach to help provide insights and help with this introspective phase of my life to help me decide on my next career move. Furthermore, my ability to teach and mentor students and residents helps to inspire and encourage others to take on this important work and find their passion within medicine.

Coming to a Career Decision

You may be wondering what I have decided. Well, that’s still a work in progress. However, through multiple conversations and introspection, I have decided that I am happiest and most fulfilled working with medical students, residents, and other learners within the healthcare space. My energy, passion, and desire to support the next generation are where my skills will be best leveraged to make an impact, help others, and maintain my wellness, sustainability, and practice. This doesn’t mean I will stop doing all the other things, but I have decided this will be my priority and focus over the next several years, and I will see where this path leads me. I plan to continue much of my health policy work, government relations, and public office through the lens of education. So I may have my cake and take a few nibbles, but not the whole thing.

There is no one-size-fits-all to navigating career changes; every career looks exceptionally different. I’ve realized the journey is more important than the ultimate destination. There are many ups and downs, ebbs and flows, which we all encounter throughout our career, some expected and some unexpected. It is key to create and nurture a support system to help us navigate these changes and maintain our personal and professional satisfaction and sustainability in our medical careers. I am deeply grateful for many of the people in my life who have helped me through this process. Regardless of where you are in your career, I strongly encourage each of you to build your bench of supporters and cheerleaders because medicine is and always will be a team sport for patient care, physician wellness, career sustainability, and satisfaction.