You never can tell...

I often meet with younger physicians who are looking for career guidance and mentorship - it's really one of my favorite aspects of my current job.  Our typical conversation starts with my own personal story, not because I think anyone should necessarily model the path I traveled, but rather to give these physicians the idea that you really never know where you will end up in life.  Here's what I mean.


I remember having multiple conversations with classmates and colleagues throughout medical school, residency, and the beginning of fellowship training about laboratory-based research.  I distinctly remember saying on several occasions something to the effect of "Why should I do research?  I want to take care of patients - that's why I went to medical school and not graduate school."  There were other times when I even said, "Why would I want to do basic science research, I am not a PhD."  Ironically, I was fortunate to be exposed to several excellent physician-scientists during my fellowship training, the so-called "triple threat" physicians who were excellent at patient care, teaching, and research.  At some point, I got hooked on the idea that I too could become a physician-scientists and ultimately chose to pursue a career combining both patient care and laboratory-based research.  I spent the first 10 years or so of my career working at the bedside and the bench.  I was lucky enough to be moderately successful at it too, as at least some of my research was funded by the National Institutes of Health (a common benchmark for physician-scientists).  So, I found myself doing what I never imagined that I would be doing.


After my first year of medical school, I was fortunate to be awarded a military scholarship to pay for the rest of medical school.  I completed my residency training while on active duty in the United States Navy, after which time I served for three additional years as a general pediatrician before starting fellowship training.  I really enjoyed my time in the Navy, and there was certainly an opportunity to remain on active duty, even as a pediatric subspecialist.  As you can imagine, however, the opportunities for career advancement as a pediatrician in the Navy are such that if you want to be promoted through the ranks, sooner or later you will have to go into health care administration.  I remember talking about the decision on whether to stay in the Navy or become a civilian again with my wife.  I don't remember the exact words, but I think I said something along the lines of, "I wouldn't be caught dead in health care administration!"  So, in other words, I chose to forego a career in the Navy - something that I really enjoyed and miss, even to this day - largely because I did not want to go into health care administration.  Again, rather ironically, I spend most of my time these days in health care administration.


I use these stories to illustrate an important point - you never can tell where you will end up.  You can certainly plan what your career path might look like, but there are absolutely no guarantees that your plans will be set in stone.  Plans can change - indeed, plans should change as you learn more information.  The important points are:


1.  Always, always, always, keep your options open. 
2.  Never exclude yourself from opportunities, just because you think you might not be interested.
3.  Be open to change.


My career path has meandered a bit - and that's okay.  I might be the best example of a "Jack of All Trades, Master of None."  My next post will delve into this point further.  But for now, just remember, you never can tell...