Career and Life Planning Guidebook for Medical Residents

FROM Resident TO Attending There’s a popular meme that shows a wide-eyed kitten staring out of the screen which reads “when you’re looking for an attending….and you realize YOU’RE the attending…” We’ve all been there. Though you may very well be prepared in terms of technical training to step foot into attending life, there’s really nothing to prepare you for being an attending. This is the time for you to connect with mentors and peers to cultivate your coping skills for both patient care and self-care. FROM Student TO Teacher In the journey of becoming a physician, you’ve often been the learner. Though you have gradually taken medical students and junior residents under your wing, you have still functioned in that apprentice role. So how are you now supposed to magically be the teacher? The answer is you’re not. Medicine is always evolving; these chapters will remind you to form relationships with peers and mentors to hone the tools of the trade you are comfortable with and master new ones that will serve you and your learners well as you grow as a physician. FROM No Plan TO Blueprint No Plan Each journey starts with the first step. Knowing the steps you will need to take, where to place your feet, and how far you’ll need to travel make even the longest trek manageable. Use the tools outlined in this guidebook to create your own map of how to move forward on your Adventure in Medicine. R E A D : Guiding Principles of Success: You know more than anyone that to become a successful physician, you need to abide by guiding principles, such as your commitment to be honest with patients. As you start to plan your career and life after training, the 17 principals listed below from Napoleon Hill’s Keys to Success – The 17 Principals of Personal Achievement, will provide a foundation to help you successfully transition and continue to grow both personally and professionally. 1. Definiteness of Purpose A Definite Major Purpose (DMP) is the starting point of all achievement and all individual achievement beginswith the adoption of a definitemajor purpose and a specific plan for its attainment. When someone asks what a physician’s purpose is, often, the response is something like “to serve SECTION I: T MINUS THREE YEARS CAREER AND LIFE PLANNING GUIDEBOOK FOR MEDICAL RESIDENTS 14