Career and Life Planning Guidebook for Medical Residents

Each of the 19 Chapters contained in this Guidebook will help you in your pursuit of your Definiteness of Purpose. 2. Mastermind Alliance The mastermind principle lets you appropriate and use the full strength of experience, training, and knowledge of other people just as if they were your own. You can overcome almost any obstacle you face, no matter what your own education or talents, if you use the mastermind principle effectively. Imagine trying to complete medical school and residencywithout professors, studygroups, program director, residency support staff, medical staff and preceptors. Your training is built with a Mastermind Alliance for you. As you transition from training, you will need to assemble a Mastermind Alliance. Make sure you read Chapter 19 - Your Success Network – Building Key Relationships That Support Your Goals. 3. Assemble an Attractive Personality A pleasant personality is a well-rounded one; accordingly, there are twenty-five different aspects of your personalitywhich you must strive to improve. This principle will teach you to use the old saying of “you catch more flies with honey….” that you will likely use effectively with your patient encounters in your transition process as well. 4. Use Applied Faith Faith is your awareness of, belief in, and harmony with universal powers. You should not simply have faith; you must use it. In medicine, the adage for acquiring new skills is “see one, do one, teach one.” It’s a simple way of reminding you that you need to have faith and confidence in yourself to master (and teach) clinical skills. Having faith in yourselfwill serve you well as you venture forward in your transition. 5. Go the Extra Mile Going the extra mile is not the sort of principle that can be put into practice in a few easy steps. Instead it is a state of mind that you must develop, so that it is a part of everything you do. As you will see in this chapter, being a “AAA” physician is important. However, none of your drive to go that “extra mile” should come as a sacrifice to your wellbeing; be sure to pair this chapter with our wellness chapter so you get the most out of these efforts. 6. Create Personal Initiative Personal initiative is absolutely necessary if you are goingtorealizeyourgoal. Itwillbringyouadvancement, attention, and opportunity. In short, you need to find your “why.” There is no “one size fits all” rule of thumb for choosing a career path post residency; take the time to look into yourself and define your drivers. This, in turn, helps you map both your course andwhat your needs will be along the way. SECTION I: T MINUS THREE YEARS CAREER AND LIFE PLANNING GUIDEBOOK FOR MEDICAL RESIDENTS 16