Career and Life Planning Guidebook for Medical Residents

R E A D : A Change Will Do You Good: Making The Transition From Resident To Attending Wow,you’vefinallymade it!Allthoseyears inmedical school and residency and possibly fellowship have come to an end and you are ready to embrace your role as an attending. Congratulations! You are about to embark on an amazing journey and with an increase in income for which you have to plan. Your decision making during this transition will have a significant impact on your future. Like tossing a pebble into a lake, these decisions will have a ripple effect on the rest of your life. What ripples will you make? The right ripples can help foster a fulfilling professional career with less burden on your personal life while helping to craft a stable financial future. The wrong ripples often accentuate burnout, relationship stress, and years of debt. This chapter is designed to help you create the ripples you ultimately want. Timing Is Everything: Thinking About Time Off During Your Transition When you make the transition from resident to attending, you will have a golden opportunity to take some time off, which you may not get again for a long time. Consider what your options are with this time. You have been working very hard and likely seeing little of your family for the last few years. Reward yourself and them with some quality time. This time can be focused on rest and recovery before you begin this next phase of your life. I have a friend who completed residency on a Friday and moved all the way across the country to start his attending job on Monday. While he may have seen this as his only option, taking just two days for that SECTION III: T MINUS ONE YEAR CAREER AND LIFE PLANNING GUIDEBOOK FOR MEDICAL RESIDENTS 332