Career and Life Planning Guidebook for Medical Residents

The Medical Relationship R E A D : Designing Your New Life Now the fun really begins! Let’s get specific about what you’d like your immediate and long-term future to look like. This is an exciting time! Using the following prompts, figure out what you think you’re looking for as a couple - lifestyle, work- life balance, community, climate, etc. You don’t have to figure it all out right away but just get a general idea. Don’t get overwhelmed by the prospect of having to decide your entire life now or by the first job you choose. Remember that you can ALWAYS change jobs down the road. One thing that is difficult for many medical professionals to realize is the fact that they have a CHOICE about their work. If you end up somewhere that makes you miserable, you can leave as long as you are in a financial position to do so and your contract doesn’t have any hindering stipulations (and remember that if the contract is unreasonably burdensome in preventing your departure, it might not be legally binding, so contact a lawyer to see if there is a way out). Don’t let one job dictate your entire life. Let’s dive in! Question 1: Identify where you will live. Let’s start with physical locations and housing desires. 1. Do you agree onwhere youwant to live? Does the place you live/want to live allow you to live the type of life you want? 2. Do you agree on the amount of house investment and type of neighborhood? Is this a no-brainer, or is it open for discussion? Question 2: Identify the job demands, amount of flexibility and opportunities for vacation/time off. 1. Are you both on board with how much work each of you performs in actual hours spent and physical/emotional effort? 2. With demanding jobs and hours worked, see if you can determine ways that you can regularly stay connected with each other. Could you have regular text dates at lunchtime or reserve a couple of hours each week just for each other? 3. Whohas theabilitytobe flexiblewith theirschedule? If neither of you do, is that a problem? Think appointments, car maintenance, kid’s activities, etc. 4. If lack of flexibility is a concern, what could be a possible solution? 5. How much vacation and sick time do you each have? How do you want to spend your vacations? 79 WWW.PHYSICIANCAREERPLANNING.COM