133 Take back control of your physician career - build a conscious relationship with your practice

Does it sometimes feel like your job as a doctor is actually driving your life? How you feel about your job is how you feel about your life in general, like you're fused with the fact that you chose to be a doctor back in the day and can't escape it. In this episode, you'll discover how to create a conscious relationship with your career as a physician so that you're in charge. Take back your practice, your job, your career, and your life, and start right now.

In this episode, you'll learn about doctors' default setting of being all in on their career, which essentially hands the steering wheel of their life to their job. This ties their identity and happiness to the stresses of their physician job. Let me show you how to take back your practice and adopt any one of four different conscious relationships with your career. These strategies provide separation so you can reclaim your life. How you feel about your practice doesn’t have to define how you feel about your life.

This episode is another one of our ninja lessons, building on the concept of an ideal job description. Full details on how to create your ideal job description are back in Episode 130. Once you're done here today, please revisit Episode 130 and start fleshing out your ideal job description. There’s a link to that episode in the show notes. Imagine you had a magic wand and could create the job of your dreams. What would that look like? What kind of patients are you seeing? What kind of work are you doing, and in what type of organization? How much overlap is there between your current job and your ideal job?

You can visualize this as a two-circle Venn diagram: one circle represents your current job, and the other your ideal job. How much overlap do you see? Is it 20%, 40%, 60%, or more? If the overlap is high, you're likely pretty happy with your life. But if the overlap is small, you may feel dissatisfied. This dissatisfaction stems from doctors often fusing their job satisfaction with their life satisfaction. It doesn’t have to be this way.

Let’s break it down. Doctors often have an unconscious all-in relationship with their job. This legacy stems from our training. Before medical school, you likely had friends, hobbies, and free time. Once in medical school, however, the intensity of the process funneled all your energy into your career. Friendships and interests fell by the wayside. That level of commitment may have carried over into your practice, but here’s the thing: you don’t have to be all in on your career anymore.

When your job aligns perfectly with your ideal practice, it makes sense to give it your all. However, if you’re not in your ideal practice, an all-in mindset can be harmful. Let’s explore conscious relationships you can develop with your career that are healthier for you and your family.

1. Terrarium

This is when you step back from an all-in approach to give yourself breathing room. A terrarium is a self-contained ecosystem, and in this approach, you put a lid on your practice. Acknowledge that seeing patients is the fastest way to support your family's lifestyle. Commit only to excellent patient care and adequate documentation. Don’t join committees or take on additional responsibilities. Use the time and energy you save to reconnect with hobbies, friendships, and activities outside of work. This conscious choice helps alleviate pressure and provides the space you need.

2. Bridge

A bridge relationship happens when you’ve decided to leave your current practice. While still fulfilling your job responsibilities, you’re actively preparing for the next phase. Whether transitioning to a locum tenens position or finding a new permanent role, deciding to leave can bring immense relief. For some, locum work becomes a long-term career choice because of its flexibility and variety.

3. Side Gig

If leaving isn’t an option or you’re not ready to commit to a transition, consider adding a side gig. This could involve developing a niche specialty within your practice, such as working with ADHD patients or offering functional medicine. Others explore opportunities outside of medicine, like providing Botox treatments or pursuing entirely unrelated ventures. A side gig can provide additional income, fulfillment, or even a pathway to a completely different career.

Now that you’ve identified the gap between your current and ideal practice, evaluate your relationship with your career. Are you placing too much pressure on your job to fulfill you? Would it be healthier to terrarium your practice for a while and recover your energy? Or are you ready to bridge into a new opportunity or explore a side gig?

The biggest challenge in transitioning out of medicine is often financial. Replacing a physician’s income requires careful planning and time. However, developing a conscious relationship with your career ensures that you’re not overextending yourself or relying too heavily on your job for purpose and fulfillment.

If you haven’t already created an ideal job description, now is the time. Go back to Episode 130, or bookmark it, and go through the process in detail. Having a clearly defined ideal job description gives you a target for improvement and activates the ninja skills discussed in recent episodes: how to decommit, how to say no with elegance and grace, and how to build a conscious relationship with your career.

The link to Episode 130 is in the show notes below. Keep breathing until we meet again. Have a great rest of your day.