Top 5 Lessons I Learned From Taking A Break. (MD to "Tech MBA")

It's been almost 2 years since I decided to take a break from my medical career. After years of school, long intern hours, and wondering why my adult patient with blue sclera was constantly breaking bones (osteogenesis imperfecta), I dove into the world of business with the notion of taking a break.

I never planned it. I guess I can say it just happened.

Was it the exhaustion, monotony, or constantly constricting landscape of healthcare? I don't know. I always had an interest in the business world, and wanted a challenge that would push me to my limits. I craved for numbers, benchmarks, and goals that I personally did not see in medicine.

My first idea was to dive into the pharmaceutical industry. I was offered positions as a Medical Science Liaison, Medical Information Expert, and Brand Manager. All which I rejected because I felt like it was not the right time. What discouraged me the most was that I saw it as a pharmaceutical world with many great clinicians, and excellent finance teams, but a combination of both are hard to come by. I don't think I fit into a single one of those brackets, but more of a mixture of the both.

It was then that I decided to take a 2 year gap to work in the tech industry in Manhattan. My wife, a surgeon and university professor, was supportive but at the same time concerned that I would be throwing away years of school. My parents, equally as confused about my decision suggested me to work per diem and travel. Little did I know that the lessons and skills that I would gain in the tech world would be extremely valuable and transferable to any sector and industry.

So here they are, in order of personal acceptance the 5 main lessons I learned from my time away.

#1.Degrees are just pieces of paper.

Whether you have a MD or a GED, to the world outside of the healthcare field, your true value depends on your experience. What school you went to, what grades you received, or who oversaw your dissertation means nothing in comparison to what you have built, and if you can do it again. I find myself working hard at Livestream on building a LATAM division, with the hopes of being able to emulate the process at other companies. The company has provided me all the tool to this. More important, the confidence to be able to do it again at other companies. Nothing to do with my degree. All to do with my desire and willingness to build something.

#2. Security is something you build, not something that is given to you.

Too many times I thought about leaving healthcare, but feared not being able to provide for my family at least the private level of education that I received or better. Little did I know that I had to the opportunity to provide something better for them by building something of greater impact for the masses, not just one at a time. If you set yourself apart as a KOL in any space, you will always have a job. Yes you will need the right training and development. But going back to lesson #1...Build it and your security will come from being able to do it again.

#3. Failure is important.

In medicine, failure is an impending doom of possible loss of license, and expulsion of practice. Outside of medicine, failure is an amazing opportunity to dissect, grow, explain to others, and master to propel into the next phase of the business. There are months that I have been no where near quota. Those are the months that we have been able to take a step back and figure out what strategy we used the month before that yielded these results. Also, we are able to gather past data of performance to forecast future results. This has turned failure into an amazing opportunity without severe consequences.

#4. Leadership will make or break your journey.

I realized that in medicine there is always someone above you. As an intern you had an attending. As an attending you have a medical director. As a director you have a board. Yet, if we look back at most experiences, the person above us in healthcare is not much of a leader, but more of a the face of discipline. Outside of medicine, especially at my current company, I have seen how leaders express value for their employees, and work effortlessly to give them the right tools to succeed and win. I'll never forget the day one of my senior bosses sent out a company wide email encouraging us to take a vacation (Link To Email). Leaders lead by example, not by words. I have learned the importance of being an example in this.

#5. If it ain't fun, it ain't worth it.

I was not sure if this should be first or last. Taking a leap of faith and jumping into something new takes guts, but above all takes FUN! The VP of my firm recently asked me if I was still having fun. He knows that if I weren't, I wouldn't be working for him anymore. I think what concerns me the most is the amount of years that I spent away from the fun. I honestly wish I could get some of it back.

The question is; would I have learned these lessons if I did not step outside of the box to take a break? Maybe so. Life has a way of teaching us the lessons that we need to learn no matter what field we are in. Please do not take this as a disgruntled physician who found something he should of done years ago. I still serve the poor with my wife overseas as a passion project, and there use my medical skills. The point I am making is the importance of being brave enough to step outside of your comfort zone and face a new challenge. You will be surprised at what you can learn, and the person who you can become.

According to statistics I have another 40 years of work ahead of my life. In light of that, I think I am going to continue on this break away from clinical medicine to work in the business world. Eventually I do want to take these skills to the pharmaceutical industry and help their sales organizations win. I am sure those roles that I once rejected will come back to me again. Except this time, I will be better prepared for them. In the meanwhile, I shall continue with my training on getting my "Sales MBA" in the tech space of NYC at a company called Livestream.

Never give up on a life of fun.

Ramon