When career transitioning, start with the why

Professional fulfillment refers to a sense of satisfaction and enjoyment that comes from work. Meanwhile,?physician burnout is defined?as a state of emotional, physical and mental exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress. When individuals experience professional fulfillment, they are more likely to feel engaged and motivated, which serves as a buffer against burnout.

In contrast, when individuals do not find their work fulfilling or meaningful, they may become disengaged, which can lead to burnout over time. Burnout can also negatively impact professional fulfillment by creating a cycle of exhaustion, cynicism and reduced productivity, contributing to decreased satisfaction and fulfillment in work.

Between Dec. 9, 2021, and Jan. 24, 2022, nearly 2,500 U.S. physicians responded to a survey by researchers from the Stanford University School of Medicine, AMA, the Mayo Clinic and the University of Colorado School of Medicine.?The researchers found that professional fulfillment scores fell, dropping from 40% in 2020 to 22.4% in 2021.

Published in?Mayo Clinic Proceedings, the study,?“Changes in Burnout and Satisfaction With Work-Life Integration in Physicians Over the First 2 Years of the COVID-19 Pandemic,” also found that—consistent with those trends in professional fulfillment—57.5% of physicians indicated they would choose to become a doctor again, dropping from 72.2% in 2020. This is also a decrease from 68.5% in 2017, 67% in 2014, and 70.2% in 2011.

“At the organization level, a number of randomized and controlled trials as well as systematic reviews and meta-analyses have reported that organizational interventions both work and are critical to creating an organizational culture and practice environment that cultivates professional fulfillment,” says the study.

Doctors are leaving medicine for these reasons.

If you are thinking about a career transition, let alone a side job, the first step in the 6Rs of career transitioning is reflection. You start with the why.

There are two basic reasons why doctors transition from clinical medicine: because they have to or they want to.

"HAVE TO" REASONS

Many have to because of personal and professional circumstances that practicing impossible or extremely difficult. The usual reasons are:

1. Death or disease in themselves of a family member
2. Disability
3. Divorce
4. Disqualification due to losing their license or professional disciplinary action
5. Displacement from their home country

"WANT TO" REASONS: A combination of push and pull

1. Autonomy
2. Job or financial security
3. Purpose
4. Using transferable skills to master something new
5. Emotional or psychological needs
6. Job dissatisfaction

What is your possible self? ?It describes how people envision their futures: what they may become, or want to become, or even fear becoming.

The term, coined in 1986 by the?social psychologists Hazel Markus and Paula Nurius, grew out of research on?self-concept?and self-perception. While self-concepts — “I am a kind person” or “I am a good parent” — are rooted in the present, the researchers found that people are also informed by ideas about what they might become and how they might change.

Suppose white is no longer the color of your parachute? Find out by doing the petal exercise.

While many say they will leave, many reconsider and don't. Instead, they discover that online dating isn't so great after all and they stay married to their profession. warts and all.

If you are thinking about a career transition, whether in medical school or at a stage of retirement, do some soul searching before you tell someone to "take this white coat and shove it".

Arlen Meyers, MD, MBA is the President and CEO of the Society of Physician Entrepreneurs