Permission Granted to Use Your Medical Degree as You Choose

I was coaching a woman physician the other day who is wanting to make a transition in her medical career. One of the exercises that I had her do was a “No List” of things she doesn’t want to do anymore and a “Yes List” of what she does want more of in her life.

Included on her list were things like no more call, no more weekends, no more high-acuity patients.

Yes to more vacation time and flexibility to be with her family. As she read me her lists she said, “When I made the lists I felt as though I’m asking for too much. Like nothing out there could exist that would meet my lists.” 

Then as I coached her I told her, it’s important that she give herself permission to ask for what she wants in life. We women doctors have a hard time at that.

First as women, we often accept what is handed to us without questioning or negotiating. Second as doctors, we have been brought up in the medical community to believe there are just two ways of putting our medical degrees to use, namely working clinically as employed physicians or owning our own private practice.  

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Turns out as we spoke further that soon after she made her lists she heard from a telehealth company that wanted to hire her, and that this position met all her criteria of what she was looking for and would also meet her income goals. 

Gaining clarity on what we do and don’t want puts things into motion and suddenly many times we start to find the exact opportunities we are looking for. 

So Many Women Doctors Wanting to Pivot

In this post pandemic world, I’m hearing from so many women doctors wanting to transition or pivot in what they are doing. And we here at the Mama Docs School not only want to give you permission to find a way to put your medical degree to use in a way that works for you but also that works for your family.

Remember, you are the one who earned that degree and you are the one who paid for it or is paying for it. So don’t let other people or the medical establishment tell you what you should do with it.

One of the most powerful shifts that happened for me was when I came to the realization (after a decade of working in the same practice and setting) that I am a free agent.  There was no one forcing me to stay at that job. And that as a free agent, much like a free agent athlete, I have agency and choice. And to stay or to leave was a choice. Now I chose to stay for a while longer, but eventually I chose to move on.  

Whether it’s working clinically in a different setting or non-clinically, or simply cutting down your hours, we want to be a resource for you. 

Also, if you are wanting to make a career transition and need some coaching and clarity on what to do next, click here to learn more about our Thrive Rx coaching program where we can help you gain clarity and thrive in your life and career.