Career Transition - Major Physician Concerns

Turmoil and Calm - 2007

Gulf of Mexico

How to Prepare and Overcome

The end of career transition process is an unfamiliar, major undertaking that we all face. It affects physicians in common and unique ways that include personal, professional and medical practice matters.

Most of you have the ability to plan and prepare in a timely, proactive manner. This is the optimal approach that provides you the most flexibility to deal with matters you know about now, as well as those you don’t…for the time being. It also creates some room to deal with matters unexpected and unwanted.

This is the essence of a planned transition, one that you can choose when to initiate on your terms.

In contrast, a reactive transition is one which begins when life thrusts upon you a surprising change that is often unwanted.

My Circumstance

A reactive transition was what I had to deal with, despite having made initial, preliminary plans for my own end of career transition. I can attest that it’s an unpleasant, unwanted set of experiences that are often unavoidable. 

It’s very beneficial for you to recognize that you have the ability to plan proactively well in advance.

When? Your transition begins when you recognize that you’ve been thinking about it more often than usual. That’s the time to focus.

If you experience later something major that’s life changing, you can adjust your plans accordingly.

I was able to do that and get on with my life rather nicely. 

This is Important to You

I have written about this numerous times over a period of years and find myself coming back to this theme. Why? 

Because it’s extremely important to you and there’s often a natural tendency for human beings from any walk of life to defer taking action. Why?

Because there are myriad of personal reasons that are self-evident, such as the limited time and energy that you’ve left after having fulfilled numerous responsibilities daily. 

There’s another reason that’s not as readily evident: the very fact that this is an unfamiliar process leads naturally to a lack of appreciation of the amount of time and effort it takes to prepare properly. The time is measured in years; the effort is unmeasurable, although it’s felt.

What’s Involved?

There are three major areas of responsibilities that you’ll need to endeavor to fulfill:

• Personal Matters
• Professional Matters
• Practice Matters

In this article, I describe important elements of Personal Matters. Subsequently, I will address the others.

These are common issues and is by no means a complete list. Feel free to add your personal considerations.

Personal Matters

1. Financial security; prepared?
2. Health and well-being
3. Concerns about loss of identity: clarity of personal, internal identity, external identity and persona
4. Perspective: retirement (negative) or transition (positive)?
5. Family matters: spouse, others
6. Maintaining relationships
7. What to do afterwards? Ongoing fulfillment of purpose and fun
8. Where to live?
9. Personal insurance policies
10. Preparation: When and how to start?

Ponder and Plan

I encourage you to apply yourself fully to this endeavor sooner rather than later. Every bit of time and effort will accrue to your direct benefit and your family. As you do so, you’ll find that the concerns, preoccupation and even anxieties about the known and unknown will begin to wash away and bring a smile to your face.

PS: Would you like to learn more about how to prepare yourself and your practice for the end of career transition? You may be in solo practice and wish to carry out a succession or outright sale; perhaps you are in group practice or are otherwise employed. I provide consulting/coaching services that are tailored to your specific needs. Click here to request a complimentary introductory conversation.

Haena Beach, 2022

Kauai, HI