Forum Members Best Advice I Never Received Contest Starts Now! 🏆

[alexj-12]

Hey guys! Just wanted to announce a contest for Best Advice I Never Received that starts now! Just let us know any anything you learned on the job or during school that you wish someone would have shared with you and the member with the highest reaction score on their post will win.

The contest will end on July 5th and then the winner will be announced!

Rules:
Members can submit multiple pieces of advice, but they'll each be scored separately.
Any reaction counts as a vote (i.e. the reaction doesn't need to just be a like, but can be any reaction).

Prize:
The member with the highest reaction score will get a special "contest winner" user banner and a $25 Amazon gift card

Good luck everyone and excited to hear all of the advice!

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Members don't see this ad.

 

[PerioDont]

Ask for help. Mentorship is one of the keys to success.

Just find someone who has done what you did, and ask them. Cold email people, show up, reach out on social media, someone will respond.

There are so many people in healthcare that WANT to help you move forward

 

[fingerscrossed1085]

My greatest advice is to be proactive in your freshman/sophomore years of college with checking premed course requirements. I thought that upper level bio/chemistry courses could be used to replace intro courses for medical school requirements....I was very wrong.

Now I am spending $3000 on an intro bio course after I graduated from college! PROTECT YOUR WALLETS (and your sanity)!!!!

 

[27DODoc]

A career or your status does not define who you are as a person, always be humble and kind. Also, create good karma and give back to others.

 

[27DODoc]

One more: Why stress, you are a small particle, sitting on a floating rock in an infinite universe.

 

[Dral]

When you're looking for your first job out of residency/school there are three things to consider:
1. Being where you want to be geographically
2. Doing pretty much what you want to be doing in your day to day work life
3. Making the amount of money you want to make

The goal is to have 2 out of 3 for your first job. 3/3 is great. 1/3 without the prospect of increasing to 2/3 fairly soon at said job may mean to look elsewhere.

 

[SurfingDoctor]

The best way to find mentorship is find someone who you would like to be in 15 to 20 years down the road and say to them "Wow, your career path is awesome. What things did you do to achieve that?!"

Also, some things require a little extra work and elbow grease on one's own part because "at the end of the day, the person most invested in your success... is you"

Lastly, "trust, but verify"

 

[catnip12]

In med school, balance should be measured with an appropriate interval. Evaluating your life and achievements on a week by week basis is better for you (me?) than a day by day basis. Med school is too messy and requires an appropriate buffer.

 

[poplockndocit]

Enjoy the journey!

 

[rep_the_don]

Actively learn from your failures so that you don't make the same mistake twice.

 

[WisNeuro]

Know when to say "no."

As trainees and early career providers, we often say yes to everything to make a good impression, please our preceptors, or build our resumes. It's pretty easy to get stretched too thin, and performance can suffer. Learn to pic and choose what to do, and do those things well. You don't have to take on everything.

 

[Osminog]

If you want to climb the dominance hierarchy and attract mates, your first step needs to be to clean your room. According to Jung, the archetype of the home is central to our basic senses of self-understanding and self-worth. The palace of Zeus on Mount Olympus, according to Greek mythology, was furnished with golden tables and automaton chairs. Zeus's throne was made of luxurious Egyptian marble and embellished with gold, and his wife Hera's throne was made of the ivory and adorned with crystals. In front of the palace was an expansive, gorgeous courtyard, where all the gods would gather to discuss the day's agenda. Did Zeus have bloody pizza boxes from last week sitting on his gold-paved floor? Did he have dust accumulating on top of his refrigerator? Of course not. Zeus wanted to stay at the top of the dominance hierarchy, so he needed to invest effort into maintaining his home. Otherwise, Hera would have kicked his ass to the curb for being a bloody slob and looked for a new mate who could actually appreciate the moral and symbolic value of vacuuming.

And while you're at it, remember to stand up straight. Slouches don't move up in the dominance hierarchy, and the data on that are pretty clear-cut. Dostoevsky actually had a lot of interesting things to say on this topic, but I won't go into that here.

 

[Crayola227]

"There is no greater burden than great potential."

"Always buy a good bed and a good pair of shoes, when you're not in one, you're in the other."

"The greatest therapeutic tool you'll ever have is the power of your own personality."

Many quotes by Osler.

Also, along the lines of a Grumpy Cat meme, sometimes chasing your dreams is like running into a wood chipper. Reaching for the stars can give you painter's shoulder. It's OK to aim lower, and you might just live longer, healthier, and happier.

Also this article from NYT
Remember: What You Do Is Not Who You Are Remember: What You Do Is Not Who You Are

 

[Gastrapathy]

Work/Life balance is bull**** in medicine. If you don’t like your job, it’s impossible to be happy after spending a decade just to be a new attending. Do whatever it takes to make your time at work something you don’t need to balance.

And, pick a high paying specialty because the best way to enjoy your job is to do less of it.

 

[BrontoPronto]

Two things I've learned from my old archaeology professor:

1- Rigidity is often the cause of misery- learn to be more flexible.

It's a short life, why spend any time being uptight over things that can be worked around with a little flexibility? Also, people will like you more.

2- Always ask “why?”

If you’re hesitant to try something, ask yourself why that is. If you’re about to make a decision and you’re feeling iffy, ask yourself why you want to make that decision and why you’re iffy. I’ve been taking his advice to heart for ~4 years now, and I definitely feel like I have more control over everything I do, and the decisions I make are my own. It also makes me feel better if my decision ultimately results in a failure, because I know I thought it through regardless. Leaves no room for regret.

 

[BrontoPronto]

"If you've already recognized it as a pile of dung, no need to bend down and sniff it to make sure."

This is a rough translation of a commonly used proverb in my language. I always think of it when I encounter unpleasant people

 

[BrontoPronto]

If high school counselors could stop telling students that they need to major in sCiEnCe SuBjEcTs if they want to be a doctor in the future, that would be great.

 

[authorperson]

Persistence is the greatest factor in success. And keep smiling, so they wonder what you're up to.

 

[dpmd]

Learn how to value your time because no one else will value it more than you do. Whether you learn how to properly code your office visits by studying up on the components at EM university, or learn to write formal consult notes whenever a colleague wants your opinion on a patient, treating your time as valuable and deserving of compensation is key to satisfaction in your career. Same goes for if you decide to be an employee. Keep track of your work and ensure you are being compensated fairly for it.

 

[deleted1103055]

The system protects their own


When considering criticizing the hospital / clinic / employer modus operandi / system in hopes of efficiency, do not expect members of the system to accept your criticism well. Even if it is 100% accurate, the system will look out for their jobs, titles, “talking points” and see you as a threat therein.

 

[Apramana]

Happiness = Reality - Expectations

 

[FlowRate]

I think this is somewhat common advice now but I don't remember hearing it explicitly as I was going through training. Some of your most important opportunities happen spontaneously so it helps to be prepared. You might click with a faculty member during a discussion or an attending you're shadowing in the emergency department might mention that they've been thinking about hiring someone as an intern in their consulting company. Being comfortable and prepared to ask for contact information or to know your worth can directly lead into solidifying those new opportunities.

 

[PharmDee614]

Networking, collaboration, and not taking things personally (business is business) are ingredients of success.
The healthcare community is a small world and one day, your student or mentee could be your boss. Treat everyone as you would want to be treated.

 

[NEURO GURU]

Think fast .. Act faster .. Never hesitate twice !

 

[Qwerty122]

Earl Nightingale - "Success is the progressive realization of a worthy ideal"

If what you're doing right now is causing bitterness, hopelessness, and anxiety, you may inherently know that it's not a worthy ideal. Because if it is a worthy ideal, you would have a "why" to your suffering that can help you voluntarily face difficulties in life to reach that which you deem is profound. The path towards success especially as a young trainee is to vaguely stumble towards a general direction and away from another direction.

If you're a med student struggling with school, reflect on your "why". Is being a doctor an ideal you deem worthy enough that you would be willing to face many years of hardships and sacrifices? If yes, keep reminding yourself that and you know that there is a final noble end goal. If no, then any second you stay in is making it much harder to get out. If unsure, then take steps to figure that out (meditate, talk to mentors, journal, etc.).

However, you HAVE to make a sacrifice. Either you sacrifice your potential to become something more worthy than who you are right now (and enjoy a relatively stress free life now), or you sacrifice your precious resources (time, money, energy) to dedicate yourself to this one goal and to become this one identity. You have to choose and not be on auto-pilot, or else life will choose for you and you'll find yourself lost without a strong core identity nor a way to escape decades later.

Speaking as a nontrad who started med school late, this was constantly in my mind as I stumbled around for years before deciding to be a physician.

 

[JamesNW]

Be hopeful but also be realistic.
I have many friends who are applying to medical schools right now. I remember when I was applying that I was nervous but because of my friends, family, and mentors, I remained hopeful that I would be able to attend medical school. As I tell many students, it's not a matter of if but rather when.
I also encourage them to be realistic. When I talk to students who want to attend big-name schools I very bluntly ask them if they have the grades and MCAT score necessary to even get a secondary application, let alone an interview. If they say no, then I encourage them to look elsewhere. You don't need to go to a big-name school like Harvard to receive a quality education. There are plenty of fantastic programs out there.

 

[Grogu]

Doubt will kill your dreams more than failure ever will

 

[SurfingDoctor]

Have this one hanging up in my work office…

 

[LimpSpatula]

Be kind. Being kind is the surest way to ensure success in the healthcare field. Be kind to your patients, your peers, your hospital staff, and yourself.

 

[Lem0nz]

The only thing easy about medicine is that it’s easy to get complacent and let your guard down and kill someone unintentionally.

 

[coffeegal144]

Learn to be selfish at times.

While being helpful to others is great, sometimes you need to be selfish- whether this means investing in a studio apartment to be alone, cancelling a study session once in awhile, or signing up for the last spot in an activity.

Of course doing good for others will lead to good in return, however as someone who has always been giving I have learned the hard way that it is completely okay to focus on yourself. Helping others is okay until it gets to the point where it limits yourself.

 

[gyngyn]

Wear support hose.

 

[Catalystik]

When you are paged at night, always be nice to the caller. If you are likeable, you can live in hope that they might think twice the next time and let you sleep longer.

 

[ploidy]

.

 

[frosted2]

"No" doesn't mean no, it means "next opportunity"

 

[DVMdreamcometrue]

The struggle you're in today is developing the strength you need for tomorrow.

 

[Old rad onc]

Do not be afraid to take a risk . Most people regret in life the dreams and opportunities they chose not to go for in the name of safety and security. I started my own practice as a radiation oncologist because partnership promises were not honored after 6 years of hard work. I seriously thought about taking another employed job but saw the same ending happening 5 years later. Today I have had my own practice for 21 years and have never looked back . I now have 9 employees and I am still working to help them all get a better life. If you do the right thing, blessings always come back around. You may not be around for all the karma, but it will appear!

 

[futureneuro7]

Don't always listen to others advice. Your premed advisor that claims to know everything has probably not been through the application process or medical school themselves. When premed advisors visit schools or programs, they are wooed and have money/gifts thrown at them so they will hype up the programs to their students (think Caribbean schools).

 

[FrostySparrow]

As hard as this can be, try not to spend your time regretting choices you made. Hindsight is 20/20 and you made the best decision you could with what you knew at the time. You've since learned something from the experience and will know more for the next time.

 

[FrostySparrow]

You can't control other people. Take care of yourself.
I think this can be a really frustrating thing for people in medicine as we give advice that's often not taken (at least in my experience in vet med). Spending time at home thinking about the clients/patients that don't take your advice can lead to burnout. If you need to think about it, spend a few minutes venting to a loved one before vowing to spend the rest of the night doing things you enjoy. You need to refill too, you can't serve from an empty vessel.

 

[See Anemone]

It's 90% confidence, 10% skill.

It's okay to be frightened/anxious of new tasks but you can't let that stop you from trying to be awesome

 

[lord999]

I hope you know what you want, but do you really know what they want?

Many of the professional issues that are avoidable are that someone does not have an end in mind which causes them to act against their own interests, but many more come from not understanding what the counterparty wants and potentially losing opportunities and making unwanted enemies. Figuring out what is actually wanted is a skill and art dependent on observation, listening, and reflection. It starts with you, but ends with them.

 

[DVMdreamcometrue]

Don't focus on those you can't save, instead focus on those that you have saved and will save.

 

[LimpSpatula]

Ask for help. Mentorship is one of the keys to success.

Just find someone who has done what you did, and ask them. Cold email people, show up, reach out on social media, someone will respond.

There are so many people in healthcare that WANT to help you move forward

This is a nice IG sentiment. I've never found this to be true but I guess n=my med school and everyone I've known. Finding someone who actually cares or wants to help is rare. But all you need is 1.

 

[alexj-12]

Hey everyone, we'll be announcing the winner in the next few days so keep an eye out!

 

[PerioDont]

This is a nice IG sentiment. I've never found this to be true but I guess n=my med school and everyone I've known. Finding someone who actually cares or wants to help is rare. But all you need is 1.

I’m sorry you’ve had that experience. I’ve been fortunate to have had the complete opposite experience where almost everyone I encountered wanted to help me.

at least you can be the change going forward in your school 🙂

 

[Crayola227]

This is a nice IG sentiment. I've never found this to be true but I guess n=my med school and everyone I've known. Finding someone who actually cares or wants to help is rare. But all you need is 1.

Maybe it was your school. I'm pretty damn cynical and always ready to share the anecdotes of cancer and rape survivors and the like getting the shaft in medicine, but even I have to say that there do seem a lot of people in the medical pathway that are interested in mentorship and helping you along the way. SDN itself is sort of a testament to the truth of their existence. The bag is definitely mixed though, there's good and bad apples in there.

 

[alexj-12]

We've announced the winner! Forum Members - And the winner is... 📣