It is a bit of a taboo leaving a career in medicine and despite knowing deep down that a career in medicine wasn't right for me, I felt this obligation to continue.... 

Why did I feel this way? 

There were 5 broad reasons underlying why I felt obligated to continue. I've tried to explain what they are here and what I managed to do to overcome them. 

I hope this explanation helps you like it helped me. 

As soon as we finish medical school, we add the word “Doctor” to the front of our name. It doesn’t take long before it becomes almost impossible to separate ourselves from this badge. The nature of our work means that it can easily become all consuming but that doesn’t mean working as a Doctor is the only thing we have to spend our lives doing. We seem to forget that we were never told we couldn’t ever take the badge off.... We can separate ourselves from this identity if we want to, even if it’s just to put more emphasis on the other things we spend our time doing such as hobbies & past-times! 

I’d argue that it’s normal to wander but as medics we stopped doing this a very long time ago. We stopped wandering the minute we decided to start our medical degree & for many of us that was back in school... It’s likely you will have got used to the safety net a medical career provides, in terms of knowing exactly which stepping stones you’re going to take next & where they will lead you. There aren’t many careers that have a similarly clear progression with a predictable time frame....others in different careers are forced to explore & try different things. We need to realise that it’s okay for us to do the same. It just might take some getting used to!

We got ‘on the train’ all together at University, we all studied for exams together, we all applied for jobs together, we all work on the wards & get through the tolls of working life together... It really shouldn’t be surprising that we feel part of a family that needs to continue working together. It’s important to remember that just like families do, our colleagues will support us in our decisions (and those that won’t don’t require any further thought). Similarly, you will find this camaraderie in other things you decide to pursue. I would have been the first person to say you can’t always find it if you’d told me this a year ago. I’ve since realised it just takes time to find your ‘people’... It’s made far too easy for us when we apply to medical school. 

You will have dedicated a huge amount of your time to a medical career but this really doesn’t need to be considered as time wasted. You need to acknowledge how much you will have changed since you made the decision to apply to medical school. You will have spent at least 5 years studying for your degree alone. You will have learn’t so much about yourself during this time. It will have moulded you into the person you are today. If you’re struggling to see how the time you’ve spent dedicated to medicine hasn’t been wasted, you need to try to look at what you’ve achieved from a different perspective. 

I think this might be one of the main reasons we feel obliged to continue working as Doctors. We think we need to continue working for our patients but the reality is (unless you are a specialist in a very small niche) you are dispensable. There will be another Doctor to fill your shoes.... I think we all know this deep down. We (largely) all started this career because we like helping people but what happens if we don’t help ourselves? You will lose your patience more easily, you will lower your team’s morale & you won’t be living life to the full. It’s like they say on planes, you need to put your own oxygen mask on first!

I hope this post has helped you to better understand why you might be feeling obligated to continue working as a doctor. 

It's really important to remind yourself that your career is YOU career. 

You need to make sure you are pursuing a career path which feels right for you. 

Did you know I offer 1:1 coaching to help others make changes in their lives? This can be related to careers, starting a business or forming healthier habits. Please just send me an email directly to elle@gabrielletodd.com if this is something you feel you would benefit from & would like to learn more about.