Medical Residency: Planning Your Future
A proper Medical Residency Planning strategy can help eliminate some of the uncertainties you might feel during medical school or residency. So to sketch out your future and help fill in the blanks, this short guide on post-medical residency planning will surely be helpful.
During Medical Residency Planning, the prospect of becoming an attending physician might intrigue you. On the flip side, it might also be unsettling as you’re handed a lot of responsibility with little to no breathing room. As such, you must consider Post-Medical Residency Planning strategies beforehand to take a step back, readjust your goals and determine how you want to approach the upcoming years.
Post-Medical Residency Planning will typically involve you signing up for a fellowship (if you’re hoping to sub-specialize), getting your board certification, and deciding between the private and public sectors. Apart from deciding on one of these career paths, it’s crucial that you prepare for your financial and personal goals.
Doing your research on the field you want to specialize in, getting help for a career consultant, and asking your seniors for advice will always be instrumental in helping you figure out where you want to progress in your professional career. You must decide beforehand the type of work you’ll enjoy doing, find opportunities and institutions that offer what you’re looking for and dig down into the nitty-gritty of what you’ll experience.
After you’ve nailed down the professional aspects of your post-Medical Residency Planning, the remainder includes your personal and financial goals. You might want to start a family, work overseas, travel, or volunteer. Your career might take priority, but with lots of research and planning, you can still accommodate most lifestyle changes.
Last but not least, you should factor in the financial aspects. With a salary of almost four-five times that of your residency, most attending physicians will have a lot of cash to spare. Without adequate post-medical residency planning, it will be almost impossible for an attending to save up for the future. Therefore, ensure your financial goals align with your personal and future career goals, as you might need to reserve some funds for emergencies, higher education, travel, and other commitments.
Planning your future following your medical residency can seem rife with uncertainty. However, if you prioritize what you want, carry out enough research, and get others to help you, you’ll have a solid post-Medical Residency Planning strategy and feel less anxious about the future.
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