I’ve been blessed to practice at Associated Retinal Consultants since I graduated from fellowship (you will have to do your own research if you want to know for how long). It was my dream job from day one, and it continues to keep me energized and invested in patient care, despite many changes over the years. But I know that’s not the case for everyone. More so now than ever, the expectations for employee retention have changed, and most retina specialists change jobs at least once, if not several times. And that’s probably a good thing.
According to one study, there are certain aspects of a job you should embrace to avoid burnout (which affects more than 50% of physicians).1 After interviewing nine doctors who were happy with their careers, researchers identified six common themes: They had variety in their work, felt a sense of empowerment, had a connection with their patients, could appreciate the effects of their work, had a sense of community with their colleagues, and felt that medicine was a calling.1 If your career isn’t ticking at least most of these boxes, it might be time to reevaluate.
During an interview with Retina Today for this issue’s featured article, Laxmi Devisetty, MD, shared a very important point: “Sometimes we get caught up in the idea of a forever job, but our needs and mindset often change with time—and so does the forever job.” Very wise words.
Maybe your family needs your support across the country. Maybe your spouse hates snow. Maybe you want to switch from medical to surgical retina (we’ve known a few of those!). Maybe the business side of practice is far more intriguing than you anticipated. Maybe it’s not. Whatever it is that has piqued your interest, don’t be afraid to pursue it. Retina, despite being a small subspeciality field, offers vast flexibility in many respects.
Not only do your personal needs change as you mature in your career, but the field of retina also continues to evolve. Before ranibizumab (Lucentis, Genentech/Roche) hit the market in 2006, we were spending most of our time in the OR, and now our injection clinics demand the bulk of our time. And that’s just one small change. How we practice, where we practice, and who we are treating are fluid, even for those of us who remain in the same practice.
So, if you aren’t already in your happy place, don’t be afraid to go find it. If you are in the right place, doing what you love, check out the other articles in this issue, which can help you with coding correctly for bilateral procedures, making smart investment decisions for your future, and getting a handle on social media for your practice.
Retina specialists are in demand everywhere, so take heart that the odds of finding a fulfilling career are in your favor. Figure out what’s right for you, and everyone will benefit.
1. Woodward R, Cheng T, Fromewick J, Galvin SL, Latessa R. What happy physicians have in common: A qualitative study of workplace perceptions of physicians with low burnout scores. SAGE Open Med. 2022;10:20503121221085841.
