What does it really take to find career fulfillment for doctors? This is the question we answer in Episode 26 of the Life After Medicine podcast.
Do you ever feel like you are trying to contort yourself to fit into the box of what an “ideal doctor” should be?
You tell yourself that you should be able to see patients more quickly, be more efficient in your documentation, and that you shouldn’t feel so stressed out and tired at the end of the day.
This week’s guest Dr. Matthea Rentea kept trying to force herself into the mold of what the ideal physician should be. She felt silly being so burnt out when she was only a few years into her clinical practice.
However, when she finally started to accept herself and acknowledge the source of her discontent she was able to start designing an authentic and fulfilling career.
In this episode Matthea and I discuss
- Why accepting herself and her constitution was KEY to creating a more fulfilling career
- The exact mindset shifts she made to help her career transition
- Tuning into your intuition to get career clarity
- How to take a compassion pause to insert more mindfulness into your every day
- Resources for overcoming imposter syndrome.
This is such an incredible conversation and I am so excited for you to listen to Matthea’s beautiful vulnerability and practical wisdom.
What’s not working in your medical career?
After residency, Dr. Rentea got overwhelmed with all the responsibilities from work, being a mom and getting married. She decided to work on herself and found a weight loss coaching community for women physicians. She realized a lot of other people are also feeling burnout.
Through that experience, she asked herself, what is it that is not working here? She realized she wanted flexibility in her career AND to help patients in a different way. She gained confidence and started working and negotiating for the life she wanted.
Problems with finding career fulfillment for doctors
At first, Matthea thought it was a “me” problem, that she just wasn’t efficient enough. However she soon started to realize the source of her stress was actually a systems problem.
She decided it’s not worth it to be stressed all evening for just one work day. She started cutting back her hours, but realized that wasn’t the full answer.
For her the core of the problem is that the flexibility does not exist in her medical career. She wanted to have mini breaks in her schedule that were not permitted by scheduling guidelines.
Mindset shifts to finding career fulfillment for doctors
She worked with a mindset coach, get clear on what her values are and how she wanted to think and feel. Some of the key mindset shifts she made include:
- Work doesn’t have to be a hard and painful process
- There’s a way to make money that doesn’t rely purely on increasing productivity
Throughout this process of self discovery, Matthea continually went back to her values. She realized that creating and cherishing connection with her patients and being present in the moment is important to her. She stopped stuffing down her needs and started shifting out of delayed gratification.
Creating career fulfillment for doctors
You have to change your mindset and stop limiting yourself the things that you can do. Look for other ways to do your responsibilities, align with your values and enjoy life.
To create career fulfillment for doctors, it’s important to start to believe that it’s possible. Matthea started to invest in herself and started training in coaching and getting a few clients. She let things flow and listened to herself. She started exploring the world of possibilities and believed in herself.
Listening to your intuition
She was not listening to her intuition until she started weight loss coaching for herself. She asked herself “why do you need this to relax? What are you relaxing for?
She listened to herself and thought maybe she really is an entrepreneurial type of person. She figured out there has to be a reason for everything. She realized that she doesn’t have to achieve something to be happy and be okay.
Practicing the compassion pause
One powerful practice is to tune into yourself and ask “what do you actually need right now?”
Tuning into the moment and figuring out what you really need and having compassion pause.
When you are going through something, instead of trying to escape it, try to actually tune in to your feelings and what is going on in your life. Ask yourself “what do I need?” Its a small moment of mindfulness to practice self compassion.
Links/ Resources:
Links/ Resources:
Email Matthea at: matthea@thewlcc.com,
5 Days to Stop Overeating Video Series
Connect with Matthea on Instagram
The Weight Loss Coaching Collective FB Group
Life After Medicine FB Group
#ByeBurnout Starter Kit
Burnout Recovery Blueprint
The Career Fulfillment Formula
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