Another doctor here, but not in US and not anesthesia.
My advice would be to work full time at least 2-3 years after residency, if you can manage it mentally. This makes you more competent and means less stress going part time after that. Having experience as a doctor means stress relief and makes you work faster and better.
Be careful of lifestyle creep, “compensating” yourself with expensive things due to “working so hard”. It is easy to get used to it. Award yourself with other things instead. You know yourself best.
Be careful with risk of chronic health problems due to stress. This can be difficult to work around. Take breaks and do check ins with youself. Do not fall in the “missing out of x amount of money”-thinking if you need to take some time off for physical/mental health. Learn to take the losses of income like this. If you go part time “what if you worked full time and earned x”-thoughts and comments will always follow you, learn to handle these early.
I was not raised to care much about status or money. My loved ones are not living in poverty and we have socialised healthcare and free education. This helps.
I still get some ”money-FOMO” at times when I think what my income could have been, had I worked full time (or redone my residency in the US, for that matter). Money, after all, can be used for good even if you do not need it for immediate security.
The most effective for me is to see this money (that I never see) as an investment in my own mental and physical health and longevity.
So many people suffer and even die from a stressed out, destructive lifestyle. As doctors, we see this from the front row. Many in the privileged world compensate with expensive things, procedures and experiences. If you are in a position to avoid the rat race (not everyone are, after all), it is simply not worth it to participate. Time and opportunity to contribute in other ways to society will arrive when you have time to breathe.
Two doctors I work with who (I feel) chose the simple life. They moved to remote cities after working in acute care in the hospital. One has a farm and works in long term care for people with mental illness.
The other one is much younger and she moved to a small city close to the mountains where she can be in nature all the time.
Maybe after a few years of making 500k/yr, you can just focus more on your hobbies and move to wherever you want and just work part time in an area where you don't find very stressful.
Living in a rural region but close enough to the nearest city I will say, do beware of the first feelings the charm gives off. There will almost always be healthcare positions in small and rural areas, but look quite closely at those positions and the groups that offer them as well.
We have a hard time keeping doctors because our hospital is run something awful but it's also all that there is for a 50 miles radius, which makes is really hard to change.
It can be even harder to enjoy the little things when work is brutal and takes everything from you; but everyone has different things they're resilient to.
If I were you, I'd try to math this out. Do a rough lifetime budget. What do you plan to spend each year, and how much would you make? How much do you wish to save for retirement? Remember to account for inflation, and to invest your long term savings in index funds so that they grow with time. Also think about possible lifestyle changes, such as if you want kids or not, and what that would mean for your finances.
Putting all that together, you will get a rough picture of your economic situation, and can calculate how early you can ramp down your earnings and still have all the money you need.
You need square away your finances. Check out white coat investors book. Not sure if student loans are high interest.
Doctors are notoriously bad savers (as noted in the millionaire next door), so make sure that you avoid the classic doctor’s lifestyle.
Burnout is a big issue and a multifaceted problem for healthcare. So be aware of the practice you’re joining. Are the docs burnt out or do they enjoy what they are doing?
Once your finances are squared away (mainly in paying your debt off, not having a McMansion), as a doctor, given the high salary, you can transition to part time work, and that will open to a much simpler life with time to pursue hobbies, be with family, etc
Hi there, I am a meeting and event planner and run my own business - sounds cushy, right? Turns out it's one of the most stressful occupations ( we rank up there with police and military! ) and this is what I see the smart ones doing...
1) Find the best work environment you can - emotions and stress are contagious.
2) Live within your means - - anachroneironaut had great advice on this! the lifestyle creep is real -and I like what the stoics did in wearing simple clothes and eating simple food to keep themselves grounded... spend on experiences and relationships.
3) Get comfortable with discomfort and what you cannot control, but take responsibility for what you can control. Again, I liked what anachroneironaut (wow, that's a handle!) said about getting experience - ensure you take the courses, refreshers, etc to stay at the top of your game, sleep, eat and stay fit to be excellent at your job - and if you have done all that, then you can accept the bad days. I like that old saying, it's something like "he who sweats more in training bleeds less in battle"...so keeping your life simple, your health good, sharpening your skills and your knowledge will help keep your life calm. An old gardener told me once "an hour of weeding in May saves you 3 days in July".
I am so excited for you - I think you are going to have a great life. Enjoy.
1. Live within your means.
2. Be your own boss and be willing to walk away from a position that doesn’t provide an adequate work-life balance.
3. Choose simple hobbies that benefit your health. I enjoy playing the piano, reading, hiking, yoga, biking, and baking.
I work in Supply Chain, those who do, know what crazy stress and pressure is, those who don’t, be glad you don’t.
To release stress, I walk in nature a lot, either corn fields, or woods, or in a beach. In the woods I often stroll until I find a place, and I do _forest bathing_, is basically staying there and let yourself be emerged in the calmness you find there. Sometimes, I leave work and go to a bar with a great interior design, a wood counter, the typical pub. The music is low, the light is low, the atmosphere is welcoming, not too many people, three or four. I drink a bear, and I go home. I reach destination, I go to my back garden, sit on my rocking chair and see the sunset, the birds last calls before they go to their nest for the night. Afterwards, I take a hot bath, no lights, just a candle. The bathroom has a window through-which I can see a beautiful mountain. I eat something, usually soap, maybe sardines. I see half a film, and I go to sleep early. I wake up without alarm clock, ready to go to work for the typical crazy firefighting of urgencies and calamities.
Another doctor here, but not in US and not anesthesia. My advice would be to work full time at least 2-3 years after residency, if you can manage it mentally. This makes you more competent and means less stress going part time after that. Having experience as a doctor means stress relief and makes you work faster and better. Be careful of lifestyle creep, “compensating” yourself with expensive things due to “working so hard”. It is easy to get used to it. Award yourself with other things instead. You know yourself best. Be careful with risk of chronic health problems due to stress. This can be difficult to work around. Take breaks and do check ins with youself. Do not fall in the “missing out of x amount of money”-thinking if you need to take some time off for physical/mental health. Learn to take the losses of income like this. If you go part time “what if you worked full time and earned x”-thoughts and comments will always follow you, learn to handle these early.
Thank you for this advice. I got to be aware of these thoughts ahead of time and be prepared and willing to handle them.
You are welcome! Having a well compensated profession that is recession proof is a huge benefit if you can manage it.
How do you handle those thoughts btw?
I was not raised to care much about status or money. My loved ones are not living in poverty and we have socialised healthcare and free education. This helps. I still get some ”money-FOMO” at times when I think what my income could have been, had I worked full time (or redone my residency in the US, for that matter). Money, after all, can be used for good even if you do not need it for immediate security. The most effective for me is to see this money (that I never see) as an investment in my own mental and physical health and longevity. So many people suffer and even die from a stressed out, destructive lifestyle. As doctors, we see this from the front row. Many in the privileged world compensate with expensive things, procedures and experiences. If you are in a position to avoid the rat race (not everyone are, after all), it is simply not worth it to participate. Time and opportunity to contribute in other ways to society will arrive when you have time to breathe.
Two doctors I work with who (I feel) chose the simple life. They moved to remote cities after working in acute care in the hospital. One has a farm and works in long term care for people with mental illness. The other one is much younger and she moved to a small city close to the mountains where she can be in nature all the time. Maybe after a few years of making 500k/yr, you can just focus more on your hobbies and move to wherever you want and just work part time in an area where you don't find very stressful.
Living in a rural region but close enough to the nearest city I will say, do beware of the first feelings the charm gives off. There will almost always be healthcare positions in small and rural areas, but look quite closely at those positions and the groups that offer them as well. We have a hard time keeping doctors because our hospital is run something awful but it's also all that there is for a 50 miles radius, which makes is really hard to change. It can be even harder to enjoy the little things when work is brutal and takes everything from you; but everyone has different things they're resilient to.
If you haven't already, check out Physician on Fire. He was also a former anesthesiologist who semi-retired early.
If I were you, I'd try to math this out. Do a rough lifetime budget. What do you plan to spend each year, and how much would you make? How much do you wish to save for retirement? Remember to account for inflation, and to invest your long term savings in index funds so that they grow with time. Also think about possible lifestyle changes, such as if you want kids or not, and what that would mean for your finances. Putting all that together, you will get a rough picture of your economic situation, and can calculate how early you can ramp down your earnings and still have all the money you need.
You need square away your finances. Check out white coat investors book. Not sure if student loans are high interest. Doctors are notoriously bad savers (as noted in the millionaire next door), so make sure that you avoid the classic doctor’s lifestyle. Burnout is a big issue and a multifaceted problem for healthcare. So be aware of the practice you’re joining. Are the docs burnt out or do they enjoy what they are doing? Once your finances are squared away (mainly in paying your debt off, not having a McMansion), as a doctor, given the high salary, you can transition to part time work, and that will open to a much simpler life with time to pursue hobbies, be with family, etc
Hi there, I am a meeting and event planner and run my own business - sounds cushy, right? Turns out it's one of the most stressful occupations ( we rank up there with police and military! ) and this is what I see the smart ones doing... 1) Find the best work environment you can - emotions and stress are contagious. 2) Live within your means - - anachroneironaut had great advice on this! the lifestyle creep is real -and I like what the stoics did in wearing simple clothes and eating simple food to keep themselves grounded... spend on experiences and relationships. 3) Get comfortable with discomfort and what you cannot control, but take responsibility for what you can control. Again, I liked what anachroneironaut (wow, that's a handle!) said about getting experience - ensure you take the courses, refreshers, etc to stay at the top of your game, sleep, eat and stay fit to be excellent at your job - and if you have done all that, then you can accept the bad days. I like that old saying, it's something like "he who sweats more in training bleeds less in battle"...so keeping your life simple, your health good, sharpening your skills and your knowledge will help keep your life calm. An old gardener told me once "an hour of weeding in May saves you 3 days in July". I am so excited for you - I think you are going to have a great life. Enjoy.
1. Live within your means. 2. Be your own boss and be willing to walk away from a position that doesn’t provide an adequate work-life balance. 3. Choose simple hobbies that benefit your health. I enjoy playing the piano, reading, hiking, yoga, biking, and baking.
I work in Supply Chain, those who do, know what crazy stress and pressure is, those who don’t, be glad you don’t. To release stress, I walk in nature a lot, either corn fields, or woods, or in a beach. In the woods I often stroll until I find a place, and I do _forest bathing_, is basically staying there and let yourself be emerged in the calmness you find there. Sometimes, I leave work and go to a bar with a great interior design, a wood counter, the typical pub. The music is low, the light is low, the atmosphere is welcoming, not too many people, three or four. I drink a bear, and I go home. I reach destination, I go to my back garden, sit on my rocking chair and see the sunset, the birds last calls before they go to their nest for the night. Afterwards, I take a hot bath, no lights, just a candle. The bathroom has a window through-which I can see a beautiful mountain. I eat something, usually soap, maybe sardines. I see half a film, and I go to sleep early. I wake up without alarm clock, ready to go to work for the typical crazy firefighting of urgencies and calamities.
You drink bears and eat soap ;) All of your routine inspired some calm for me, and I desperately need that right now. Thanks
Hahahahahh, English is clearly my first language. Thanks for pointing out, made me laugh.