Blog

Don’t Be Afraid Of New Beginnings In Your Podiatry Career

Christopher R. Hood, Jr., DPM, FACFAS, AACFAS

08/09/2018

This month is the beginning of a new job in a new city for me. Over the last three to five years, I have watched multiple colleagues, friends and past co-residents change jobs once, twice, even three times over that time range. I never thought I would fall into that category but here I find myself right in the middle of it. With my wife starting a fellowship in Nashville for the next two years, I found myself looking for and ultimately taking employment in Nashville as well.

One of my apprehensions in starting somewhere new is the trials and tribulations of reestablishing oneself. It’s not that I had a strong following at my last job but I had worked for the last two years not just to build up a patient base but to build a rapport in my local community with referral physicians, hospitals, urgent care centers, my residents, etc. The thought of starting over so soon after initially starting was daunting to me. Everyone kept telling me it takes a minimum of three to five years to build a strong foundation and I was gone after two years. It was a tough situation to swallow.

Second, I was afraid of starting over. While this job change is specific to me, I want others to know they can put their fears aside. Don’t be afraid of leaving a situation you are not happy in and don’t feel like you are a “failure” for leaving, or that you are letting people down (boss, spouse, family, etc.). Make the most of your opportunity. Reinvent yourself. Rectify past mistakes in your new situation. Enjoy the experience from both the struggles to the triumphs. Create new relationships. Learn new skills. There is so much starting over can offer. Starting fresh is kind of like hitting the reset button.

I know I am looking forward to this new experience and challenge in front of me and am ready to tackle it head on just like I did two years ago. You should as well.

The data states it is not uncommon to change jobs, especially in my age range in which people 25 to 34 years of age have a mean job tenure of 3.2 years and average 10 to 15 jobs in a career, often spending an average of five years or fewer at each job.1

Just remember to remain positive and look on the bright side of this situation. Personally, I am still young with a long career in front of me. This experience has taught me not to be afraid of starting over, regardless of how short or far you are into a job, no matter how old you are, no matter how difficult it may seem.

Dr. Hood is a fellowship trained foot and ankle surgeon. Follow him on Twitter at @crhoodjrdpm or check out his website www.footankleresource.com, which contains information on student/resident/new practitioner transitioning as well as links to academic and educations resources found throughout the internet. He will be starting at Neuhaus Foot and Ankle (www.neufoot.com) in August 2018.

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