Post-Residency Career Pathways: What Direction Will You Take?

After twenty-four years of schooling and training, it feels like graduating residency and moving immediately into your career is pretty much a given. Many trainees completing residency this summer likely already have a position procured. A good portion will start in positions that may turn out to be their “dream jobs.” Some of you may not experience that same result. Still more may not have a job lined up yet. This column is for those of you who did not or will not start your careers in your exact ideal position.

I did not start my post-residency career in my dream job. In fact, I did not even start practicing podiatry for seven months after graduation. For personal reasons, I was unable to apply for my license as my residency neared completion. I remember the feeling of sitting at my residency graduation dinner, excited for my coresidents, worried about my prospects, and how long I would have to wait to start this next phase of my professional life. In the interim, a practice affiliated with my residency employed me in their offices. I did clerical work, but still got to be around podiatry and keep up with the nonclinical knowledge that becomes an integral part of our career. I also worked as a bartender at a bowling alley in the evenings, getting to practice interpersonal skills. Although it was difficult to have graduated and not be practicing, this was the path I faced and I continued to work toward entering practice.

After those seven months passed and my circumstances changed, I was finally able to get my license. The day I dreamt of had finally arrived! It took only a couple of weeks to get my first job as a practicing podiatrist. The position involved moving to an unfamiliar city, putting in hours in the office, the operating room, and nursing homes. The position was not what I expected, but I was unsure if that was because I had only seen the practices involved in my residency program, or maybe because I was new in practice. Although the number of doctors and locations was high for a practice in the area, the multiple offices had sometimes limited staff. The hours were long, often sixty or more a week. My husband recalls my leaving before him and returning home after him most days.

Looking back now, I did learn a lot in that position. I took and developed my own X-rays, often roomed and cleaned after patients, did clerical or scheduling work, including my surgery scheduling, and got insurance authorization for imaging, durable medical equipment (DME), and more. It was important to me to not allow any of this to impact my patients’ visits, so it was often what kept me working through the entire day and evening. I know I am not alone in doing this kind of work, but it sometimes felt like this was not the career I had dreamt of.

When a Professional Pathway is Not a Straight Line

Sometimes, as we head along a path, we are not sure where it may lead. I fully expected to stay at and be a part of that company for the rest of my career. I was able to make a difference for my patients, so I did feel it was worth the hours, the exhaustion, and the stress that accompanied the position. Even though the dream of a different type of practice and a different type of career was always in the back of my mind, I somewhat settled and was comfortable where I was. That remained true for almost eight years; until a new opportunity came my way.   I am forever indebted to a friend who suggested I look into an open position.

I am now employed at what I consider my dream job! I work as one of two podiatrists in a large orthopedic company, seeing a bit of everything, and feeling very much like a part of something great.  It felt like a long time coming, but the benefits of employment by a supportive company where I can do my best for my patients each and every day was well worth the wait. My former position also proved to be a great experience, as I better understand the administrative aspect of a practice. I am still amazed, over five years later, at how different two jobs in the same profession can be. I hope you are all set to start your dream job straight out of residency. However, if you do not land that job immediately, set your goals, keep that dream, and keep working your way down the path! 

Dr. Hook is a Trustee of the New York State Podiatric Medical Association, Chair of the NYSPMA Public Education and Information Committee, and a sub-Chair of the American Board of Podiatric Medicine Membership Committee. She is Second Vice President of the American Association for Women Podiatrists and is in private practice at Syracuse Orthopedic Specialists in Syracuse, N.Y.

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