Transitions

The physician-in-training goes through many, many transitions. From finishing undergrad to getting our first white coat to starting clinical rotations to Match Day to earning our MD degree to writing our first order as interns to finishing the exhausting internship year to starting as senior residents to finishing residency, there's a lot to celebrate. Interestingly, for me, out of all those transitions, the one between residency and fellowship was the most understated. A lot of it is circumstantial; I'm staying in the same institution and the same department, and I'm working with many of the same people. There's also little time for us to reflect on this change; on June 30, I was a resident, and on July 1, my contract as a fellow began. I went home from work one day and showed up with a new badge, a new role, and new responsibilities. I see many of the same people at the hospital, treat some of the same patients, and have a fairly similar routine.

Nevertheless, I think this transition is an important one. I am consciously choosing to continue as a trainee; I don't have to, and sometimes I wonder if I should just go and practice anesthesia independently. Even though I am still learning, there are aspects of medicine in which I am fully qualified, and that's important for me to remember. I am donning on more responsibility and doing so with deliberation. I am taking on a greater role as a leader, teacher, and advocate. I am moving from passive career shaping to an active one, and I should take as much advantage of this year as I can to direct my learning, passions, and career to where I want to go after my twenty-some years of formal schooling.