Thinking Outside the Box - what does this mean?

You're practicing medicine for years and you no longer feel fulfilled. There is something inside of you that years to be unleashed. What is it? Can you do it? Can you even identify it?

I know that's how I felt. So I went for my Masters in Public Health. I wanted to make a bigger difference. It took me over 5 years to complete an 18-credit degree though! I had dreams of becoming academic faculty and continuing to teach residents and perhaps doing some public health research. Well, none of that ever happened!

The truth is, a dedicated and reliable worker bee, like myself, as a member of the general ob/gyn community was a needed commodity in the field as a free adjunct faculty for the local residency program. (Truly the chair told me this!) I was still determined to do something different because I had this urge to try.

So I entered my phase of part-time public health work and locum tenens as an ob/gyn. What is all that gobbledy gook? I was a travelling ob doc, providing relief services to physicians in predominantly rural areas of the United States. And, when I say part-time, I mean 5-10 hours per month. Public health jobs were hard to find for an MD with an MPH. Sounds strange, right? Well, that's the reality....so, I had to keep thinking outside the box!

I'm hear to say that every time someone tells you to stop or not try something new, it's ok to pivot. Pivot until you find the door that opens and works for you! Get creative and try new things. One of the ways to do this is by networking online and in-person. Trying new Meet-Up groups, new social media groups, activities in arenas that you've always wanted to try, but never had a chance to do so. Let your mind free and sometimes, this will take longer than you wish, but eventually, the true you will surface.

And, on that note, follow PlansConnect, LLC here and on Eventbrite for our upcoming networking events. I will continue this story on here soon again!