Career Choice

There is no such thing as a “typical” story of how physicians find their specialty. Often, these stories can be as varied and impactful as the physicians themselves.

Choosing your first job out of training can be one of the most exciting and one of the most gut-wrenching experiences of your professional life. The process requires time for planning and time for self-exploration.

My dad, Leonard Calabrese, DO, has emulated what it means to love what you do. He and I are longtime travel buddies and I had joined him for many American College of Rheumatology and EULAR conferences, attending more of these events — albeit not as a registered attendee — than most rheumatologists by the time I was in college.

In our January issue, I wrote an editorial that essentially called for more emphasis on humanities in our professional and personal world. I commented on how two of our leading researchers wrote with intelligence and passion about an issue of medical professionalism and the joy they told me it brought to them.

The lobster boat tied off at the wharf. It was Ben Shipman, my rheumatoid arthritis patient, and he offered me a ride to Chebeague Island where my medical clinic was scheduled.

In a prior installment of our Residency to Retirement column, we addressed the importance of financial modeling for young physicians trying to evaluate job opportunities. While a pure financial evaluation is critical to making informed job-related decisions, a practical big-picture approach is also recommended. Such an approach is described briefly here by our colleague Dr. Dhand. The three tactics he describes all make good sense.

COEUR D’ALENE, Idaho — One remarkable difference between younger aged workers and their baby boomer counterparts is that Generation Z and millennial workers will quit a job if their personal values do not align with that of the company they work for.