The best life advice for young doctors? Make time to have one. Young doctors receive plenty of advice when it comes to preparing for the USMLE, choosing a specialty, matching, and anything else that helps them advance their medical careers. But what about the other aspects of becoming an adult during those eight years, not covered in medical school? Here is some life advice for young doctors to consider when buying a home, finding their first job, and sustaining a successful marriage (in whatever order those manifest): Should you buy a home during residency? Alas, after finally making it through medical school and accruing debt, it’s exciting to finally feel like an adult with a steady income—especially after being a student for far longer than your peers. While it’s important to enjoy your new financial state, careful planning is necessary to help sustain you throughout residency and help you avoid making life harder for yourself. This is especially true when deciding whether to buy or rent a house during residency. There are several factors to consider, including how much you have saved, how much debt you can afford, and how much money your spouse makes. If you are starting residency in a new state, you also want to consider whether or not you see yourself living there long-term. Though it seems like a long time, three years go by fast, and it may be wise to rent and test an area first before committing to that state and/or neighborhood right off the bat. What role does mindfulness play in physician burnout? A phenomenon called spiritual healthcare is growing in popularity around the country. According to Dr. Christina Puchalski—founder and director of George Washington University Medical School’s Institute for Spirituality and Health, “You can’t practice excellent patient care if you don’t practice excellent spiritual care.” Meanwhile, as patient care continues to expand, depression and burnout rates among physicians are at an all-time high. The same holistic principles of health that apply to our patients’ health also apply to our own. Medical schools are beginning to incorporate spiritual, emotional, and psychological skills in their curriculums. Recognizing the importance of meditation and mindfulness in fighting burnout, Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine offers a 10-week class based in cognitive-behavioral therapy. Students claim that through the simple exercises and principles taught, they are able to love themselves more, be less critical, and more patient when it comes to their patients and families at home. How can you maintain a healthy marriage? Being a doctor requires several virtues, including patience, resilience, and the ability to delay gratification—also known as postponement. While many of these qualities can serve a relationship well, they can also become detrimental to long-term relationship satisfaction when applied incorrectly. For example, couples where both partners are doctors are more likely to understand the demands and sacrifices that go along with the lifestyle. But they might also use their obligations as distractions or excuses for not confronting issues within the relationship. They also tend to put life on hold, assuming things will get better after residency. But they soon realize that the lifestyle of a doctor is a constant balancing act, which must include periodic trips and life experiences if it is to be sustainable. For the sake of the relationship, it’s important that both prioritize each other and time for fun, as well as supporting each other’s professional endeavors. Source
