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When physicians take care of their personal lives, their professional careers benefit.
Throughout your careers as physicians, you will learn plenty about how to be successful on the job. But you won’t hear as much about managing your personal life and how that will affect your day-to-day responsibilities and overall life satisfaction.
Here are a few things to consider when selecting a mate, running a household, and mixing your personal and professional identities.
Physicians and relationships
We can all agree that personal relationships are both important and challenging, no matter what career you’re pursuing. Today, over 40% of physicians marry within their profession, and statistics show this trend will continue to grow. As physicians, it’s important to be aware of the specific issues that arise so you know how to overcome them.
First, there are several benefits to marrying within the healthcare profession: empathizing with each other’s time constraints, better communication due to speaking the same medical language, and sharing the same work-life priorities. However, there are also many challenges to consider: physicians have strong personalities which may clash, demanding work schedules might compete, and neither having enough time and energy to invest in the marriage and/or family.
Physicians and the home
Physicians lead a different lifestyle both on and off the job. Especially those physicians who work in the ER are exposed to several patients with injuries caused by objects in the home. While the average person wouldn’t think twice before owning certain basic household items, here are 8 Things ER Doctors, Refuse to Have in Their Homes.
Though more obvious things include guns, trampolines, and swimming pools, others are more shocking. Ramen noodles, for example, might seem like your harmless go-to for medical students on a budget, but their styrofoam containers can reach dangerously hot temperatures. Many ER physicians have treated enough scalding burns to know to keep these out of their homes. Physicians who are parents also stay away from tall high chairs that pull up to the table, because kids tend to kick away from the table and fall backwards, leading to skull fractures.
Physicians and identity
Though it’s hard to draw the line between personal expression and professional conduct in any field, physicians are held to an especially high standard. Since they are responsible for creating a comfortable medical environment for their patients, physicians must constantly be extra cautious about their appearance and social media image, among other factors.
Large healthcare corporations are particularly strict, and such employers aren’t shy about firing physicians who did not comply with their regulations. While strict rules exist to help physicians gain credibility with their patients, there’s also much to be said about being relatable and human.
Thus, if you’re a physician who prefers a more liberal environment and individualistic approach to healthcare, you may be happier working for a smaller institution or private medical practice.
At Kaplan, we are committed to helping you reach your professional goals while achieving a healthy life balance. Check out our live online USMLE courses today!
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