Towards the end of my fellowship training, I began to look for jobs.  The good thing about being a doctor is that most of the time, jobs are looking for you.  Our problem isn’t finding one, it’s choosing the best package.  For me, it came down to two offers.  Each was extremely desirable for its own reasons.  The first offered a salary significantly higher than the second.  With that  job, I’d have the opportunity to get a new ICU up and running in one of the fastest growing communities in America.  The other job’s salary was much lower (but hey it’s doctor money so still good) but I’d have the opportunity to work with students and young physicians.  Both were great options and I struggled to choose.  I then reached out to a mentor who made it simple, “Dale, it sounds like with the higher paying job you’ll mostly be a body there to work. They want you to just be a doctor.  Dale, you’re more than a doctor.”

Those words have stuck with me ever since.  I’m an author, an entrepreneur, a little league coach, a leadership coach, and so many other things.  Although I can’t do all of these things on my 9 to 5, the less hectic schedule makes it possible during off hours.  Taking the lower paying job have provided me with enough time to continue developing my passions so I can make a lasting impact.

Ok, that’s enough about me.  This article was written for you.  What are your passions?  What things do you want to continue doing throughout your entire career as a medical doctor?  Take some time to identify those and be certain of them.  It is important to know these before you begin medical school.  I’ve witness too many gifted individuals start medical school multitalented and leave as a one trick pony.  The mistake these individuals make is thinking that they don’t have enough time to do the things they love because they are so busy studying.  This is bad.  No, it’s very bad.  The reason so is because doing the things you love make you happy and decrease your stress.  This in turn will allow you to perform better in your coursework and clinical rotations.

Physicians need to be more than doctors.  Whether we like it or not, we are societal leaders and that being the case, it is imperative that we be well versed in areas beyond medicine.  Even at the most basic humanistic level, patients want to be treated by people who can relate to them.  You golf..hey, I do too!  Something as simple as that can establish a bond.

So, here’s my question to you. What things make you more than a doctor? How do you think these things will add value to you as a physician?

At the end of the day, you are a person before you are a doctor.  There are things that you are passionate about and need to do in order to feel complete.  If it’s dance, then dance with all of your heart.  If it’s writing software, then type until your wrists are numb.  Be more than a premed, and when you get that white coat, be more than a doctor!

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