What I Wish I knew Before
Quitting Medicine
Quitting Medicine was Scary—But It Doesn’t Have to Be
About five years ago, a cancer diagnosis and the experience of being on the receiving end of healthcare gave me the final push to quit medicine. At the time, quitting medicine and leaving behind my identity and steady income to jump into the unknown felt terrifying. Fortunately, my story had a happy ending, and I’m now deeply fulfilled in my new career as a Physician Coach. However, looking back, I realize that quitting medicine could have been a much easier decision.
Could I have made the decision to quit medicine five years earlier and saved myself years of agony? The answer is yes, but there’s more to it. I now understand simple truths that, had I addressed them earlier, could have changed the outcome of my story. I might have been able to save my relationship with medicine—or at least delay quitting medicine until I was closer to retirement age. It was all much simpler than I thought at the time.
Video Summary:
Today, I share the first video in the series “What I Wish I Knew Before Quitting Medicine.” In this video, I tell the story of the first time I experienced the tug of cognitive dissonance—and how I chose to ignore it. I’ll use this story to highlight the three most important mistakes I made, mistakes that could have changed the course of my journey if I had addressed them earlier. These mistakes are:
- Neglecting to listen to and trust my inner voice.
- Not being anchored in my truest values (especially my definition of integrity).
- Allowing others to mistreat or dismiss me because their voices mirrored my own low self-worth.
The First Time I Should Have Considered Quitting Medicine: A Real Story
I once heard that people’s true colors are most visible when money is involved. My first discomfort with the business side of medicine arose during one of my initial group meetings as an equal shareholder. We had to decide on a significant investment for the practice—an expensive piece of equipment.
For the first time, our diverging values became clear. Some physicians favored buying the cheapest machine possible to maximize their profits. Others lobbied for purchasing the most advanced (and priciest) machine in order to “destroy the competition.”
That day, I saw the writing on the wall: no one raised the question of the values that used to be the foundation of our group—what was best for our patients and staff. I knew we were on the wrong path, but I did nothing to stop it.
An Unfortunate Pattern
This is a common and predictable path to job dissatisfaction. Ignoring your inner voice leads to a persistent sense of misalignment with your values. We remain in unsatisfactory situations because they match our internal beliefs about ourselves and the world.
Much of my work with clients revolves around helping them identify these beliefs, distinguish between those that are real and those that no longer serve them, and find the undeniable truths that can become their anchor, compass, and nourishment—no matter what challenges they face.
Why I’m Sharing This: Because Quitting Medicine is Just a Choice
After training as a life coach and working with hundreds of physicians in one-on-one coaching, group sessions, and speaking engagements, I’ve noticed recurring patterns. The sequence of steps I described earlier often leads to two situations, both rooted in a belief in powerlessness:
Pattern 1: “Quitting Medicine is My Only Choice.”
I’ve met many physicians who, like me, felt that quitting medicine was their last, desperate option. The overwhelming stress and cognitive dissonance threatened to make them implode, and quitting became the pressure valve.
In retrospect, I now understand that if I had acknowledged the symptoms earlier, I could have addressed the cognitive dissonance before the injuries accumulated. I didn’t have to make the decision from a place of powerlessness, feeling “pushed by the system.” I could have chosen to quit earlier, consciously and calmly. Once we recognize what aligns with our sacred truths, we can differentiate between problems that are mere annoyances and those that are true dealbreakers.
Pattern 2: “Quitting Medicine is Not an Option.”
On the other hand, many of my clients fantasize about quitting medicine but can’t afford to retire yet. Every year they endure medicine, telling themselves that surviving five (or ten) more years will allow them to make a smoother transition. “If I can just finish paying off my student loans or reach this financial goal, I’ll be ready,” they claim.
To Leave or Not to Leave: The Dilemma
As a coach, I help my clients work toward their goals impartially, without a personal agenda. However, after surviving cancer, I’m keenly aware that our time on earth is limited, and no amount of misery is acceptable.
My solution? I help clients find happiness and joy where they are right now. For most of them, this new lightness makes it easier to stay in medicine. For others, it allows them to see solutions that were previously invisible to them, and quitting medicine becomes an empowered, conscious choice.
I’d be delighted to help you clarify what works best for you: Make an appointment for a complimentary consultation here.
Stay tuned for the next videos in the series “What I Wish I Knew Before Quitting Medicine,” where I’ll dive deeper into the most critical mistakes I made and now teach my clients to avoid.
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