Whose Life Are You Living? Sustaining a Rewarding Career

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION: Success in our chosen field takes many forms, however for many of us success is often narrowly defined. Seeing opportunities for professional fulfillment can be difficult when our attention is overwhelmed by the tasks and conflicts of our daily work. In this seminar, three Otolaryngologists who have found other opportunities within and outside of medicine will share their stories about how they found meaning that complements the clinical work. In this seminar, we will have an opportunity for participants to use different tools to write some personal reflections, share them if they wish, and discuss methods for finding new opportunities for professional meaning. We will discuss the ways the panelists have recognized their own challenges in career fulfillment, how they found new and exciting opportunities, who they sought out for advice, and how their career philosophy has changed over time. We hope that this seminar will allow physicians at all stages to begin the journey to discovering the joy in our field again.

OUTCOME OBJECTIVE 1: To examine professional fulfillment in its various forms

OUTCOME OBJECTIVE 2: To inspire self-inquiry among the audience regarding professional meaning

OUTCOME OBJECTIVE 3: To allow space for the audience to explore their career goals

BACKGROUND STATEMENT: Perhaps more than ever, finding meaning in our careers can seem daunting for some of our colleagues. Opportunities exist for us all, and we hope to provide perspective but also strategies for finding the meaningful and fulfilling parts of medicine that some of our colleagues may be missing.