Sara White recently posted a blog discussing the importance of finding the “right” work/life balance. This is an important struggle for all pharmacists, and especially for new practitioners. With many new practitioners now taking on the excitement and challenge of post graduate training, the transition into practice after training can be a challenge. School is over. Residency completed. First job after residency attained. What’s next? Practicing as a pharmacist after residency is just as different from residency as school was before it.
Currently, many new practitioners enter their practice via residency. A large number of these new pharmacists will then pursue specialty residencies and even fellowships. The dedication, work load, and time commitment for this post-graduate training is significant and is incredibly different from developing one’s practice after training. During residency, one’s schedule is highly structured. Programs are created to provide residents with a plethora of in depth learning experiences within a one year time frame. Rotations are laid out. Project timelines are determined early on in employment. The expectation is that there will be long hours and a heavy workload. The job is the priority. The goals for the year are clear. There are milestones to meet before graduation.
However, when one transitions from training after graduation into practicing as a pharmacist in their area of expertise, a new challenge presents itself. It is now up to the practitioner to determine what projects they are interested in pursuing at work and how they want their career to develop. It is up to the practitioner to determine what their goals are outside of professional practice. It is up to the practitioner to determine the appropriate work life balance.
This can be a daunting task for many practitioners as they start their professional journey. Many of the tips and tricks Sara mentioned in her blog could be of great use as one considers this conundrum. Additionally, I would like to recommend that newly practicing pharmacists consider the following five questions when contemplating this puzzle.
- Where do you see yourself in five years (professionally)?
- Where do you see yourself in five years (personally)?
- What are your top three goals for your professional life?
- What are your top three goals for your personal life?
- Now that residency is over, what is your top priority?
While I think that these questions are important for any practicing pharmacist to ask themselves, they are particularly important to understand during the first five years as career and life are developing quickly. I encourage all new practitioners to review Sara’s entry and consider those items for themselves but to also consider the above five questions as they do so. I think it will provide them with much more satisfying answers and results.