10 secrets to success as an academic surgeon

1. Be yourself and learn to be flexible. Don’t ever change who you are as a person. It’s OK to have a personality of your own. If you secretly listen to Taylor Swift’s Shake it Off on the way to work, it’s OK. As a junior member of the team it’s very unlikely your iPhone playlist will make the cut for the operating room (OR) entertainment anyway, so go ahead and keep it on your most played list. On the flip side, being successful means being flexible, learning new things, being wrong sometimes, and even changing the way you do things. It can be mind-blowing to learn that there is more than one way to accomplish the same goal. There may even be a more efficient way (compared to what you have been doing since you learned that one skill and have been doing it exactly the same way, every time, because it actually worked and it’s the only way you know). 2. Be professional. In all aspects of medicine. Sometimes it means dressing the part. Wear a clean white coat. Dress for success. See this article from the Harvard Business Review about how acting Like a Leader Before You Are One will help “demonstrate your potential and carve your path to the role you want.” Other times it means keeping your cool and maintaining a calm composure when all you want to do is scream. Never speak, tweet or otherwise post information about sensitive, personal, or private issues. This means don’t air your own or anybody else’s dirty laundry. Don’t gossip. Most importantly, n...
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - Category: Journals (General) Authors: Tags: Physician Surgery Source Type: blogs