Friday's Digest - The Newsletter for Doctors & Scientists

Friday's Digest #80

How Much Are You Willing to Sacrifice to Receive More Training as a Doctor or Scientist

I’ve received many questions from friends and colleagues considering a fellowship, post-doc, or residency.
Today, I'll share my responses.

March 8th, 2024

Friday's Digest - The Newsletter for Doctors & Scientists

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Preface
Main Article

Preface

Here are a few observations I had over the last week:

1️⃣ We’ve reached Friday’s Digest number 80! It’s funny to look back and read Friday’s Digest number 1. It was sent only to 8 people, including myself 😃.

2️⃣ Thirdborn turned 1 year old this week. I got the news from my dear wife (”I’m pregnant”) only a few days after arriving in Boston. And now he’s one year old. How time flies.

3️⃣ Dim lights in Boston. Back home, I preferred well-lit rooms with bright lights. But when you look at the houses in Boston at night, ALL OF THEM have dim lights. Our house is no different. And I really like it. It’s like a mini meditation built into our home.

4️⃣ I did some tweaking to improve the deliverability of my emails so they won’t land in your spam folder. I won't bore you with all the technical details, but it involved stuff I usually don’t feel comfortable doing — like messing around with my domain settings. Please let me know if you notice my newsletter getting into your spam or “updates” folder. It should not happen from now on.

Today, we will discuss the difficult decision of how far you are willing to go to get accepted into a training program.

Whether it’s a fellowship, post-doc, MPH, residency, or another kind of advanced training.

Newsletter number 80.

E-i-g-h-t-y!

Respect.

Main Article

Over the past few years, I've had many conversations with friends and colleagues considering whether to pursue a fellowship, post-doc, or residency program.

These discussions often centered on competitive programs that demand substantial sacrifices.

Throughout my advanced training, my family and I made several sacrifices. Now, as my fellowship program is coming to a close, I want to address the 3 recurring topics from these discussions: money, time, and family.

Other subjects like career, USMLE, visa, and living abroad deserve attention, but I'll set them aside to keep this one focused.

I also won't discuss how to get into these programs. You can read my thoughts on this here.

🔵 Money

Let's admit it.

If you had unlimited money, your decisions would likely be easier.

Some may say, "If I were rich, I'd quit my job."

That's a separate discussion, and I have much to say on this matter (you can read about it by clicking here).

But for the sake of this newsletter, let’s assume you would keep doing what you’re doing.

A training program will cost you a lot of money.

Is it worth it?

Short answer: absolutely.

Long answer: Never give up on an opportunity because it comes with a price tag. If you can find a way to make it happen, just do it!

The $1000 you earn today is the same $1000 you could earn in five years. Money remains the same, but your life today is very different from your life in five years.

You might regret missing this opportunity.

For more info, here I shared how much we pay every month to live in the United States.

🔵 Family

First, are children part of your equation?

If you don't have kids but have a significant other, will your move impact their career? If not, go for it. Just go for it.

If you have children, you may wonder how this move will affect them.

My children were 8.5 and 4.5 when we moved. They'll be 10.5, 6.5, and 1.5 when we return. Their experience here has been priceless.

They gained a whole new perspective on life in another state and culture.

Additionally, they're now fluent in English. Complete with a beautiful English accent.

My English will never be as natural as theirs.

In today's world, a fresh perspective and proficient English are priceless.

And above all, the experiences and memories we've made as a family here are irreplaceable.

🔵 Time

I already mentioned that the value of money doesn't change. $1000 today will still be $1000 in 5 years (of course, there are factors like inflation and purchasing power, but you get the point).

But time goes by. Once it's gone, it never comes back.

So, when you consider embarking on a journey that could last 2, 3, or even 5 years, it's a significant decision.

Here are my thoughts on this after 21 years of training:

1️⃣ Calculate the NET time you are adding

Take my training as an example.

I pursued a DMD and a PhD simultaneously.

My PhD took 6 years (2 years for a Master's and 4 years for a PhD). Similarly, it took 6 years to complete my DMD.

But I managed to complete both within 9 years.

How did I do this?

I spent 3 years in dental school, took a 3-year break for research, and then returned to dental school while continuing my PhD.

In essence, I added a "net" of 3 years to my education and obtained a PhD.

The same principle applies to your advanced training. The duration of the training is less significant than how much it will delay your next step.

2️⃣ Starting a new training immediately after completing the previous one

Let's use my training as an example again.

Right after my residency, I embarked on a research fellowship in Portland, Oregon. I completed it just days before starting medical school.

Therefore, I "squeezed" in a research fellowship between my residency and medical school.

Had I not gone after the research fellowship, my residency and medical school timeline would have remained the same.

I utilized the "in-between" time.

3️⃣ Take your time to make decisions

Many friends of mine from medical school took their time deciding on the specialty they wanted to pursue. When you graduate from medical school and don’t start the residency soon after, you’re postponing your entire career.

Dental school is a different story: As you graduate from dental school, you can start working right away, and decide on a specialty down the road. Or, you can choose to work without having a specialty at all.

So, for all my friends who already graduated and are still taking their time deciding which specialty to go for, know that I totally support what you’re doing! Take your time.

But remember, taking on an opportunity for advanced training (even getting rejected) will ALWAYS improve your life.

Why? Because you won’t have regrets later.

Rejection hurts for a second. Regret lasts a lifetime. Words to live by.

Let's conclude with one of the most inspiring individuals I know: Eminem.

In this video, he performs a song about seizing opportunities.

For those who may not be familiar with rap:

The industry banned Eminem for many years despite consistently achieving high rankings in objective numerical values.

In this video, he receives a standing ovation from the very industry that once rejected him.

Epilogue

If you received this newsletter from a friend and would like to join Friday's Digest, visit: https://newsletter.shaysharon.com

That’s it for this issue.

Hope for better times.

Shay

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