Leaving a program can feel like one of the most demoralizing and destabilizing occurrences/happenstances Effort to occur in one’s career, as well as one of the most radically devastating injuries to ones Sense of self-identity. Given such extreme levels of injury, it would not be unfounded to think that one would rather than have their situation on display for all to bear witness to that they would rather shrink into themselves. However, here are some reasons any trainee in this situation should seriously consider going into hiding

1. Support

This is perhaps the most poignant of the points I have to share. From somebody who has left two separate programs before finally successfully completing training and then going onto complete board certification I attribute at a great dea mo m of my success to the Overwhelming support that I had. I come from a large family to start with so I had the support of both of my parents and my five siblings. To add to that I had friends/colleagues who I trusted both within medicine and outside of medicine to lean on. Now I will say that this experience has taught me on multiple occasions the importance of keeping some things to oneself, especially in situations where there is a lack of clarity influences from the outside can be less than helpful and can definitely serve to magnify anxiety, confusion, and doubt that one may already be harboring(honestly I shut out about 90% of people that I knew during my own periods of uncertainty because I just didn’t want/couldn’t afford to be influenced in a negative sense and I knew that while I believed in myself is very possible that those on the outside may not have the same confidence, especially given how bleak of a situation it appeared to be after the second happenstance; to be honest, I am glad that I blocked out people in general during this time although it did cost me quite a few friends/acquaintances however I do feel that those that remained are among the strongest connections that I have today. That period of solitude while at times lonely gave me time to focus on myself to fortify my belief that I could finish residency successfully, and prevented me from getting into a space where I was consumed with comparison with my peers who at the time may have appeared to have been further along than me at that time. )

In the moments where my self-confidence waivered, I leaned on the support of those around me to chase away negative feelings and also to revitalize and refortify my confidence in myself through their positive affirmation. Again, I cannot stress enough, how instrumental being surrounded by positive energy/influence was in, not only me getting back on my feet, but even finding the guts to try again

       2. Pooling of ideas/Strategies for enrichment

As mentioned above, I was privileged to have a few colleagues going through Similar trials on whom I could bounce ideas off of as well as find/give encouragement. One of my colleagues were studying for step three so I was able to give him my step three Resources to prep with. Intern, when my Internet went out, they to let me use theirs so I could work on applications. it was also one of my colleagues that recommended applying for state benefits. I recommendation that later proved incredibly valuable (pun intended) in that it alleviated a massive amount of the financial burden that came with being in a state of unemployment while between residencies. This is advice. I’ve never would have obtain if I had isolated myself by surrounding myself with vetted confidence going through similar trials I was able to create a network of individuals with whom I could brainstorm on strategies to maximize the hand dealt.

     3. Shared opportunitie, i.e. openings at programs, job opportunities, and the interim

In the same fashion, we were able to share opportunities as they arose So too, were we able to share employment opportunities As they rose . For one thing, there are a number of websites who unfortunately Target trainees, desperate to re-enter training/in search of offsite positions. Many of which require some type of a Target trainees, desperate to re-enter training/in search of offsite positions. Many of which require some type of a subscription. In an In a situation where income is already limited subscribing to multiple such sites added up quickly, fortunately by having a pool of colleagues, we were able to share resources and Minimize costs. Likewise, given that we were for the most part, all Applying for different sub specialties It was a no-brainer to share Opportunities For each other that might be a good fit when they arose.indeed it is through this pool. that I was able to secure the off cycle PGY two position at the program I eventually went on to graduate from. The power of community is not to be underestimated.

These are just a few of the benefits I experienced by resisting the urge to hide. Can you think of any more? I’d love if you would share your thoughts So that maybe somebody else might benefit from them.