When I left my physician career behind, I wasn't really sure where I'd end up.
Well, to be honest, I kind of had an idea (a type A uber-planner doesn't just leave behind her career without at least a wisp of a plan, as hard as she tries to "let go" and not have a plan). I had joined the American Medical Writer's Association (AMWA) and registered for their annual conference - conveniently, taking place just a couple weeks after my last day at the hospital. I had an idea in my head that, after some time off to decompress and veg on the couch, I would make a foray into medical writing. This is a vast and diverse field, with plenty of niches within it - I pictured myself getting involved in continuing medical education (CME) and writing articles for other physicians to read. They say to write what you know, no?
I went to the conference and immediately discovered two things. One, writers are much more supportive of each other than physicians are. Two, I really need to brush up on grammar. Knowing what "sounds right" isn't going to cut it. Okay, three things. Three, I like grammar!
I returned home and duly fulfilled my destiny of vegging on the couch for a good while. For a time, I was worried that I would never be motivated to go back to work, as I really enjoyed the couch-vegging lifestyle. A lot. My day was divided between classes at the gym and Netflixed TV shows. I kinda loved it. But eventually, I did start to get that niggling feeling that I should be doing something, well, productive with my life. And I started to look for jobs writing CME.
This was not as straightforward as it may sound, as I really wanted to try for a telecommuting position. After more than a decade on the end of a pager, setting my own schedule and working from home sounded awfully nice. I did find a CME company willing to pay me to write an article, so I dove in. And realized that I hated it. Writing this blog and writing my experiences into a book are an entirely different animal than writing a scientific article. The former flows out of me; the latter is like pulling teeth. I also did not like the feeling that I was writing a gigantic term paper that would be judged not only by my professor, but also by any physician who might read this article for their education. It had to be perfect, and I had had about enough of demanded-perfection in my old career.
In continuing to haunt the job boards of AMWA and websites dedicated to telecommuting, I found myself applying for (and getting!) editing jobs. Non-native English speakers do a lot of the research in this world, and they want to publish their papers in the English journals. That's where I come in! I take my newfound love of grammar and mix it up with some study of the American Medical Association guidelines for scientific journals, and it all bakes up into a career as a freelance editor! And, wonder of wonders, I love it! I get to correct people's grammar (always fun), and I get to learn about something different every day. One day I might have an article on dermatology, the next on cardiology, and the next on gynecology. It's bringing back the love of medicine and knowledge that took me to medical school in the first place.
I don't know if this will be a long-term career, or just a stepping stone to something different, but for now it's (almost) paying the bills and providing me with a sense of purpose. I am also building my own business, something I never thought I would do in this lifetime. A psychic told me a few years ago that I would have my own practice/business at some point, and I thought she was insane. I loved collecting a salary, and had absolutely no interest in striking out on my own into the scary world of non-financial security that is one's own business.
Moral of the story: never say never (or, never contradict a psychic, one or the other...)
