Category: It’s Time To Leave Medicine

Back in 1958, Rosa Parks sparked a revolution in the Civil Rights movement  by refusing to give up her seat on the bus.

Once upon a time, your parents, uncles, relatives, friends, heroes also sparked a revolution by scrapping and sacrificing to get on a bus called Medicine, and refusing to give up their seats.

But decades later, when the bus is a broken healthcare system that entraps Doctors with debt during medical training to limit their options and scare them into staying on the bus…in this reality, revolution looks like Rosa Parks (and you) daring to get off the bus.

Daring to stop pouring your youth and enthusiasm into a bucket with a hole in it.

Daring to stop treating yourself with less dignity and respect than what you show to your patients.

Daring to value yourself enough to walk away from the mental and physical abuse…and financial and emotional coercion…that you continually make excuses for each day.

Daring to be brave enough to opt-out of having your life held hostage by the endless needs of millions of patients around the world.

Daring to wean yourself off the insidious addiction of pleasing people who don’t value you enough to help you be who you were meant to be, instead of what they need you to be.

Daring to put your own oxygen mask on first.

Daring to trust yourself, to bet on yourself and claim back the freedom you exchanged for the safety of being a nameless cog in a broken-down machine.

Daring to live a life that amounts to more than simply staying on a bus that you never should have gotten on in the first place.

Whether or not the revolution is televised, this time around, it involves you having the courage to get off the bus.

You’ve witnessed a terrible crime and you have to be relocated immediately for your own safety. To ensure this you’re going to be given a completely new identity and entered into the witness protection programme.

Your new identity comes with a new personal history. It has nothing to do with Medicine at all, because that would be an obvious starting point for the Baddies who are after you.

Who would you be? What would you choose as a non-Medical profession? What new hobbies would you take up that have nothing to do with the ones you have now?

What does life look like when you’re given a blank canvas to paint on?

-“My family said medicine was the only path, but my heart told me otherwise.” – Dr. Emily Carter

-“Leaving medicine behind wasn’t easy, especially when my family didn’t understand my reasons.” – Dr. Samuel Evans

-“My family’s disappointment was a bitter pill to swallow, but following my passion was the only prescription for my happiness.” – Dr. Sarah Lawson

-“They thought I was crazy for leaving a promising medical career, but I knew I had to follow my own calling.” – Dr. Michael Bennett

-“My family’s disapproval echoed in my ears, but I couldn’t ignore the whisper of my dreams.” – Dr. Olivia Reed

-“Leaving medicine felt like severing a lifeline, but sometimes you have to let go to find your true purpose.” – Dr. Andrew Morgan

-“My family’s doubts became my fuel as I embarked on a different path, determined to prove them wrong.” – Dr. Rachel Turner

-“They said I was throwing away years of education, but I realized it was an investment in my own happiness.” – Dr. Benjamin Clarke

-“My family’s expectations were suffocating, but breaking free led me to breathe life into my dreams.” – Dr. Victoria Anderson

-“They couldn’t see beyond the white coat, but I knew my true colors were waiting to shine.” – Dr. Jonathan Mitchell

-“Walking away from medicine was like stepping into the unknown, but I embraced the uncertainty for the sake of my dreams.” – Dr. Sophia Ramirez

-“They questioned my sanity, but I chose to listen to my heart’s diagnosis instead.” – Dr. Daniel Foster

-“My family’s disapproval was a storm I had to weather, but it only made me stronger in pursuing my passion.” – Dr. Megan Peterson

-“The pressure to follow in their footsteps was immense, but I had to forge my own path to find true fulfillment.” – Dr. Adam Thompson

-“They believed I was abandoning my duty, but I knew I had a greater duty to myself and my dreams.” – Dr. Natalie Harris

-“Leaving medicine meant disappointing the ones who believed in me, but I had to believe in myself first.” – Dr. Matthew Collins

-“They said I was throwing away a stable future, but I chose to chase a future that set my soul on fire.” – Dr. Lily Roberts

-“My family’s rejection was a bitter pill, but it couldn’t cure the longing for a different life.” – Dr. Jacob Nelson

-“They couldn’t understand why I left the prestigious path, but I discovered my own prestige in following my dreams.” – Dr. Gabriella Turner

-“Leaving medicine shattered their hopes, but it mended my own heart that yearned for something more.” – Dr. Oliver Bennett

• Dr James Khan: “My family said I was throwing away years of hard work, but I knew I couldn’t ignore the calling in my heart.”
• Dr Aisha Patel: “They told me I was crazy to give up a stable career, but my passion was stronger than their doubts.”
• Dr Muhammad Rodriguez: “When I announced my decision, my family said I was betraying their expectations. Little did they know, I was finally embracing my own.”
• Dr Emily Chen: “Leaving medicine shattered their dreams for me, but it mended my spirit and allowed me to chase my own.”
• Dr Tyrone Kim: “My family thought I was making a mistake, but I had to follow my own path and find my own happiness.”
• Dr Amara Gupta: “They said I was abandoning everything I worked for, but what they didn’t understand was that I was saving myself.”
• Dr Noah Ali: “My family couldn’t comprehend my decision, but sometimes you have to disappoint others to stay true to yourself.”
• Dr Layla Nguyen: “They insisted I was wasting my education, but I believed there was more to life than just a degree.”
• Dr Isaiah Khan: “Leaving medicine broke their hearts, but it mended my soul. Sometimes you have to choose yourself over the expectations of others.”
• Dr Freya Rahman: “My family’s disapproval echoed in my mind, but I had to trust my instincts and carve my own path.”
• Dr Carlos Mendez: “They questioned my sanity and called me a quitter, but deep down, I knew I was choosing a life of fulfillment over regret.”
• Dr Kiera Patel: “Walking away from medicine went against their wishes, but it was the only way for me to create a life that truly mattered.”
• Dr Jamal Kim: “My family thought I was abandoning my responsibilities, but I was simply prioritizing my own happiness for the first time.”
• Dr Isabella Chen: “They said I was throwing away my future, but what they didn’t realize was that I was finally reclaiming it.”
• Dr Max Okafor: “Leaving medicine meant disappointing their expectations, but it was necessary for me to pursue my true passion.”
• Dr Zara Khan: “They told me I was letting everyone down, but in reality, I was lifting myself up to new heights.”
• Dr Ahmed Rodriguez: “My family couldn’t understand why I would leave a prestigious profession, but I couldn’t fathom a life without following my dreams.”
• Dr Maya Gupta: “They saw it as a betrayal, but I saw it as an act of self-love and self-discovery.”
• Dr Ethan Patel: “They said I was abandoning the family legacy, but I knew I had to create my own legacy that aligned with my deepest desires.”
• Dr Leila Nguyen: “Leaving medicine shattered their expectations, but it allowed me to rebuild my life on my own terms.”

Tension, drama, overwhelm, stress, anxiety, fear of failure, weariness from trial-and-error over a long time. Tactics, strategies and formulae.

We’ll dig into all of that in a few moments. But here’s a silly idea that might simplify everything and transform your life faster than you can imagine.

Here it is.

Stop looking around for solutions, and just focus on these 5 words.

It’s time to leave Medicine.

Don’t worry about how. Just sit with that as your focus, as your North star.

Allow yourself to rest in that thought, to feel it in your body.

And then, answer thus question:

What do I think I should I do now?

Write down everything that comes to mind.

Look at what you’ve written, take action on it and then see what happens.

Maybe nothing. But maybe you’ll discover within yourself the one action step that will change everything. 

Trust yourself and take action on the insights you carry within yourself.

It feels silly but it’s less silly than spending the next 30 years looking for an answer that you already have.

Once a day = Doctor commits suicide, ending their life

Twice a week = Doctors leave Medicine to go and do something else, closing this chapter of their life in order to go start a new one

The suicide rate of Doctors committing suicide due to being burnt out by Medicine = 54%

The suicide rate of Doctors committing suicide due to being burnt out by Medicine is Zero percent…if you leave now.

You either leave with your feet on the ground as you walk out the front door…or with your feet in the ground after they carry out your corpse from wherever they found it.

It’s time to quit Medicine.