Physician entrepreneurs, consultants, and those in search of a career change need to follow a straightforward and methodical plan when making an adjustment in their careers. How about trying a SOAP note.
Every doctor learns to write a classic SOAP note for their patients. It is something that is engrained during medical school and becomes second nature. So why look for a more complex series of steps when approaching a career change?
Bob Priddy of Third Evolution follows this approach with his clients when assessing their career potential:
“Subjective — What do I like to do, what do I enjoy, and what do I believe I do very well? If I could truly write my own ticket, where would it lead?
Objective — What are my real skills – learn to dissect what you do. If you’re an excellent diagnostician, then you’re highly analytical. If you’re a great surgeon, you’re likely very mechanically oriented or very good with computers, etc…
Assessment — Where do the lines cross? That is where do your interests and likes match up with your real skills? And, where are those attributes used in non-clinical fields?
Plan — How do you make it happen? It’s about taking a first step and then having a path to follow – incremental goals. Remember what it took to become a physician. From the day you said, “I’m going to be a doctor,” until you started your first practice, you followed a well-defined path.
Define a new path. Joining a certain organization may help you make new contacts. Volunteering with some group may help you develop and display your non-clinical skills. Each of these activities is about identifying a stepping-stone and taking the next step.”
For more information, please visit the Third Evolution website, or contact Bob Priddy directly at:
* Phone: 720-339-3585
* email: rfp@thirdevo.com
