As a young ophthalmologist, the climb from novice to skilled physician is more complex than the traditional career ladder. Therefore, picture a career as a scaffold: a multidirectional framework that is based on an expansive base of experience and mentorship, a fluid and shifting trajectory, and a diverse set of experiences coming together to create a unique structure. The vision of a career scaffold prevents limitation to a singular path—rather, it presents numerous ways to achieve a goal, creating a career that is uniquely for you and the life you want to achieve. In this month’s Real World Ophthalmology Corner, we explore 3 key elements in building your career scaffold.

1. Motivation: The Vertical Supports

The intrinsic and extrinsic motivations that drive each ophthalmologist are unique and function as the vertical support of your scaffold, helping guide you to each new level. One’s motivation is also not singular and includes personal satisfaction, fulfillment, interest, rewards, recognition, salary, and lifestyle. Each of these motivations creates another vertical component, and to achieve them, you must do the following:

Set Clear Goals

Motivation should drive you toward your goals. Creating your long-term goals can be difficult at the start of your career, and one should seek guidance in ensuring their goals are aimed at your final career destination. The first question you must ask yourself is, “What do you want and why?” Answering this question allows you to honestly create steps that will lead you through this career pathway to that goal. Once your end goal is set, breaking your career goals into multiple manageable pieces can aid in creating your “25-year plan.” Each one of these goals you achieve will become the milestones that create the horizontal supports to continue to build upon. A framework for setting attainable goals, George T. Doran’s “S.M.A.R.T. way” stands for specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound.¹

2. Milestones: The Horizontal Parts

Meeting each goal should be considered a milestone. Each milestone you accomplish (matching to residency, fellowship, and getting your first job or grant) creates a new horizontal component of your scaffold—a place you can sit and observe the new heights you have made it to! The farther you move in your career, the more levels (milestones) your scaffold will contain, some of them being things you didn’t know existed.

Celebrate Milestones

While it can be tempting to always look toward the next goal, one must take the time to look at all they have accomplished and celebrate each milestone. Whether that be by celebrating with a fancy dinner with your loved ones, taking a vacation, shopping for yourself, or simply sitting outside and enjoying a meal. Discover your own version of a celebration or reward.

Embrace Change

Although plans and goals are good to have, you cannot predict every change life will throw at you. Therefore, your career scaffold may become a unique structure you had not originally imagined. Embracing changes in or out of your control is important as the scaffold is a fluid structure that can be changed to fit the ever-growing and changing career it surrounds. Just remember there is no correct shape to your scaffold; each person’s is unique as they build the career that fits their growing and changing motivations.

3. Mentorship: The Diagonal Braces

Mentors are an important part of every stage of one’s career, from bracing your scaffold by providing skills development and networking to protecting your career through advice and clarity. In ophthalmology, a career is shaped by a network of mentors who share their expertise in surgical techniques, clinical examinations and diagnoses, research areas, and practice management. Mentors also help you in refining your motivations by providing advice and an educated perspective. Overall, mentorship plays a key part in bracing those motivations to allow you to achieve your milestones.

Everyone’s career scaffold is shaped by their motivations and becomes a unique structure, fluidly growing as one builds their career and new opportunities arise. Embracing mentors and your motivations will allow you to achieve your unique milestones on the way to your ultimate career goals.  

References 

1. Doran GT. There's a S.M.A.R.T. way to write management's goals and objectives. Management Review. 1981;70(11):35-36. https://www.decisionskills.com/uploads/5/1/6/0/5160560/doran_1981_s.m.a.r.t-way-management-review.pdf 

Whitney Stuard Sambhariya, MD, PhD, is a PGY-2 ophthalmology resident at the Wilmer Eye Institute at Johns Hopkins Hospital and a member of the Real World Ophthalmology educational team. She is currently serving on the American Medical Association Foundation board of directors, the Maryland State Medical Society board of trustees, as chair-elect of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology’s advocacy and outreach committee, and on the American Academy of Ophthalmology’s resident and self-assessment committee.