Surviving in Academic Medicine

It’s a bold move to ask someone who’s not a funded clinical investigator and is barely considered an academic to give advice on how to have a successful career in academia. But ask, and ye shall receive.

Running time – 38:06

This is a version of a talk I got to give to a group of MD-PhD students. Among other things, I gave my opinions on how to come to terms with competition, avoid burnout, balance clinical work, secure funding, and have a job you love.

However, the section that seems to resonate the most with viewers is my discussion of the Chuck E. Cheese Economy of Academic Medicine.

In academic medicine, just like at Chuck E. Cheese, you need to earn tickets if you want to get a prize.

And in academic medicine, just like at Chuck E. Cheese, the prize you choose is often determined less by what you want than by how many tickets you have.

But constantly stacking tickets and redeeming them for the highest-value thing you can get right now is a recipe for burnout.

(If you’re only interested in the Chuck E. Cheese analogy, tap the link above and fast forward to 13:06.)

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