STFM Emerging Leaders’ Fellowship and Learning to Transition Gracefully

Posted on October 14, 2014 by | Leave a comment
Katherine Hastings, MD

Katherine Hastings, MD

The first time I heard about the STFM Emerging Leaders’ fellowship was while I was struggling to write a letter of intent for my application for a position with the University of Utah. I was trying to explain why they should invite me to join their faculty fresh out of residency. I was procrastinating by scrolling through my email, and the subject line “Emerging Leaders” struck me as a fairly inspiring phrase in the midst of junk mail and recruiting advertisements.

I can’t remember if I read the email immediately or if I simply used the inspiration from “Emerging Leaders” to complete my application letter. But at some point I opened the email, clicked the link, and read about the fellowship.

I wanted in.

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Posted in Leadership, New Faculty in Family Medicine Collaborative

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Top 10 Pieces of Advice for New Behavioral Science Educators

Posted on September 29, 2014 by | 3 comments
Jennifer Ayres, PhD

Jennifer Ayres, PhD

I graduated 14 years ago with a plan. I envisioned a lifelong career devoted to the clinical care of underserved children, adolescents, and their family members. Pursuing a career in graduate medical education was not part of the plan. But a need to move closer to family and an interesting job description caught my attention and changed my career course.

During my phone interview, I was honest about my lack of experience in resident education. I believed my clinical skills and experience teaching mental health graduate students would generalize to family medicine residents. And they did…after a steep learning curve.

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Just Say No: Saving Your Sanity While Working in Academic Medicine

Posted on August 27, 2014 by | 5 comments
David Norris, Jr, MD

David Norris, Jr, MD

Congratulations! You’ve received your appointment as a new faculty. Faculty evaluations and promotion and tenure reviews will arrive before you know it.

One way to shine in your first year, and to build your CV, is by serving on committees, engaging in research, publishing journal articles, and directing educational experiences. When you start, administrative time is likely spent completing your charts and twiddling your thumbs. You will want to fill that time and will be tempted to take the dozens of opportunities that comes your way. And why shouldn’t you be involved? You have the time—right?

Be careful about always saying yes. Beyond settling into your role as a faculty member, you have to protect your mental health. Getting involved in too much, too quickly, will emotionally, psychologically, and physically burn you out. Plus, you’ll miss great opportunities later on if you’re too busy with projects early on that are only of modest interest to you.

However, knowing when to say no—and then actually saying it—can be a challenge.

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