I’m a former PGY2 in pediatrics. I quit residency in Spring 2021, after which I moved back to my hometown with my fiance, got my Virginia medical license, and started working as an MD consultant at a COVID testing company. I was able work part time and still make more money than when I was as a resident (it’s almost like residents are underpaid). This setup afforded me the luxury to spend time pursuing passion projects, the first of which you are looking at!
I chose to leave the consultant job in search of a more stable income, career growth opportunities, and benefits. Fortunately, I was able to land a full-time job as a Healthcare Data Scientist in mid 2022. Now I get to make good money and still work less than 70 hours a week! With a 40-hour week, I have a boatload of free time to continue pursuing all kinds of passion projects. I’ve been able to think back about what used to make me happy and realized that most of my interests involved both creative and analytical thinking. This includes things like writing and performing music, video editing, web development, programming, and math. If one of my passion projects turns into an actual job or side hustle (that I actually enjoy), that would just be icing on the cake!
I still have a very special place in my heart for preventive “medicine”. Specifically, helping others determine the best strategies to eat well, sleep well, exercise, and maintain good mental health. This is obviously much easier said than done and we still have a LOT of work to do as a society. I’m sure I don’t have to tell the audience here that many of the top 10 causes of morbidity and mortality in the U.S. have pretty significant lifestyle-related risk factors. This goal will always be in the back of my mind as I navigate through this new career path.
I’d also love to continue creating tools to support residents and even ultimately help reform medical training, but this would take some serious politics and lawyering, neither of which I have experience in, so I’d need to meet the right people first!