We’re in the middle of a rather warm summer as I recorded today's episode in July 2018. This is a time to slow down a bit and enjoy a vacation and more time with your family. It's also a time to “Look for Zebras.” More about that in a minute.

And since there’s often a bit more time to catch up with things this time of year, I’d like to remind you that now is a good time to work on that side hustle, learn some new skills, send out resumes, or plan your transition to a full-time non-clinical career.

Sit down and write out your long-term career goals if you haven’t already. If you haven't decided on a particular career, then maybe your goal should be to reflect on your strengths and weaknesses and write those down.

Photo by sutirta budiman on Unsplash

You can try to bolster certain weaknesses, perhaps in the area of business, accounting, or marketing. But remember – it’s often best to focus on enhancing your strengths or “super-powers” rather than trying to become an expert in areas that don’t move you.

Perhaps you should take a few minutes to do a self-assessment, as described in Episode 42, with the 16personalities.com assessment tool.

And if you’ve not narrowed down your search, you my want to review the careers that are available. To that end, I’m very pleased to be able to present my conversation with Dr. Sylvie Stacy today.

Look for Zebras

Dr. Stacy received her MD from the UMass Medical School and completed a residency in preventive medicine at Johns Hopkins University while also obtaining a master’s in public health.

She’s worked in utilization management, managed care, and clinical documentation improvement, and enjoys medical writing on the side. Her clinical work has focused on incarcerated populations and addiction medicine.

She began her blog and online community called Look for Zebras in 2017 as a way to inform medical professionals about the many careers available to them. She is committed to helping physicians cultivate careers that are both fulfilling and lucrative.

I certainly support that!

During our conversation, Sylvie touches on a number of topics:

Why she began “moonlighting” in nonclinical activities while still in residency
How medical writing has been important to her, and opened many doors to additional nonclinical activities
Her commitment to helping physicians pursue non-traditional careers
The start of her blog and online community in 2017
The genesis of the term “Looking for Zebras”
Her recent addition of a Physician Career Coach Directory to her site
The Stampede newsletter, which lists job opportunities
One of her most popular posts, Nonclinical Career Profiles for Physicians, which currently describes 19 different careers
Why she's so drawn to medical writing and advice on how to pursue writing as a career

Photo by Art Lasovsky on Unsplash

During our conversation, Sylvie mentions a medical writing course provided by Emma Hitt Nichols that was also mentioned by Mandy Armitage in Episode 22.

Wrap Up

I thoroughly enjoyed speaking with Sylvie. Her story was quite inspiring.

I learned that it’s possible to begin non-clinical side gigs quite early in our careers, even during residency.

I think the resources at Look for Zebras are outstanding. You should definitely check it out. The site is less than a year old. If Sylvie continues to add content and other resources at her current pace, Look for Zebras will become an essential place to visit for those seeking a nonclinical career.

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Thank you for listening, for leaving reviews on iTunes, and for the kind words on LinkedIn and the Facebook. Our Facebook group – Physician Nonclinical Career Hunters (100% physicians) – is right at the brink of 10,000 members searching for the ideal career. Join the group and the conversation.

Join me next week for another episode of Physician Nonclinical Careers. I’ll present my interview with an emergency medicine physician who’s an entrepreneur very early in the founding of a high-tech nonclinical venture that you’ll find very intriguing.

See you then.

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