A Note to New Graduates

Congratulations!

Welcome to the real world.

You're ready and you're excited. You're on top of the world.

You have no money and you're eager to make six figures.

Good luck.

I say good luck because it's only just the beginning. It's only just the beginning of lifelong learning...if you choose. The easy route is one where you become a technician, stop thinking and possess a knowledge base limited to that which you had at the point of graduation.
The difficult and challenging route is one where you see yourself as an elite athlete, encountering each and every clinical intervention with deliberate practice, maximizing every single second of your first ten thousand hours.

Knowledge is evolving at more rapid rates than ever before and the worst you can do is get left behind. Trust me, you won't even know it.
The best feelings I have when I'm in clinic is knowing and realizing that I don't know. And because of this, my desire to learn increases. Conversely, and perhaps surprising to some, the feelings I dislike the most are the feelings that "I got it". To me, this tells me I'm getting complacent. And during these times, I also find myself going through the motions and becoming too comfortable with my routine.

I get excited when I register for a new CE course.

A legendary but still practicing doc astutely mentioned to me that new graduates are "strong on academia, short on experience".

Go out there and get your experience. When presented with an opportunity, never ask "how much does it pay and what's my time commitment". If you do, I will look elsewhere.

Although you have invested a large amount of educational finances, the world doesn't owe you anything.

YOU owe your investment something.

​Good luck!