Do things at work “not feel right” anymore? 

Do you find yourself asking, “what’s wrong with me?” 

What might be wrong is your core values no longer align with your workplace values. 

If one (or more) of your values have changed or shifted priority since you entered medical school, your current career choice might no longer be aligned with your value(s).Things will also not feel right anymore if your workplace values have shifted and are no longer aligned with yours. 

Let’s explore this further. 

What are values?

Values are the things we care deeply about and make life meaningful. They can also be defined as guiding principles that light your way. 

How can you tell if a value/s shift is the reason you’re feeling unfulfilled in your career?

1. Take a Values inventory. 

Write down the answers to these questions:

• What do you really really care about? 
• What annoys you or makes you angry? 
• What makes you come alive and gives you energy?
• What do you want your life to be about? 

Identify the values within your answers. 

Choose the 5 most important, core values that MUST be in your life for you to feel fulfilled.

2. Apply the values inventory to your work situation. 

For example, say your 5 core values are:

connection, trust, authenticity, integrity, and community. 

You define connection as having meaningful relationships. In the clinical setting, it’s important for you to have meaningful 1:1 connection with your patients. 

But you’ve been feeling rushed during your clinic visits, the EMR dominates, and you don’t have the energy to connect with patients. Your value of connection is violated and you don’t enjoy patient care anymore. 

Can you redesign the clinic flow to bring back that connection? 

Living in alignment with your core values is one of the keys to a meaningful and fulfilled life. The Values inventory can help you see where you’re out of alignment and make the adjustments to move in the direction of greater fulfillment at work (and in your life). 

Questions for you to think about:

How do your top 5 values compare to the values of your organization?

Is your current job honoring or violating your core values?

What’s one thing you can do this week to honor a core value?