Do you have thoughts and ideas about the career change you want to make but they’re just swirling around in your head without any clear direction?

Have you done extensive research on non-clinical options, but you’re stuck without a plan of how to move forward?
The way to clarity is to take action!

Here are 3 things you can do this week to get unstuck.

1. Pause podcast listening, online job searching, and newsletter reading!

Instead, use that time to find physicians who have made a career change and are in the role you want to know more about.

If you don’t know anyone in that role, you can use LinkedIn to find them. For how, read, “A simple exercise to discover what else you could be doing in your career.”

When you start having conversations with other physicians who’ve made the transition out of clinical medicine, you clarify in your own mind what you’re looking for and what might be a good fit.

2. Get out of your head!

This can be a challenge for an analytical, problem-solving mind. But the goal is not to abandon your intellect, it’s to get under the recurring thoughts at the surface to access deeper intelligence.

Here are some ways to do this:

• Go for a walk (preferably in nature). Leave your phone at home. Pay attention to the surrounding sights, smells, and sounds. Pause thinking about your career during this time. Allow your mind to roam. Notice if you experience any new thoughts or ideas.
• Talk to a trusted partner or friend who knows you and has your best interests at heart. Ask them to just listen. They’re not to problem solve or give advice. Tell them what’s been swirling around in your head. Get it all out. What new ideas emerge?
• Write down your thoughts using pen and paper. Get everything out of your head and onto paper. What new themes or ideas emerge?

3. Get into action with a mini career experiment.

A fun way to get unstuck from thoughts is to engage the body in an activity.

For example, sign up for a free course, join an interest group, or go to a conference.

For more about mini career experiments, read “Do you need clarity about a non-clinical job? Try a mini career experiment.”

This might be the first time in your life that your career path is not laid out in front of you. It’s unfamiliar territory and normal to get stuck in research and thought!

Your way out is to do something. Talk to others who have done what you want to do, talk to a trusted friend, get an experience of the career direction that interests you.

Clarity follows action.