Things You Should Remind Yourself as a New Attending Physician

You are about to start your big girl(boy) job as an attending physician! It is exciting, overwhelming, nerve-wracking, and all the emotions! This day has been a dream in the past, and you have been waiting for it for so long. Here you are, getting ready to start an attending position. All those long hours of studying, training, and crying… YOU HAVE MADE IT! You can breathe, and if you haven’t been enjoying the journey already, you better start AT LEAST now!!! 

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Before I dive into the list of things you should know as a new attending physician, I want to stress the importance of self-care. Take time off for yourself between graduation and the start of your attending job. Read my thoughts on this, how long I took time off, and what I did during that time on another blog post. Remember, your well-being is crucial to your ability to care for others. 

You may need to re-read this list to continue to remind yourself for the first few months as you begin your attending career, so save or screenshot this list. You can also save the post on IG. 

The List of Reminders

1. You are no longer a resident. You are the attending doctor. 
2. You are no longer being monitored like a hawk or have to worry about evaluations. 
3. You can say no, and don’t be afraid to say it. 
4. You don’t have to practice based on an attending’s preference. You can practice in your own personal style. 
5. You are responsible for the patient, so you decide on management with your patient. 
6. You will feel overwhelmed at times, especially as your patient volume rises. It is okay. Just remember you were trained for this. Trust your skills.
7. You will not know the answer to everything. Be honest and transparent with your patients. They know you are new and will trust you more if you give them confidence in your character, not false idealization that you know it all. 
8. Don’t be afraid to ask your mentor and colleagues how they would handle situations and manage certain patient encounters. 
9. Not all patients will like your style of practice, AND THAT IS OKAY. 
10. For some people, no matter how much you do, it will always not be good enough. Don’t take it personally. 
11. When you hear one complaint and 100 compliments, don’t dwell on the one complaint. Read numbers 9 and 10 again.  
12. Pick a source to refer to as a guide for management, including quickly accessing dosage recommendations. I personally use Epocrates.
13. Your team may ask you about your preferences, such as rooming your patient, but you may still need to learn your preferences. Just let them know you are figuring it out as you see patients. 
14. You do not need to do everything like you did as a resident. You are the attending doctor with a team, delegate. (This one was especially hard for me initially, but my nurse and office manager reminded me.)
15. Set your boundaries right from the start. It will be harder to follow if you try to set it later because you will have created a routine. 
16. Do not take work home. Home is for family and friends that you missed out on. You shouldn’t have to keep missing out on life outside of medicine. Reread number 15.   

I hope you found that helpful! Remember to enjoy your days! Congratulations on starting your new job. I am proud of you! More importantly, you should feel proud of yourself!! 

Much love,