Renewal in Progress – 2010

Grand Teton National Park, WY

As a seasoned plastic surgeon, the prospect of transitioning away from a life's work can be a complex and multifaceted journey. It requires a meticulous blend of personal readiness, professional realignment, and practice preparation. In this article, we delve into the nuances of preparing for this significant life event, ensuring that you, as a an accomplished member of the plastic surgery profession, are equipped with the knowledge and tools necessary for a smooth and rewarding transition.

Embracing Change: A Personal and Professional Renewal

The transition from a thriving surgical career to the next chapter of your life is not merely a change; it is a metamorphosis that requires introspection and strategic planning. The initial phase of this journey is deeply personal. It is the bedrock upon which you will design your framework as it relates to you professionally and your practice.

This transformative process is a...

Sunrise, the Virginia Range - 2022

Nevada

My Story

I was 59 years old and thought I had many more years of Plastic Surgery practice ahead of me. I purchased the standalone office building of my dreams and undertook a major renovation, including a surgical facility. 

I knew I needed to plan for my succession soon, including recruiting. This was the plan, although my own end of career seemed distant…or so I thought.

I resolved to do so soon, but never got the chance. Some months after the grand opening of my office and I was settled in, I was diagnosed with colon cancer. It was a big surprise as I had been diligent about physical exams, screenings and my health in general. That and other medical problems ended my plastic surgery career.

I am well, thankful and happy that for a number of years I have been cured of colon cancer. My days of practicing medicine are over, but I dedicated my life to making sure that physicians, who spend their lives taking care of others, are...

The Moulton Barn and Teton Range - 2007

Grand Teton National Park, WY

The Role and Value of Advisors

When physicians think about their personal and professional successes, it is natural to think that they are largely the result of their own effort. Upon further reflection, they usually recognize how they also benefited from those who cared about them and provided wisdom and guidance.

Personal guides that probably influenced your life are personified by parents, family, friends, teachers, consultants, coaches, professors and mentors.

My Giants and Gratitude

I have benefitted immensely from all of the above, recognized early on their enormous value and thanked them accordingly. As time progressed, I felt gratitude even more deeply for those who cared and cheered me on to various successes.

At some point in time, your formal training came to an end.  Yet the pursuit of excellence requires that your personal and professional development continue throughout life. 

Your Ongoing...

Preparing for Renewal - 2017

Sierra Nevada, NV 

Choice vs. Necessity

You have been in solo practice for many years and the time is approaching when you will stop practicing. You remember, reflect and feel a sense of pride and achievement for what you have accomplished in the service of your patients. 

Those sentiments are probably accompanied by your awareness that you need to decide what to do about your practice. You wonder: Should I sell or close it? That core question is the basis for many others that you will need to address.

The question is straightforward, but the answer is not. For some of you, it is a daunting obstacle. For others, it is just another challenge. Why?

Much of the answer lies in the origin and nature of major transitions and how we manage them.

Developmental Transition 

Typically, there is a change that occurs that triggers the beginning of your end of career transition. 

The first type occurs when you recognize that the time is close at...

Solitude Amidst Splendor – 2019

Sierra Nevada, NV

Process and Phases

The transition from your career is a process that’s usually lengthy. When it is well-planned, it is typically executed in sequential phases that are comprised of tasks that build upon the previous ones.

The most challenging of these phases is usually the first. This is when you come to terms with the fact that your transition from practice is in your foreseeable future. It is natural for reactions to vary widely from joy of anticipation to apprehension and perhaps some stress. Often, the experience is a blend of both.

Regardless of how you perceive this phase of your life, you will probably experience a sense of loss that is accompanied by excitement about great anticipations. It is beneficial to think of this process as what it really is: a transition, rather than a “retirement.” The term transition emphasizes its purpose: to experience renewal and fulfillment.

Retirement closes doors; a...

Strength Amidst Stillness – 2022

Mt. Moran and The Teton Range

Grand Teton national Park, WY

How Your Clarity and Conviction Sustain Your Purpose

It is common in our culture for individuals to think of and describe themselves by what they do…their title, profession, vocation, etc. You may often witness this in social settings when someone introduces you to another person. Commonly, they may ask you: “What do you do for a living? or what kind of work do you do?” Seldom does someone ask you to tell them about yourself.

Why is that? There are cultural and personal reasons for this. 

As to the cultural, we are taught to identify ourselves with a “What?” This begins early in life as when uncle Joe visits the family at a special occasion and with a kind smile asks Sammy or Susie: “What are you going to be when you grow up?” There are many variations of this that are experienced during formative years…and often beyond that.

...

Ospreys, Stillness and Flight – 2013

Florida

The Right Decisions Support Freedom

Your career transition is approaching. 

Your vision of this new phase of your life is becoming more clear. 

You’re growing more confident that the dreams born of your imagination will become a reality. 

Your smile reflects joy of anticipation. 

You take a deep, deep breath that parallels the satisfaction you feel for what you’ve accomplished in life.

You feel deeply the conviction that you have earned the life that your aspire to live…and it really feels awesome! 

Well earned, well deserved!

 As I wrote these words, they seemed to flow easily. They describe my own life experience and that of others I know.

 A Time for You and New Feelings

This is your time for dreaming, planning, executing and experiencing the emerging reality of it all. Amidst the excitement, it’s also the time to apply the skills and wisdom you’ve developed...

Silver Creek – 2006

Idaho

Plan Now, Prosper Later

Your career transition is one of those major life events for which it is critical to prepare well in advance. 

Early on, you will recognize that the magnitude and scope of the challenge is significant. As a result, you will realize that to achieve a successful transition you will need to devote focused effort over a significant period  of time. These inevitable, initial questions will arise: 

• How do I begin? 
• What should I do? 
• In what order should I do it?

I am confident that you have learned long ago that great achievements require great preparation.

The First Step of the Path 

To begin, there are three major concerns for which preparation is essential.

The first of these is to prepare yourself, personally, to enter the next great phase of your life. As you do so, it is important to keep in mind that your spouse and in unique ways, your family, are also going through a transition.

The second...

Stability and Change – 2021

 North Shore, Kauai

 Your Transition Is a Stimulus for Personal Development and Fulfillment

Change and transition are words that are often used interchangeably. However, these two words have different meanings and what they describe have distinctly different purposes.

Lessons Learned on My Life’s Journey

My personal experience with change and transition illustrates this point. Years ago, I was diagnosed with colon cancer and then developed other medical problems. Together they created a change that ended my Plastic Surgery career and triggered my End of Career Transition. Thankfully, years later I am cured, renewed and fulfilled in my new career. 

My transition was not an event that occurred spontaneously. It was the result of sustained, focused and deliberate effort over a period of time.  That effort was directed at a particular envisioned outcome: to experience renewal and fulfillment. The means for achieving that...

Mt. Moran and Jenny Lake - 2022

The Teton Range

Grand Teton national Park, WY

One fine morning with coffee in hand, you still savor that last sip of your custom brew.  You feel peaceful. Then a fleeting thought stirs up an awareness that you are thinking more and more about your future career transition and your new lifestyle. You smile and feel warmer inside…and then you feel a twinge of angst.

These are mixed emotions: joy and apprehension. They swirl around your mind stirred up much like the sweetener you blended into your coffee.

You wonder whether this is a common experience, how successful people deal with it and perhaps when you should begin to resolve this emerging dilemma. 

You sense that you must do something. 

A Fictional Character that Reflects a Real Person 

The following is the gist of the story of Alex, a fictional character like many accomplished physicians I am familiar with.

Alex is at that time of his (or her) career when he sees his end...