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By Lisa I. Robbins, M.D.
We often are required to make big decisions about our careers before the other pieces of our lives have fallen into place. When I chose to go into medicine, I thought I had made my biggest career choice. "I'll be a physician" seemed simple.
I later realized that choosing a specialty was yet another major decision I had to make. Somehow I was able to find my way to that decision and thought again that I was done. "I'll be a psychiatrist," I thought, and by enjoying this field, I would enjoy my career.
Little did I know that I was just beginning the process of having to make decisions about my career.
As a woman and, at that point, a soon-to-be mother at the end of my residency, I was uncertain about what form of employment I wanted to obtain. Many of my friends were interested in fellowships-some because they had great interests in a subspecialty area, some because they wanted to postpone an employment decision. Looking down at my newborn son, I knew that in his early years of life I wanted to be with him more than a full-time job would allow.
I was very fortunate that my husband could financially support our family. I was even more fortunate that he would support any career choice I made. So I went searching for the unknown, a part-time job as a psychiatrist.
When I was a resident, no one held discussions of career paths. Everything was hearsay among the residents, and it was only when you researched an area that you would find answers. Unfortunately you would get so many different and conflicting answers that you would end up even more confused. As a woman with ideas about motherhood that are based on my upbringing, I felt terribly perplexed and alone. There were no role models for me during training. The women who had succeeded in academic medicine were all full-time employees.
I also spoke with women in private psychiatric practices. At that time, however, the medical climate was changing and managed care was encroaching. The answer I received was, "You'll never make enough money to even pay your bills if you see patients only a couple of days a week." It felt as though everyone was saying, "You will never be able to work a decent professional job as a part-time psychiatrist and spend the rest of your time with your child."
Another issue I encountered in my search for the right career path was that of other people questioning me. Those psychiatrists, particularly the women who were in full-time academic positions or private practices, looked at me as if I were about to sacrifice all my training and education just to "work a couple of hours a week."
On the flip side, my friends who were full-time mothers were not at all supportive of my decision to return to any kind of job. So there I sat on the biggest fence of my life: my child on one side and my career on the other.
With the support of my family, I obtained a part-time position as a psychiatrist at the community mental health center at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. I spoke to the chair about my decision to work part time. I am again fortunate in that he was also very supportive of my career decision. Being part of a university setting, I knew that I would have opportunity to further my career if the situation seemed right.
While I thoroughly enjoyed the patient care that job entailed, after several years I wanted to be more academically involved, so I began teaching medical students. It became obvious that I had found my "niche," and I was asked to run the medical student clerkship for the university.
My career continues to blossom as does my family. As a mother of three children with a part-time job, I can truly say that I am fulfilled. I am fortunate to be able to enjoy a challenging career as a psychiatrist in an academic setting and yet still have time to devote to my family. Having the opportunity to modify my career has certainly made me a better, more efficient employee.
Getting to this position required perseverance as well as the strength to go against conventional thinking. I would have been helped by knowing that others before me had succeeded in accomplishing this particular balance in life. I hope that I can be a role model for other young physicians looking at a part-time career path.