Three Steps for Bouncing Back from Career Setbacks

By Jennifer Anne Hohman

Career disappointments and setbacks are parts of the professional journey that will happen to almost every PA at some point—and they can feel devastating. But with the right approaches for responding to career setbacks, you will not only rebound but return to your practice with greater zest and confidence.

Career setbacks take various forms, and all can be learned from and ultimately moved on from. Terminations may be the most dramatic career detours, but as a PA Career Coach, I also speak with PAs who have been affected by more subtle but still significant issues such as being underutilized, or conversely, becoming burned out to the degree that they must move on from a job. … brings us to step one:

Identify what Happened, Gather Lessons and Insights

Even the most discouraging situations, we retain the ability to decide how we will respond, and in the process tap into reserves of resilience and harvest valuable lessons. As general advice, hold fast to a positive perspective about yourself and your mission in medicine, and keep believing in the values and motivations that led you to become a PA. Regardless of the setback, you still have so much to share and a there is a real need for your caring presence in the world of medicine.

First, I’ve found that it helps my clients to sort out the elements of a career setback that were primarily internal or external. I suggest doing an assessment exercise in which you create two columns and write freely about each of these aspects.

External setback factors might include having had a position with a poorly defined role, working for a badly managed company and/or one with values that did not align with yours, or attempting to practice with impaired/PA-hostile colleagues. Going forward, use this experience to vet for red flags: asking about PA tenure and turnover, talking to PA employees about the quality of the work environment, about the team practice relationship, and trusting your gut if things feel at all off, evasive or hostile when you interview. Hard-gained experience can truly be empowering if embraced.

Next, think about any personal or internal aspects of a career setback. Reflecting on why a job did not work out for you can offer extremely valuable insights that are career navigation “gold.” Write down any insights about the position. How and why was it not a good fit for your interests and personality?

With these insights in hand, what would you do differently in the future? Do you need more training in a particular area, or support in building confidence with a counselor? Given the open-ended nature of PA practice, I think that a process of trial and error in finding the best clinical and setting “fit” is to be expected and embraced. This setback could be an amazing opportunity to reassess your PA role and take it down a new path.

It can also be a catalyst to refresh your skills, improve as a clinician, and make positive changes. AAPA offers a wealth of resources for PA clinical education and for learning about new specialties and connecting to PAs who practice in them to make a transition.

Reach out to Your Network for Support, Insights and Job Leads

After a career disruption or set back, it’s natural to feel overwhelmed and upset. Take the time you need to process your feelings and reach out to trusted friends and colleagues for their insights and support. This is great medicine for feelings of self-doubt that can come with a career disruption. Sharing your story will help you gain perspective and fortify you with new insights. Connecting with fellow PAs is heartening as they have experienced the unique challenges of the profession. They also may have valuable job leads to share when you are ready to start a new search!

Cultivating a Positive Mindset and an Action Plan

Bouncing back from a career mishap is a healing process and restoring a sense of control over your career self-determination is important. By taking the steps of self-assessment and connecting with peers, you’ve laid a groundwork for next steps. Drawing upon those insights and support, it’s time to craft your goals for the next stage in your career.

How would you like your new job to be different? Any potential deal breakers you can identify, especially during the contract negotiation process? How do you seek to adapt, change, and grow as a PA, as illuminated by the new perspectives of recent experience? Write these insights down and use them to shape your new job search. Let your discussions with friends and colleagues open up new possibilities and perspectives that may have been invisible previously. This can be one of the benefits of a career disruption—an opportunity to rebuild and redirect your practice amid the many possibilities of being a PA.

In my work with PAs over the years, I have seen so many learn and grow from career setbacks and relaunch their practice in meaningful and sustainable ways. I hope this advice helps readers feel more resilient about the uniquely varied terrain of PA practice and heartened to pursue the next stage of their professional journey.

 

 

Jennifer Anne Hohman is founder of PA Career Coach and has worked for over twenty years helping PAs develop fulfilling careers. Contact her at [email protected] to start a conversation about your career concerns.

Thank you for your interest!

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