As a resident physician, are you thinking about where you want to build your future in medicine? Meet Gillian Alex, MD, a thoracic surgeon with Rush University System for Health, and a featured voice in the AMA’s “Finding My Place in Medicine” series.
In this series, physicians reflect on what influenced their decisions when choosing where to work—and what they wish they had known earlier. Explore her journey to help guide your own path toward a fulfilling medical career.
If you are looking for your first physician job after residency, get your cheat sheet now from the AMA. In addition, the AMA Transitioning to Practice series has guidance and resources on deciding where to practice, negotiating an employment contract, managing work-life balance, and other essential tips about starting in practice—including in private practice.
“Following” Dr. Gillian Alex
Specialty: Thoracic surgery.
Practice setting: Academic group practice.
Employment type: Employed by Rush University System for Health in Chicago, which is part of the AMA Health System Member Program that provides enterprise solutions to equip leadership, physicians and care teams with resources to help drive the future of medicine.
Years in practice: Five.
Key factors that led to me choosing to work at Rush: Location, location, location. I wanted a location that would not only be important for my career but my husband’s as well. Being in a major city afforded both of us that opportunity.
Proximity to our family and friends was another key decision point. Being close to parents, siblings and extended family provides emotional support, help with child care and a sense of community. For physicians who can work long and irregular hours (i.e. weekends), having family nearby is invaluable. Just like anyone else, my husband and I have personal preferences and hobbies, so we wanted to be in a large city with access to activities that align with our interests.
What stood out to me during the interview and hiring process: Mentorship availability. As a surgeon, mentorship was critically important when choosing a job. Surgery is demanding, with high complexity, and having senior partners available to coach and provide physical help was and remains invaluable.
How feedback from peers and mentors influenced my evaluation process: It helped a lot. I considered the opinions of my senior mentors significantly as they knew me, my goals and the best way for me to flourish. My mentors understood my strengths and weakness and knew areas where I would need more help, and areas where I could be pushed to excel.
Why I chose to work in this practice setting:
- Financial and job stability.
- Access to resources and infrastructure.
- Opportunities for career growth.
Additionally, the work-life balance. I have a structured schedule and am part of a larger group. That allows me to take time off more easily and rest assured there will be patient-care coverage for those times when I am sick, resting, on vacation or have some other personal obligation.
The top three qualities for a great place to work for physicians:
- Supportive work environment and culture—having partners that are not only good physicians but good people whose ethos about medicine and values are aligned with your own are huge.
- Reasonable work-life balance—fair call schedules and flexible scheduling, vacation time and support for family or personal obligations.
- Career development—opportunities for career growth and expansion outside of clinical medicine.
How my current practice supports physician well-being and work-life balance: The way it does this best is to promote flexibility. No minimum required time to notify if I need PTO [paid time off], and easy flexibility in clinic schedule and vacation days.
The workplace attributes that contribute most to my job satisfaction at Rush: Having good partners who are trustworthy, share the same ethics and values, and can be trusted to take care of my patients as though they were members of their own families. Also, having flexibility in my practice.
The biggest challenges I faced when transitioning from residency to practice: The responsibility you feel when it truly is your patient. The greatest pressure as a surgeon is knowing that a patient’s life, health or function is directly in your hands. Even small mistakes can lead to serious, life-altering complications.
Surgeons often have to make split-second decisions that can have long-term consequences. As a trainee you are aware of these issues, but the gravity becomes apparent when you are the attending surgeon. Every surgeon warns you of this transition while you are in training, but to feel it for the first time is an enormous responsibility and takes time to get used to.
Another challenge was learning to bill—coding, RVUs [relative value units], reimbursement and contribution margins are all extremely important terms to the business of medicine that allows you to continue to practice. At no point in medical training are you taught anything about these things but understanding them is essential to maintaining a financially healthy practice.
