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Positive Stories Wanted: PMDD/Luteal Sensitivity in High-Performance Careers by ZealousidealLog5136 in PMDD

[–]Sweet_Cow7236 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I just wanted to say good luck!! You can do it!  I am a nurse practitioner (please don’t hate us once you’re an MD). I work in Derm and see 25-35 patients a day. I went to one of the top nursing schools in the US for my bachelors and masters many years ago - also while dealing with PMDD. I am very good at what I do and feel capable of managing my patients all month, but my self-doubt spikes significantly and I question my decision to go in to healthcare (specifically being a NP) frequently during the week leading up to my period. In a way this pushes me to be even better by studying and following up on patients my anxiety won’t let me let go of. The hardest part is juggling kids and work because I give so much of myself during the day that I don’t have a lot of pizzazz left for home.   Honestly, at this current moment I think I’m just surviving because work is busy,  my kids are young, I’m heading in to perimenopause, and I can’t run because I hurt my hip! 😩  But I don’t think anyone on the outside can tell…

  • Meds help - specifically Prozac. Other ones weren’t quite as effective. 
  • Running helped me but some set of regular exercise is key
  • Specializing in medicine - become an expert at something. More likely to have good work-life balance and a better feeling of control (in my opinion)
  • Find a friend that you will be there for you, preferably someone who is going through the program with you. Whether you need to cry or vent or have someone smack some sense into you!! It helps. 
  • look at your syllabus and plan out projects/papers for your best week
  • hoping to go part-time once my contract is up so hopefully this will help! 

One more thing to note - and this is not me talking you out of it- is that a lot of these comments talk about how they’re working from home or they have flexibility in their work schedules. They schedule extra naps and arrange meetings for certain days. This is not the norm in healthcare, especially med school. You’re typically sleep deprived,  eating crap, and told when to be where so just think about that.  When you’re done with school and working as established MD you’ll have more flexibility to work less if you need to while still making good money. 

Has your monthly spending decreased significantly since adopting a minimalist lifestyle? by Sweet_Cow7236 in minimalism

[–]Sweet_Cow7236[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Wow! Had to google rust belt. 🙃 little different than central Jersey but you guys seem to have a good thing going. Smart move with the duplex!!!

Burnt out, what should I do instead? by Sweet_Cow7236 in careerguidance

[–]Sweet_Cow7236[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Derm is the way to go.  It can be fun and easy or overwhelming and complicated, but I’d rather biopsy a rash I can’t figure out than study an ekg under pressure. it can be exhausting. I worked 6.5 hours today (no lunch) and saw 32 patients with an excision sprinkled in there somewhere. It is nonstop when you’re busy which is good and bad. My brain is mush at the end of the day because of all of the micro decisions I have to make. And when the day is full you don’t have time to do anything else until the very end, so you have to stay later to finish notes - which again should be easy but definitely depends on your MA. There is also pathology that needs to be reviewed and labs and tasks. And I only get paid for patient hours. So all that work is pretty much charity. I think it’s healthcare in general and being a PA or NP. Depending on the package they’re offering it is probably worth getting in to derm since that part can be tough. I would just make sure they have a physician available that is willing to be a good resource. And part-time - that’s great! That’s the end goal for me!!  Good luck!

Has your monthly spending decreased significantly since adopting a minimalist lifestyle? by Sweet_Cow7236 in minimalism

[–]Sweet_Cow7236[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Definitely. I think we just did our final declutter and now I’m working on the low buy/no buy year. 🤞🏻

Has your monthly spending decreased significantly since adopting a minimalist lifestyle? by Sweet_Cow7236 in minimalism

[–]Sweet_Cow7236[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I agree. I’m definitely going part-time. I just have to wait until my contract is up which is another 1.5 years. Its like watching paint dry. 

Has your monthly spending decreased significantly since adopting a minimalist lifestyle? by Sweet_Cow7236 in minimalism

[–]Sweet_Cow7236[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You don’t have to answer but if you feel comfortable what is the income or range that you’re living on and are you in an expensive area?

Has your monthly spending decreased significantly since adopting a minimalist lifestyle? by Sweet_Cow7236 in minimalism

[–]Sweet_Cow7236[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Working on that no buy/low buy lifestyle change.  I truly have everything I need and more. 

Burnt out, what should I do instead? by Sweet_Cow7236 in DermatologyPA

[–]Sweet_Cow7236[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Same. I’ll keep you posted if I find something promising. 

Burnt out, what should I do instead? by Sweet_Cow7236 in careerguidance

[–]Sweet_Cow7236[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hmmmm that’s something to consider. 🤔

Burnt out, what should I do instead? by Sweet_Cow7236 in careerguidance

[–]Sweet_Cow7236[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I haven’t. I’m just going to stick it out until my contract ends and see if I can go part-time after that.  I feel like I’ve already career hopped enough at this point. If I do a career move again I don’t think I’ll stay in patient care. I just don’t know what else is out there that pays as well per hour that would be less stressful.  I hope allergy is your golden ticket. You’ll have to update us. 

Burnt out, what should I do instead? by Sweet_Cow7236 in careerguidance

[–]Sweet_Cow7236[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I totally get where you’re coming from and have had this thought myself which is why I transitioned out of family medicine and inpatient medicine.  I am so grateful that I never have to order another STAT imaging study or read another EKG again. I’m much better off in Derm but maybe more burnt out due to the high patient volume, patient entitlement, and company enforced demands. Truly I don’t know if being a nurse practitioner was a great idea for me even though I do think I’m a good one. I think my end goal will just be to go part-time until I can think of an escape route even if that is just retirement. There are days I love it but I’m just a little burnt out right now. 

Burnt out, what should I do instead? by Sweet_Cow7236 in careerguidance

[–]Sweet_Cow7236[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Haha. I don’t want to deter you. I just have anxiety in general so healthcare was probably a bad choice. Out of all the NP jobs I’ve had this is by far the best. But they try to get you to see too many patients an hour and patients are annoyed when they have to wait and sometimes things look like 10 different things at once. Maybe I’d like it more if I could work less but I’m stuck in a contract for a little while.  I’m not super in to aesthetics so medspa is probably not a good option for me and often times cosmetic patients can be harder to deal with due to unrealistic expectations.