Say Yes

When I was new to this profession, as a young resident wet behind the ears, I wondered how some of my attendings and others got to their positions. For example, my residency director was a past head of the Council on Teaching Hospitals. How did he and others go beyond their daily responsibilities as doctors to do more? How did they become involved in various aspects of life both in and out of medicine? How did they enrich their lives with new experiences?

I've since learned their secret. It's very simple.

They said "yes".

I know you're disappointed. You were thinking there would be something more profound, or at least less mundane. But there's a power to this, and saying yes isn't as easy as you might think (or at least too many people say no too quickly).

A good number of my opportunities were simply because I said yes when someone else said no. I can honestly say that in a number of situations I have not been the first choice, but I said yes when others said no.

Here's an example. At Western University of Health Sciences, we offer an Interprofessional Education (IPE) program in which the College of Podiatric Medicine participates (along with 8 other colleges at the university). An opportunity to run a pilot program for IPE came my way when the University Vice Provost's first choice said no to her offer. I said yes, and I have now been managing this program for 2 ½ years. I've made wonderful connections with different professors throughout the University. I've also had the opportunity to attend two conferences paid for by the University. I've learned a great deal about leadership, while making strong connections and benefiting my college simply by saying yes.

Tonight's Premier Lecture is
Advancements in Regenerative Medicine: A Practical Approach
Steven A. Bernstein, DPM, FACFAS

My relationship to the folks at PRESENT eLearning Systems came from this same attitude. An opportunity arose while I was a resident, and I said yes. As a result I've had an almost 8 year relationship with PRESENT that has benefited me in many ways: monetarily, professionally, personally, and academically. I've made some life-long friends, and my current employment at the Western University College of Podiatric Medicine is due in large part to my work with PRESENT. I can't imagine how different my professional and personal life would have been if I'd have said no.

Similarly, my recent appointment as the Residency Director for the Chino Valley Medical Center Podiatric Residency occurred after my college's Dean, Dr. Harkless, asked if I would be interested in the position. It took me all of 1.561 seconds to say yes!

I can't describe in one blog just how greatly I've benefited from this position. First, I get paid well for the position, which has helped me financially. I've made a ton of contacts in the community and hospital. I've learned many of the intricacies and rules of starting a residency program. Best of all, I have the opportunity to work with fantastic, young, upcoming podiatric residents. Watching the shine in the eye of one of my first-year residents as he told me with pride about the skin-to-skin reconstructive procedure he performed was all the reward I need to know I made the right choice.

As a policy, I say yes to almost all opportunities I am offered (unless something looks clearly inappropriate). My next step is to figure out how to incorporate the new situation into my already busy schedule, and this is usually easily figured out with appropriate time management and planning. It then becomes a matter of simply going forward and completing the job.

So far I've not regretted saying yes to anything offered, but I imagine that time will come. However, you can't live life worrying about what would happen if you said yes. And, worse, how would you feel always wondering what would have happened if you had said yes instead of no?