what experiences best prepared you for your job?

Hi Leslie,

I am not in the medical field but there are some tips I feel are relevant to any new employee. The best way to gain experience is to find an internship or co-op in your field. I can't imagine there are many internships out there that allow you to practice medicine, but just being exposed to the workplace environment, the language used, the culture, etc... can help prepare you for a job out of school. Communication is a hard thing to get right at first, especially for us younger generations, so being exposed to it before being held to the highest expectations allows you to make mistakes and learn from them early on. I would also encourage you to seek out a mentor in someone who has a career in the medical field. Learn from their past experiences and use them to broaden your network of medical professionals. Best of luck to you!

Hello Leslie,

Here are some items that can help you be best prepared for any obstacles or challenges that I’ve learned through my experience.

1. Time management – This is very hard for some but being great at this skill will help you drive down stress level. Be organized and prioritize what needs to be done during the day. Differentiate what is a priority and important versus important but not a priority.

2. Networking – The best ideas come from not just one person but by seeking other input and feedback. This will also help you with communication and team building skills.

3. Ask questions – If you are unclear with what is being discussed it does not hurt to ask a question. However, make sure to review the material first before asking the question to make sure that it hasn’t been answered yet. Asking a question doesn’t show weakness, it just shows that you haven’t been exposed to the material.

4. Practicing, practice, practice – No matter how great a person is at what they do there is always room for improvement.

Best of luck to you!

Leslie: Allow me to rephrase your question. I believe the better question is "what skills you need to overcome obstacles and challenges?" We all faced different obstacles and challenges. How I have overcome my challenges may only work for me based on my situation. As you "level-up", you will face greater adversities because you can easily solve minor inconveniences.

I believe having grit is one of the most important skills that one needs to possess. So, how do you develop grit? I highly recommend that you watch the following TED Talk. After that, read the recommended book.