2018 was a very eye opening year for me. While listening to Dr. Nii Darko’s Doc, I discovered the physician moms Facebook group. I joined that group and ended up discovering other physician Facebook groups after that. Joining these groups exposed me to a growing network of physicians, which was exactly what I had hoped because I was working less and focusing on connecting with colleagues and like-minded individuals.
Let’s rewind just a bit. When I was in search of Facebook groups, I did not know where to begin so I searched broad keywords like “physician” and “doctor” came across many physician based groups. I went through many selections and chose which groups to join based on my personal interests (which include entrepreneurship, coaching, personal finance, motherhood, telemedicine, locums tenens, city of Dallas, non-clinical careers, blogging, christianity, minimalism, wellness, mindfulness, yoga, social media, and travel).
I spend more time in certain Facebook groups more than others depending on the interests I am leaning more heavily on at any given moment. At one point, I was involved in close to 100 groups! I know, I know…. I can admit that I may have bitten off more than I could chew. What can I say, I was excited at the thought of connecting with others in my field! However, it became too much to juggle, as you can imagine. I eventually narrowed it down to about 20 groups, and of those I consistently spend time in 9 of them. There are some groups that I spend time in regularly these days:
- Physician Moms- a great channel to connect with like-minded moms.
- Female Physician Entrepreneurs- I go here to geek out on entrepreneurship with like-minded female physicians all day long!
- Doctors on Social Media- a virtual environment filled with physicians who are killing it on social media, as well as newbies [like myself] who are eager to connect and learn. The group has a #somedocs hashtag, which is very helpful in raising visibility of posts on other social media platforms.
- Physician Blogging Crew- I use this group to connect with other physicians who blog
- Physician Non-Clinical Career Hunters- a great place to learn about non-clinical careers and connect with physicians who have successfully transitioned into non-clinical fields
- Christian Physician Mommies- a wonderful online community of other Christians. I can come here to get prayed for, as well as pray for others.
After moving to Dallas last summer, I spent a lot of time in the Dallas Mocha and Real Physician Moms of DFW groups. Although I was not working yet, I got to connect and network with local physicians by being in said groups. News flash: Facebook connections are real people too, who knew?! I have even had the pleasure of having coffee with some of the women in my local groups and I look forward to future doc meetups coming in Dallas.
My take aways:
- Connecting with other physicians through Facebook groups reminds me that I’m not alone in some of the struggles I encounter as a physician. I am connected to a support system of people who help each other and who I can bounce ideas off of.
- Being in physicians groups is a great way to meet people and form offline friendships, and I am grateful for the wonderful connections I have made by joining physician groups.
- There are many options when it comes to a non-clinical career, and many have already walked that path.
- Working from home as a physician is a possibility and a reality for many (how refreshing!). My goal is to explore working from home as a physician (through avenues such as telemedicine).
- Locum work is now a way of life for many physicians.
- There are so many podcasts for physicians that have great content, and I listen to them now that I know they exist.
- There are physicians groups for any interests you have. My favorite small group of like-minded people is the minimalist group (that’s my kind of jam).
- I can tap into Facebook groups for suggestions on many things. Movie nights are always a hit now because I pick from recommendations provided by other physician moms.
- Just like movie nights, my book-reading experiences are also fun because my fellow like-minded physicians give me amazing book recommendations.
- I have learned quite a bit from shared experiences on Facebook groups, and I stepped up my wellness and mindfulness practice just by seeing examples of what is possible
It has been an amazing journey. Has it been perfect? NO. Has it been great? Yes. Is it worth it? I am glad you asked absolutely I will do it all over again if I had to. So if you are a physician out there who feels disconnected from the other physicians your tribe is waiting for you. Check it out you might like it.
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