But PHM is still so far from becoming a single, one-size-fits-all path. There is still a huge range of practice locations, settings, responsibilities, and challenges. I tell my junior folks: “Put yourself out there. Try some things. Try a lot of things. If you have opportunities to practice in a few different settings, try it. If there are learners, teach. Join a research or quality improvement group. Go to some big meetings; talk to 50 new people. If you hear someone give a great talk that gets you fired up about something you have a passion for, stick around, go talk with them; they get it, they were you once, and probably not even that long ago. Throw your hat in a ring and help out with a project. It might turn out to not be your ‘thing,’ but it might lead you to your ‘thing.’ Or not, but you’ll come away with some experience and two new friends.”
That’s what makes this journey fun. There is no goal, no endgame. It’s all about the journey and the joy you find in the ride.
Ms. Steele is a marketing communications specialist at the Society of Hospital Medicine.