One of the things I’ve come to believe over the years is that development never really stops. As physicians, we spend so many years grinding away to reach the next milestone—medical school, residency, fellowship, by the time we reach our first job, it’s easy to assume the hard part is behind us.
But the truth is that growth should continue throughout our careers but for many it stalls which leads to frustration, burnout, and dissatisfation.
Why? Later in our careers, we rarely receive structured guidance on how to keep developing. The resources I share through The Developing Doctor are meant to serve as tools to help you keep growing—clinically, professionally, and personally—so your career can remain meaningful and sustainable over time.
Growth Without Burnout
This week’s blog explores a question many physicians are quietly asking: How do we continue to grow without slowly burning ourselves out in the process?
Too often, career development in medicine looks like adding more—more committees, more productivity, more expectations. But sustainable growth requires something different. It requires alignment between your strengths, your values, and the work you choose to take on.
In this piece, I explore a different way to think about growth in medicine and share practical ideas for developing your career while protecting your energy and sense of purpose.
🎧 New Podcast Episode: Mentorship, Leadership, and Medical Education
In the newest episode of The Developing Doctor Podcast, I sit down with my longtime friend and colleague Dr. Amy Stier, a clinical professor of pediatrics, Vice Chair of Education, and Associate Dean for Graduate Medical Education at the University of Iowa.
Dr. Stier shares her journey from a science-loving student with no family background in medicine to becoming a leader in medical education. Our conversation explores the moments and mentors that shaped her career and her passion for supporting the next generation of physicians.
In this episode, we talk about:
• What drew her to pediatrics and medical education
• The importance of mentorship in shaping physician careers
• Lessons learned through leadership in academic medicine
• Why supporting physician well-being is essential for the future of healthcare
If you care about the future of medical training, or the kind of culture we create for learners in medicine, this conversation offers thoughtful insight and practical wisdom.
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🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts
And if you missed it, I recently wrote about how coaching can help physicians develop the skills needed to thrive throughout their careers:
🎙️ Upcoming Series: Burnout by Specialty
I’m also excited to share an upcoming limited series from SoME Docs titled:
Five specialties. Five conversations. One therapist-led exploration of burnout.
Hosted by Mary Remon and created by Dr. Dana Corriel, this series brings together physicians from across medicine to explore how burnout shows up differently depending on specialty, training environment, and career stage.
The series features conversations with Drs. Cruz, Sabo, Young, Chen-Joea, Stockwell, Wheat, Babaniji, Duhaney, Shannon, Agrawal, Romanos-Sirakis, Troso-Sandoval, Revai Sodaitis, Emami—and I was honored to participate as well.
These conversations aim to bring honesty and nuance to the discussion about burnout in medicine, and I’m looking forward to sharing the episode when it releases.
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The Developing Doctor
Medicine asks a lot of the people who practice it. My goal with The Developing Doctor is to help physicians develop the skills, perspective, and support systems needed to build careers that are both meaningful and sustainable.
If you want to explore more articles, podcast episodes, and coaching resources, let's chat.
Thanks for being part of this community.
Ben
Dr. Ben Reinking
Pediatric Cardiologist | Physician Coach
Founder, The Developing Doctor
Helping physicians develop sustainable, purpose-driven careers in medicine.
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