Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

Why taking risks is worth it: a doctor’s journey from uncertainty to opportunity

Francisco M. Torres, MD
Physician
January 28, 2023
33 Shares
Share
Tweet
Share

There were no smartphones when I was a medical resident in the late 80s in Puerto Rico. During my last year, while waiting for a lecturer to arrive, I grabbed a medical journal from the conference room table to kill some time. I flipped through the pages, skimming the titles of the articles and looking at some of the advertisements. When I was about to put the journal down, I saw a small and straightforward announcement for a fellowship in Musculoskeletal Medicine in Louisiana at LSU Medical School, New Orleans.

I already had two small children and a job offer at the time. My parents and my in-laws were providing childcare. My wife, a pathologist, was finishing her own residency, and she already had a prestigious job offer she was eager to accept. I was content with my life and my future.

Or so I thought.

I had no urge to uproot my family and move to the States. Besides, my English needed a little (or a lot) of work. The pressures around practicing medicine—particularly as a new doctor—are overwhelming on a good day. I had much anxiety around the unknown, about testing my skill in a new place.

Still, out of curiosity,  I inquired about the position.

Four months later, I was still waiting to receive a reply. I assumed LSU was working its way through a slew of better candidates. No harm, no foul, I thought. Then, one morning in early May of 1990, I received a letter offering an on-site interview in Louisiana.

Many of my classmates knew what they wanted from their careers. They knew where they were going. I had cobbled together a series of assignments and was just a few months away from graduating.

Despite intense fear, something told me to go for the interview. It was only my second time visiting the United States.

To my surprise, I was offered the position the same weekend as my interview. I accepted within forty-eight hours after discussing it with my wife. I made the decision based on a gut feeling that the opportunity needed seizing.

Thirty-three years later, I am convinced I made the right decision. The fellowship created opportunities I could never have imagined for my wife and me. When I think about my children and their lives, I can see how my choice has given them their own opportunities and privileges. Looking back, it seems like such an obvious choice, like it was meant to be. But how close did I come to not even applying?

Sometime after I began the fellowship, the program director confessed that I was not his first choice. The first choice, who had already signed a contract and committed to the program, decided to go elsewhere. That put the director in a bind. He would lose the fellowship money for his research if he did not have a fellow. Luckily for him, I applied out of the blue just in time.

In medical school and later in our residencies, we experience everything from hope to panic. Uncertainty is everywhere, and it causes stress. On match day, hundreds of medical students all over the country fear that this decision will dictate everything important about their future. Before that, college students worried that if they did not get into the right medical school, they would not have the career they had always dreamed of.

We should say more, especially in our profession, that no one thing is determinative. Too often, we focus on our desired outcome to the exclusion of all sorts of possibilities. If you decide where you are going and commit obsessively to getting there, you very well might find you are going nowhere.

The flighty fellow whose job I took in Louisiana ended up becoming a friend of mine. When he found out I was taking his gig, he was grateful and relieved because it meant LSU would not sue him for breach of contract and try to recoup lost funding. A few days ago, I received the sad news that a friend of mine had passed away. He was two years younger than me. His passing reminded me of how much he had done for me without ever meaning to.

I owe him a great deal. He took a chance in his own life, opening a wild, unexpected door in mine. I never wrote New Orleans, Louisiana, on a list of places I hoped to live. I had not been planning on this LSU Fellowship my whole life. I thought I would grow old in Puerto Rico. Out of sheer instinct and feeling, I leaped out of my comfort zone and took the unexpected path. I made the most of an opportunity that was not originally intended for me. But I made it mine.

For young doctors and medical students worried they might miss their only chance, I am here to tell you there will be more. You cannot predict or engineer the most important opportunities in your life. They will come. And not always from the places you expect.

There is a time and place for hyperfocus and obsessive planning—those are two things we medical students and doctors do best, after all. But too often, such focus can lead to catastrophizing when things go off the rails. Remember that there is more than one path to success, and when you believe that only one exists, you may miss the existence of the others.

Let my story be a lesson in unexpected opportunities. Be ready for them, embrace them, and make the most of what you have in front of you.

Francisco M. Torres is an interventional physiatrist specializing in diagnosing and treating patients with spine-related pain syndromes. He is certified by the American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and the American Board of Pain Medicine and can be reached at Florida Spine Institute and Wellness. 

Prev

Why every doctor should have a side gig

January 28, 2023 Kevin 0
…
Next

Teen substance use rebounds after pandemic

January 28, 2023 Kevin 0
…

Tagged as: Primary Care

Post navigation

< Previous Post
Why every doctor should have a side gig
Next Post >
Teen substance use rebounds after pandemic

More by Francisco M. Torres, MD

  • Debating the role of psychiatric assessments in medical decisions

    Christian Youssef & Francisco M. Torres, MD
  • Patient respect in medicine: Ensuring well-being and trust

    Francisco M. Torres, MD
  • Optimize your knee injury recovery without surgery

    Francisco M. Torres, MD

Related Posts

  • Osler and the doctor-patient relationship

    Leonard Wang
  • My healer, please guide me on this journey

    Michele Luckenbaugh
  • Finding a new doctor is like dating

    R. Lynn Barnett
  • Doctor, how are you, really?

    Deborah Courtney
  • Be a human first and a doctor second

    Sarah Murad
  • In crisis, danger and opportunity are present

    Casey Paul Schukow

More in Physician

  • Challenging the diagnosis: dehydration or bias?

    Sydney Lou Bonnick, MD
  • Practicing medicine with conviction

    Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA
  • The power of memory in shaping human identity

    Emily F. Peters and Sandeep Jauhar, MD, PhD
  • Physicians have no autonomy. Here’s how to change that.

    Diane W. Shannon, MD, MPH
  • The erosion of patient care

    Laura de la Torre, MD
  • Navigating adulthood in the digital age

    Eleanor Menzin, MD
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • The erosion of patient care

      Laura de la Torre, MD | Physician
    • Reigniting after burnout: 3 physician stories

      Kim Downey, PT | Physician
    • Inside the grueling life of a surgery intern

      Randall S. Fong, MD | Physician
    • A teenager’s perspective: the pressing need for mental health days in schools

      Ruhi Saldanha | Conditions
    • Challenging the diagnosis: dehydration or bias?

      Sydney Lou Bonnick, MD | Physician
    • Exploring HIV care and advocacy [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
  • Past 6 Months

    • Medical gaslighting: a growing challenge in today’s medical landscape

      Tami Burdick | Conditions
    • I want to be a doctor who can provide care for women: What states must I rule out for my medical education?

      Nandini Erodula | Education
    • Balancing opioid medication in chronic pain

      L. Joseph Parker, MD | Conditions
    • Mourning the silent epidemic: the physician suicide crisis and suggestions for change

      Amna Shabbir, MD | Physician
    • Reigniting after burnout: 3 physician stories

      Kim Downey, PT | Physician
    • I’m a doctor, and I almost died during childbirth

      Bayo Curry-Winchell, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • Exploring HIV care and advocacy [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • A teenager’s perspective: the pressing need for mental health days in schools

      Ruhi Saldanha | Conditions
    • Challenging the diagnosis: dehydration or bias?

      Sydney Lou Bonnick, MD | Physician
    • The art of pediatrics: Connecting through observation

      Alexander Rakowsky, MD | Conditions
    • Assertiveness in health care [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Epigenetics and our inheritance to future generations

      Vishruth Nagam | Conditions

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

Leave a Comment

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

CME Spotlights

From MedPage Today

Latest News

  • Lab Tests That Escape FDA Oversight May Come Under Agency Review
  • Fezolinetant Benefits Women Not Suited for Hormone Therapy
  • Low Tidal Volume Compliance Still Lacking in Mechanical Ventilation
  • IV Immunoglobulin May Cut Infection Risk of Anti-BCMA Agents for Myeloma
  • When's the Best Time to Get the Updated COVID Shot?

Meeting Coverage

  • Fezolinetant Benefits Women Not Suited for Hormone Therapy
  • Plant-Based Estrogen Improves Lipids in Postmenopausal Women
  • New Schizophrenia Treatments Are Coming: Don't Panic
  • Loneliness Needs to Be Treated Like Any Other Health Condition, Researcher Suggests
  • Stopping Medical Misinformation Requires Early Detection
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • The erosion of patient care

      Laura de la Torre, MD | Physician
    • Reigniting after burnout: 3 physician stories

      Kim Downey, PT | Physician
    • Inside the grueling life of a surgery intern

      Randall S. Fong, MD | Physician
    • A teenager’s perspective: the pressing need for mental health days in schools

      Ruhi Saldanha | Conditions
    • Challenging the diagnosis: dehydration or bias?

      Sydney Lou Bonnick, MD | Physician
    • Exploring HIV care and advocacy [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
  • Past 6 Months

    • Medical gaslighting: a growing challenge in today’s medical landscape

      Tami Burdick | Conditions
    • I want to be a doctor who can provide care for women: What states must I rule out for my medical education?

      Nandini Erodula | Education
    • Balancing opioid medication in chronic pain

      L. Joseph Parker, MD | Conditions
    • Mourning the silent epidemic: the physician suicide crisis and suggestions for change

      Amna Shabbir, MD | Physician
    • Reigniting after burnout: 3 physician stories

      Kim Downey, PT | Physician
    • I’m a doctor, and I almost died during childbirth

      Bayo Curry-Winchell, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • Exploring HIV care and advocacy [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • A teenager’s perspective: the pressing need for mental health days in schools

      Ruhi Saldanha | Conditions
    • Challenging the diagnosis: dehydration or bias?

      Sydney Lou Bonnick, MD | Physician
    • The art of pediatrics: Connecting through observation

      Alexander Rakowsky, MD | Conditions
    • Assertiveness in health care [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Epigenetics and our inheritance to future generations

      Vishruth Nagam | Conditions

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

Leave a Comment

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...