Navigating a Winding Path

Every career in health care is full of unexpected turns, opportunities, challenges, and moments that test both skill and character. In this article, I share my journey through residency, practice transitions, and personal health challenges, including a cancer diagnosis during a pandemic. My hope is that these experiences offer lessons on resilience, adaptability, and empathy, both for your career and for the patients you serve.

I started my career in optometry not as a doctor, but as a technician, gaining firsthand experience in the clinic while I applied to school. From early on, I knew I wanted to complete a residency, but with a GPA that wasn’t exactly stellar, I had to prove my drive and commitment. That determination carried me forward, and during my residency in Cincinnati I not only discovered how much I loved the work, but also met my husband. In a funny twist, he had been living in Memphis, where I went to optometry school, and although we shared many mutual friends, our paths hadn’t crossed until then.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN

After residency, we moved to Tucson, Arizona, where I was offered the opportunity to help open and run a brand-new medical center. It felt like a leap, but I said yes. Only 6 months later, the practice was acquired by private equity, and the plans for the center were put on hold.

I transitioned to a large MD/OD practice in Virginia and stayed for 8 years. From day 1, I was seeing a high volume of patients each day, constantly challenged by complex cases, and growing as a clinician. During that time, I also began lecturing and became more involved with industry, participating in FDA clinical trials and smaller research projects. Each of those opportunities expanded how I was able to contribute, not only to my patients, but also to the profession as a whole.

AN UNEXPECTED TWIST

In 2020, after 7 years in Virginia, I was training for a marathon when I started noticing unexplained pain and bleeding. At first, I brushed it off as part of being in my mid-thirties, but eventually my doctor put a referral in for a colonoscopy. What I thought would be routine instead revealed a fast-growing malignant tumor.

Within weeks, scans and biopsies confirmed a cancer diagnosis, just as the COVID-19 pandemic shut everything down. As I prepared for chemotherapy, I had to reconcile what this meant for my health, my patients, and my future. With our clinic slowed down, and chemo slowing me down, I was still able to contribute by managing telehealth and triage services from home.

Facing both COVID-19 and cancer shifted our outlook and priorities. My husband and I decided to prioritize happiness, and for us, that meant a move to Denver.

TWO BIG LESSONS I TOOK AWAY

1. Put Yourself in the Patient’s Shoes

My cancer diagnosis reshaped the way I connect with patients. I’m more empathetic, less likely to take frustration personally, and more open about sharing my own health journey. For many patients, especially those referred from oncology, this creates a sense of partnership. They know I’m not just talking at them; I’m walking alongside them. That perspective is invaluable, particularly when treating ocular surface complications from chemotherapy and other systemic diseases.

2. Know When to Move On

Leaving a job is never easy. There’s pressure to stay, make it work, and meet unspoken timelines. But sometimes the fit isn’t right, and that’s okay. My first job wasn’t what I signed up for. My second, in Virginia, was fulfilling for years until shifting priorities made me look for a better balance. Giving yourself permission to grow, change, and move on at the right time can open doors to new possibilities.

NEVER STOP GROWING

Even now, I’m still looking for ways to evolve. Every career path, and life, winds in unexpected ways. Mine has taken me across states, through private equity and academia, and even through a cancer diagnosis.

What I’ve learned in my journey is that you can’t always control the twists, but you can choose to navigate them with resilience, curiosity, and the willingness to start fresh when needed.