Who Am I and Where Am I Going?

For the first time in my life I do not know what the next four years will hold.

At the AAPM&R 2007 Annual Assembly, Dr. Joel Press (physiatrist, residency educator, AAPM&R past president, and cyclist extraordinaire) gave a talk entitled "Physiatrist 2007: Who Are We and Where Are We Going?" He described a tumultuous process after which our profession continues to be without a clear and descriptive name, and how that affects our ability to gain respect with the larger medical community. As a new member of the field of physiatry, I think it is important to understand the history of my profession as well as its future directions. After all, I am a part of the future of physiatry and will help to guide us “where we are going.”

Lately, I have been doing my part. After reading Dr. Press' article, I have told countless patients that I am a physiatrist (or a physiatrist-in-training) and have explained what that means. When I taught physical examination skills to second-year medical students, I told them in depth what we do as a field (and then had to answer questions about the students' neck and wrist pain after long nights of studying). I have discussed physiatry with my peers in other medical fields so that as they become attending physicians they will have a better understanding of what we have to offer them as a referral.

My biggest concern within the field of physiatry, however, is more personal. I can't decide what type of a physiatrist I want to be! I am a third-year resident with only one more year of formal training planned. Should I pursue fellowship training? In what? Should I pursue a career in general rehabilitation? Inpatient? Outpatient? Should I pursue academic medicine? Private practice? I have enjoyed all my rotations as a resident. For the first time in my life I do not know what the next four years will hold. Who am I and where am I going? What should I do with my life?

I have been asking multiple attending physicians within my residency program that exact question. The answers I have received have been surprising. Almost all my superiors have told me that I should find a job that is exactly like the one that they have. I think this is a tribute to the field of physiatry – that so many physicians have such great job satisfaction that they would recommend an identical position to a resident mentee.

My current plan is to continue to enjoy my rotations as a resident and to continue my education in PM&R by having discussions with my patients, attending resident lectures, discussing cases with my attending physicians, and participating in resident research. I know in the near future that I will at least have the beginning of an answer to the question, "Where am I going?" But the first part of the question, "Who am I?" may be harder to answer.

For now, I know that I am a female physiatrist with (hopefully) a great future in the field. I plan to address medical problems using functional and rehabilitation principles. I plan to use the biopsychosocial model of medicine to provide the best possible care for my patients. I plan to continue educating patients and other physicians about what I am and what I do. And along the way, I hope to figure out just who I am and where I'm going.

Leslie K. Rydberg, MD
PGY3 – The Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago

Reference:
Press J. “Physiatrist 2007: Who are we and where are we going?” Archives of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation 89(1): 1-3.

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