I made the decision to leave academic medicine.
I needed a change in scenery after many years on this job.
Perhaps that explains it all.
But my reasons resonate with what other colleagues have stated when they also left.
1/N

Although I love my colleagues and appreciate connecting with my patients, the job started to grow old.
Here’s why:

I work n academia not only to see patients, although that’s part of it.
I value doing research most of all. I really enjoy learning new methods to address scientific questions. 3/N

Truth is, the longer I’ve worked in academia, the harder finding time to work on what I enjoy the most got.
4/N

1. Protected time is not really protected. Interruptions are constant.
2. We’re always asked to take one more task (committees; endless meetings; talks, administrative work), usually at the expense of research time. I can’t emphasize how frustrating this has become. 5/N

3. Pressure to see more patients. Then we have less time to write grants, and hey, that even doesn’t seem to allow buying time off clinic anymore.
4. Physician burnout. That’s a function of 3, plus academic oncology is immensely stressful. Patients expect a lot from us.
6/N

5. The academic incoherency. We are asked to work more in the clinic. When the time for promotion comes, this is what we hear: “Dr X hasn’t published much...where is his/her research funding ?” This is an old problem, but it still baffles me.
6. Finally, I need work/life balance.

None of this needs tweets, if I were the only one. But I’m not.
And I’m afraid universities will continue to lose hard working, talented faculty if they don’t change their models of supporting careers.
We need to be able to focus on what we consider valuable work.