Episode 69: Mid-career slump and a better use of clinic time with Dr. David Canes

The latest BOSS podcast features Dr. David Canes, a urologist located in Boston who found a way out of his mid-career slump by creating an innovative product that will help save time in clinic.

After coaching hundreds of surgeons, I can tell you a common theme. There is a mid-career slump where everything gets a little less… interesting. The little admin and other picky things that didn’t bother us before start really bothering us. And it starts to feel like burnout, and we think something has gone wrong.

Dr. David Canes and I talked about this very situation: when you get to a point in your career, and you feel like something needs to change. We don’t hear about it in residency, and likely our mentors either didn’t talk about it or they thought something was wrong (like we think something is wrong) and shame keeps us from sharing.

My theory is that you have reached the mid-career slump, and it means it is time for a change for the better, not that there is something wrong with you. You have reached stasis, and you are ready for something new.

This is where innovation happens. A new practice (like I did) and what David Canes did as well.

He took what was bothering him (repeating yourself time and time again with counseling patients on common topics) and he created a business to help off-load some of the tasks that don’t really need us to spend our precious time on anymore.

He talks about taking large amounts of time off your plate and helping patients MORE by letting them get the information before your visit. His talks about his product and his method for patient counseling and how it can also help you get more patient reviews. (I am not an affiliate, just a fan).