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Our guest on the Faculty Factory Podcast this week is Brian Zink, MD. We discuss advice for mid and late career faculty. Dr. Zink is a professor of emergency medicine and senior associate dean for faculty and faculty development at the University of Michigan Medical School in Ann Arbor.
In September 2020, Dr. Zink was named interim executive vice dean for academic affairs with Michigan Medicine. Dr. Zink’s recent appointment will also include service as interim chief academic officer. He joins us today with some great advice for mid and late career faculty.
As Dr. Zink points out on today’s podcast, mid-career is a time of being in “total nonstop action mode” for most individuals. Life can become very busy, and even a bit overwhelming, both in our professional and personal lives.
It becomes an important time to remember why we entered this profession in the first place. Dr. Zink recommends taking a step back to reflect on what is most important to you in your career and look to find ways to get back to doing it.
Doing the same thing over and over can lead to less excitement in our careers at the mid and late stages. Dr. Zink provides important information for how to stay engaged and keep the energy and enthusiasm going strong.
We have to remember that wherever we are in our career, we are not alone. It is natural if you find yourself having a mid-career slump.
“You have to find the key to unlock your passions,” Dr. Zink said.
Make sure to listen to the entire interview through the embedded podcast player above. I hope you will find this discussion with Dr. Zink as compelling as I did!