Strategic career planning for physician-scientists

Building a successful professional career in the physician-scientist realm is rewarding but challenging, especially in the dynamic and competitive environment of today’s modern society. This educational review aims to provide readers with five important career development lessons drawn from the business and social science literatures. Lessons 1–3 describe career strategy, with a focus on promoting one’s strengths while minimizing fixing one’s weaknesses (Lesson 1); effective time management in the pursuit of long-term goals (Lesson 2); and the intellectual flexibility to abandon/modify previously made decisions while embracing emerging opportunities (Lesson 3). Lesson 4 explains how to maximize the alternative benefits of English-language fluency (i.e., functions such as signaling and cognition-enhancing capabilities). Finally, Lesson 5 discusses how to enjoy happiness and stay motivated in a harsh, zero-sum game society.