A few months ago, I was talking to a colleague who looked completely drained.
Not burnt out, just… empty.
When I asked what was going on, he shrugged and said something that stuck with me:
“I don’t know if I’m building a career anymore… or just ticking boxes.”
And honestly? I felt that.
Because at some point in surgery, many of us stop living our careers and start completing them.
The Checklist Life We Don’t Notice Happening
We all start with ambition, big dreams, excitement, curiosity. But somewhere along the way, the journey becomes predictable:
✔️ MRCS
✔️ FRCS
✔️ Fellowship
✔️ Cases signed off
✔️ Research
✔️ Teaching portfolios
✔️ Quality improvement
✔️ Leadership roles
✔️ Consultant interview prep
It looks productive. It looks structured. It looks like “success.”
But here’s the problem:
A checklist doesn’t care if you’re fulfilled. It only cares if you’re compliant.
And when your career becomes a list, you stop asking the most important question:
“Is this actually what I want?”
How It Starts (Without You Even Realising)
It’s subtle.
You do the things you’re “supposed” to do. You follow the blueprint. You chase the next milestone because everyone else is.
You tell yourself:
- “It’s just the next step.”
- “Everyone does it.”
- “I’ll decide what I want later.”
But later rarely comes, because the system always has another box waiting.
Before you know it, you’re moving forward without direction, only momentum.
The Emotional Cost of a Checklist Career
This is the part no one talks about.
When your career becomes a conveyor belt, you start feeling:
- Guilty for wanting something different
- Disconnected from why you chose surgery
- Restless even when you’re progressing
- Exhausted but unsure why
- Afraid to step off the “expected path”
You keep moving… but you’re not going anywhere that feels like you.
And the saddest part? You can be incredibly successful on paper while feeling completely lost in reality.
The Moment Everything Shifts
For a lot of surgeons, there’s a moment where the checklist breaks:
- A complication shakes your confidence
- A fellowship doesn’t feel like you expected
- A consultant job doesn’t give the fulfillment you imagined
- Someone younger overtakes you on paper
- Or you simply wake up thinking, “Is this it?”
That moment is painful, but it’s also the start of clarity.
Because once you notice the checklist… you can stop being ruled by it.
How to Build a Career That Feels Like Yours (Not the System’s)
Here’s the part that actually matters. You don’t have to throw the whole system away. you just have to stop letting it decide for you.
1. Ask yourself: “What kind of surgeon do I want to be?”
Not the kind the CV template wants. You.
Everything changes when your direction becomes personal.
2. Keep 1–2 things in your career that are purely for joy. A niche interest, an operation you love, teaching, research, innovation, content creation — anything that lights you up.
That spark keeps the rest of the career alive.
3. Challenge the idea of “supposed to.” You don’t have to do every optional fellowship. You don’t have to join every committee. You don’t have to chase every title.
You’re allowed to choose differently.
4. Remember that your value isn’t measured by quantity. Not by number of fellowships. Not by number of degrees. Not by number of lines on a CV.
Impact > inventory.
5. Let your career breathe. Leave some space for new interests, new opportunities, and new directions. You don’t have to have the next 10 years planned.
Careers evolve. So should you.
The Bottom Line
Surgery gives us structure, but structure can turn into a cage if you stop questioning it.
A checklist might help you stay organised. But it should never become the reason you wake up.
You don’t need a perfectly completed career plan. You need a life and career that actually feel like yours.
Because the surgeons who thrive long-term aren’t the ones who tick every box. They’re the ones who pause, step back, and choose a path that makes sense for who they truly are.
That’s where the real success lives.
When you’re ready, here’s how I can help you
I’ve created a collection of practical, experience-based tools to help surgeons build clarity, visibility, and long-term career growth — all in one place.
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Each resource is designed to help you grow beyond the OR — without burning out.
