Episode # 3 • 17 Jan 2025
Mid-Career Urology: Understanding Career Evolution & Challenges
Mid-career is the stretch when you are no longer the new person on the block, but not yet the one in charge, and it gets far less attention than the years on either side of it. On this episode of BackTable Urology, presented in collaboration with the Society of Women in Urology (SWIU), Dr. Michelle Van Kuiken talks with Dr. Debra Fromer and Dr. Anne Suskind, both urology division chiefs and faculty vice chairs, about what no one tells you about mid-career. They describe how to know you have arrived there, why boredom can be the clearest signal that it is time to change, and why mid-career is the moment to say yes to a leadership role you have never trained for, even if what you learn is that you do not like it.
This podcast was developed in collaboration with Society of Women in Urology.
Timestamps
00:00 - Introduction
01:50 - Defining Mid-Career
04:05 - Career as an Evolution
07:21 - Plateaus, Boredom, and Burnout
09:55 - Imposter Syndrome and New Leadership Roles
11:37 - Traps That Stall Mid-Career Growth
15:14 - Changing Expectations at Work and at Home
18:17 - Redefining Success
20:51 - Mentorship at Every Career Stage
22:26 - Phasing Out and Legacy
25:11 - Staying Motivated
27:38 - Life Outside Work
31:10 - Parting Words and Closing Remarks
Resources
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More about this episode
The three surgeons then name the traps that stall growth, from support that falls away after the junior years to unrecognized, unpaid roles and the competing demands of young children and aging parents. Dr. Fromer explains why control over her own time has always been her measure of success, and Dr. Suskind makes the case for new mentors and peer mentors at every stage. They close on phasing out and legacy, what keeps them motivated, and how challenges outside the hospital, from leading a urology Battle of the Bands to tournament golf, can feed a career.
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