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Quote from corner_reflector
In my mind, I would wonder what future patients are owed. After all, taxpayers/patients help fund education for residencies.
Professionally, it feels like mental stagnation after 5 years of practice. The education and training were challenging. However, it eventually becomes repetitive and the main challenge now is keeping up with volume and deciding where on the ROC curve to operate. This feeling probably masquerades as burnout and took a while to realize. An easier radiology job wont scratch that itch.
As for any sense of obligation you feel…. Get over it and get over yourself. Lots of people change jobs/careers and the world goes on. Seem to remember that about half of newly minted teachers aren’t teaching after 5 years. Cops, firefighters, nurses, etc. all have significant turnover. If your job/career is shredding your soul on a daily basis, every day is a day wasted. If you’re resisting pulling the trigger b/c of some putative debt/obligation, you’ve got other issues going on; figure ’em out first.
I get the mental stagnation angle. Have you considered academics? Might float your boat and you can get back to the ivory tower pretty easily. After I’d been out about 5 years or so, I decided to learn one new thing a year to keep my interest up (e.g. HRCT, prostate MRI, new NM tracers, etc.). One new thing a year sounds lame, especially when you’re close to the end of training, but it’s better than NOT learning one new thing a year and it gives the mind something else to think about besides how much work is on your list. That said, what’s worked for me might not work for someone else.
Mostly I think you’ll have to be very clear and serious about your finances. You’ve been out 5 years and should have a very high income; will be challenging to maintain that if you leave radiology. I know from personal experience (divorce) that large changes in one’s financial position are very stressful. Hedonic adaptation is real and a bee-yotch to get past. Careful planning and bouncing your plans off a financial advisor (as in, a REAL advisor, not a salesman looking to get you into an annuity) as others have suggested is a great idea.
