When Physicians Join Movements, Not Just Jobs, Everything Changes

Here's a scenario that may sound familiar:

You’re 14 tabs deep in job listings and every role sounds the same. You're filtering by pay, location, maybe call schedule, but none of them tell you the details you want to know. You’re tired of pretending these listings hold the answer, but what choice do you have? All you can do is hope that this time you'll find the right career instead of the wrong compromises.

But here's the thing: physicians like you don’t begin their careers with the goal of scrolling through job listings. They enter medicine with a sense of purpose, shaped by years of training and often a desire to make a real difference. As time goes on, though, many find themselves in positions that no longer reflect their values or clinical priorities. While the instinctive solution is to search for another job, new postings rarely solve the deeper issue.

The physicians who build meaningful and influential careers tend to find them through movements rather than job boards. Movements are built around ideas, purpose, and communities of like-minded people who are working to change healthcare for the better. They offer not just a position, but a way to shape the future of medicine and leave a legacy.

From Job Seeker to Builder

For example…

Dr. Joseph Sakran’s path shows what it looks like to step into a movement. When he was just 17, a stray bullet nearly took his life. That experience inspired him to become a trauma surgeon at Johns Hopkins, but his work did not stop in the operating room. He saw that treating patients was only part of the solution. To address the root causes of the violence that nearly killed him, he joined physician-led advocacy groups, testified before Congress, and worked with national leaders to shape policies on gun violence prevention. Today his influence extends well beyond clinical care because he chose to stand with a movement that reflected his values.

A similar story can be found in the work of Dr. Uché Blackstock. As an emergency physician, she witnessed the deep inequities in care that disproportionately harm patients of color. Rather than moving from one role to another, she founded Advancing Health Equity and began collaborating with health systems and professional organizations to confront systemic racism in medicine. Her career grew in impact because she chose to focus on a cause, not just a job.

Dr. Arghavan Salles offers another example of how movements shape careers. A bariatric surgeon at Stanford, she became increasingly aware of how bias and burnout affect women in medicine. Instead of stepping away or seeking a new title, she joined efforts like Time’s Up Healthcare, contributing to a nationwide push for gender equity and physician wellbeing. Through this work, she has influenced both policy and culture, creating ripple effects that go far beyond her own career.

These physicians remind us that meaningful careers are not built by chasing roles. They emerge when you find the people and ideas that resonate most deeply with your own sense of purpose.

Why History Backs Movements Over Job Boards

This is not a new idea; over a century ago, Abraham Flexner’s 1910 report transformed American medical education. Rather than posting positions or building job boards, Flexner was leading a movement that set new standards for training and professional excellence, reshaping the entire field.

Decades later, the evidence-based medicine movement challenged entrenched practices and elevated scientific rigor in patient care. Physicians who aligned themselves with this movement went far beyond advancing their careers; instead, they helped redefine modern medicine.

History has proven time and again that lasting change, both personal and systemic, comes from joining collective efforts that matter, not chasing isolated roles.

Job Boards Fall Short: Here’s Why

Job boards are useful for seeing what's out there, but they rarely provide a sense of whether a role will allow you to do meaningful work. A listing can't tell you if your voice will be heard, if you'll have the autonomy you need, or if the organization’s priorities align with the way you want to care for patients. Too often, physicians make a move only to realize they've swapped one mismatched role for another.

Movements offer something deeper than a new title or a change in scenery. They connect you with others who share your vision and values. Through these communities, physicians often find mentorship, leadership opportunities, and collaborative projects that they would never encounter on a job board. Movements can reignite your energy and remind you why you went into medicine in the first place.

The early champions of telehealth provide a clear example of this. Years before telehealth became mainstream, these physicians worked together to expand access to care by using technology in new ways. They were not waiting for job postings to tell them what was possible. They were building something new, and today many of those early pioneers are leading the next wave of innovation in healthcare.

How to Find Your Movement

When physicians find their place in a movement, it's rarely the result of chasing titles or following a checklist. It often begins with a simple question about what matters most and which problems in healthcare feel urgent enough to dedicate years of effort to solving. Once those questions are answered, it's easier to recognize the people and ideas that bring energy and clarity. The physicians who meaningfully shape their careers are the ones who surround themselves with communities that share their values, challenge their thinking, and push them toward better solutions.

1. Once you know what matters most, look for people who are working toward that same goal. These are often physicians, advocates, or professional groups that have formed around shared values. It might be a small local coalition focused on patient safety or a national network pushing for systemic change. The key is to connect with those who are already moving in the direction you want to go.
2. Engagement is what turns interest into momentum. Joining a group is not enough; the real growth comes from contributing in ways that feel authentic and useful. That might mean offering your expertise, mentoring younger colleagues, or lending your voice to projects that need support. When physicians give their time and ideas to a movement, they often find that unexpected opportunities begin to emerge.
3. The most satisfying roles often appear in places you cannot find on a job board. They come through conversations, collaborations, and shared purpose. When you focus on building connections with people who believe in the same mission, the right roles tend to surface naturally, and they are far more likely to feel like a genuine fit for the work you want to do.

The Future Belongs to Builders

The physicians who will shape the next decade of healthcare will not be remembered for how many résumés they sent out or job boards they mastered. They'll be known for the communities they helped grow, the problems they chose to solve, and the movements they supported to improve healthcare for all.

If you feel stuck in your career, the better question is not “What job should I take next?” but “What’s driving this change?” When you understand what’s driving your desire for change, you stop chasing roles and start shaping your future.

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