The Career Rx Podcast for Doctors

#75 - From Surgeon to Healthcare Architecture Consultant (Really!) with Dr. Heena Santry


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Feeling like you’re not making the difference you were meant to make? If you’re looking for some inspiration to make those hard career decisions - this episode is for you. 

In this episode of The Career Rx we’ll discuss:

  • Values and motivations in a medical career, and how academics isn’t always the most impactful way to make a difference
  • Exactly how Dr. Santry made this dramatic pivot – step by step by step
  • Lessons from her job search that you can apply to your own career path, including professional branding, how to craft an industry resume, networking, and the key moments that created this success story 

Today, I have special guest Dr. Heena Santry, who had an amazingly successful career as an academic acute care surgeon, and is now a healthcare consultant for an architecture and design firm (wait – WHAT?). 

She has a really interesting story that will inspire you with a broader view of professional possibilities. She’s a living example of creating her own path to personal balance, deep professional fulfillment, and major impact as a physician in healthcare. 

Because she’s so awesome, we talk for about an hour, so be ready to immerse yourself! 

In this Episode: 

[3:47] How Dr. Santry’s career started – ambitious, intense, and a very ‘traditional’ surgeon path
[5:13] Key motivators and values that inspired her medical career, and how that fit (or didn’t!) with her academic successes
[7:19] What she’s doing now as Director of Healthcare Consulting at a global architecture and design firm 
[9:02] What it means to be influencing healthcare delivery on a macro scale 
[10:59] How we met (I was hired to be the coach of the Association of Women Surgeons’ Signature Speaker Series program, and then…) 
[14:28] Do industry recruiters or bosses care about your CV? Yes, and no.
[16:58] This specific kind of networking was a critical first step
[21:43] Converting her CV to a resume, key transferable skills, and my LinkedIn PopUp
[27:22] Job descriptions and applications, and the role of internal bias 
[30:30] There’s a ‘mic drop’ moment right here. (Hint: it’s how professional branding and an opportunity to make that pitch came together for a career changing result)
[36:28] Career possibilities are all around you, if you change the way you look 
[41:17] “But are you still a doctor? Aren’t you walking away from your patients, and all that training?”
[47:07] How Dr. Santry’s day-to-day life has changed – big things and little things 

Links and Resources: 

The Speaking Rx learn the business of professional public speaking to establish yourself as a thought leader you are, and get paid for your speaking expertise

LinkedIn PopUp – I offer these periodically, so be sure you’re on my email list. That’s really the only way to be sure you get access to the next one. They’re free!

Industry Insider - 12 hours of CME, learn exactly how to land a rewarding nonclinical career without a new degree, connections on the inside, prior experience, or a pay cut

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The Career Rx Podcast for DoctorsBy Marjorie Stiegler MD

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