If you want to go on sabbatical, make it as easy on everyone else as possible. Sabbaticals are still an unusual part of a physician’s career, and there’s probably not a system or expectations in place.
Make it hard for colleagues or bosses to find a reason why you shouldn’t be able to take a sabbatical, and make it easy on those staying behind.
I like to think of my sabbatical as a way to encourage current and future group members to do something outside the box, and that by following a less common path it will be easier for others to do the same in the future.
Below are five ways to make your sabbatical as pain-free for everyone else as possible
Find replacements for all your roles
This may be easier than you think once you start asking.
My roles prior to my sabbatical included:
- Medical Director of Quality
- Medical Director of the Operating Room
- Perioperative Service Line Chair
- Medical Director of the Pain Clinic
- Medical Director of the Palliative Care Clinic
- Full time Anesthesiologist
I found four people to take over these six roles. What surprised me most was how easy it was once the decision was made. When it was no longer a choice for me to be replaced – temporarily or permanently – the options became clear. I was grateful for those dedicated female physicians who stepped up and took over these roles. Taking over a role for a brief period can give people a chance to try out a role for a discrete period. I was also very flexible in whether I would take back these roles when I returned. I was and am willing to, but if my replacements prefer to continue, I’m fine with that too.
Don’t get money involved
If you try to get your group or department to pay for your sabbatical in some way, it will get much more complicated. There will be more resentment about fairness, and people will try to game the system. Unless you’re in an academic setting where the system has been set up for years, a paid sabbatical will be difficult. If you’re in private practice and the “pay” is actually coming from your partners’ pockets, I can guarantee that a paid sabbatical won’t be allowed or will foster resentment long-term unless every single partner is able to take a sabbatical and get paid the same. This might be possible if the group hires a year-long locums and has 3 partners, for example, and each partner takes 4 months off. But in general, taking money out of the equation will make everything easier.
Make sure there’s no additional call burden on your group
Someone very smart once told me that most problems in physician groups were due to money, schedule, and call. Make sure your sabbatical doesn’t impact any of those aspects for the people you work with. Find a replacement who will take call and will answer in-basket messages for patients if you’re in primary care. Do not hire a locums who seems great but won’t take call. Go into the planning phase with the assumption that no one will do additional work so that you can go on sabbatical.
Support others who want to do something unusual.
If someone else in your group or department wants to do something new, support them. Two of my partners are interested in taking shorter sabbaticals, for example. I am happy to take extra call and work more if needed to make that happen for them, or to not take vacation during those weeks. And it doesn’t have to be another sabbatical; if someone is doing something new or taking a different path, be supportive. It’s the right thing to do, and it’ll likely benefit you in the long run.
Ask your department and group what barriers they anticipate, and work hard to make those a non-issue.
Do not send out a mass email saying “I want to go on sabbatical. Does anyone have a problem with this?”
If no one in your group has taken a sabbatical before, this new venture requires in-person conversations. Be upfront about wanting to make it easy on your colleagues and ask them what exactly they see as possible issues.
For my supportive small group, my partners didn’t want my sabbatical to cost them money or cause an additional call burden. I expect these concerns are pretty universal, but there may be others that you don’t know about until you ask. Some groups may not want the time to count toward promotion, for example, or may be concerned you will never come back and they’ll have to replace you.
What work barriers do you have to taking a sabbatical? What have you done to anticipate and solve any objections?