A portfolio career is defined by having several part-time roles instead of one full-time job, or a series of shorter-term positions rather than a single lifelong post. This is far from how clinical medicine has traditionally been practiced.
The medical ladder is typically rigid and one-directional, with each rung clearly signposted: Medical Student, Intern, Junior Doctor, Trainee, and finally, Specialist. Wavering from that path is seen as reckless for your career prospects, and venturing into non-clinical work is viewed as squandering years of training.
This is the story of how I fell from that well-trodden ladder and found a safety net in my portfolio career. It is a move that, I believe, could help not only doctors like me, but also many other professionals rediscover balance, purpose and resilience.
The Push
It’s April 2020. I walk through the back door, throw my scrubs in the washing machine, and step into the shower, after eleven hours in clinic and two more in the nursing home. I lather soap over my face, trying to rub out the N95 mask grooves carved into my nose, wondering how much longer I can keep doing this job.
It wasn’t supposed to be like this. I thought my three hospital years were hard — the sick patients, the emergency calls, the endless shift work. I’d cry on the drive to hospital and nod off on the way home, consoling myself that general practice would be easier. I hadn’t accounted for the deep complexities of cradle-to-grave care, or the stress of being a frontline pandemic worker.
“I hadn’t accounted for the deep complexities of cradle-to-grave care, or the stress of being a frontline pandemic worker.” – Dr. Bo Bi
By May, I had broken down in front of my practice manager, explaining that I needed a week off. I ended up taking three months. With most of the world in lockdown, I finally had time to reflect and knew that whatever came next had to be more sustainable. It was the last time I worked full-time in clinical practice.
The Pull
Burnout was the push that made me step away from an outdated model, but purpose became the pull toward a more meaningful career. I wanted a path that felt aligned with my values, not just my qualifications.
Since that fortuitous stumble, new questions have reshaped the way I work. Frameworks like ikigai helped me find the intersection between passion, vocation, mission, and profession. I began asking myself: What do I love? What am I good at? What does the world need? And what can I be paid for?
“Variety has brought agency and joy back into my work.” – Dr. Bo Bi
This move wasn’t about leaving medicine; it was about finding a way to stay in it sustainably, and on my own terms. Today, my career is more of an evolving web than a rigid ladder: rural and Indigenous healthcare, skin cancer surgery, medical education, science communication, and postgraduate study in public health and leadership. Variety has brought agency and joy back into my work.
Many of my medical colleagues are beginning to do the same, and the ripple effects are reaching far beyond us. Clinicians who find meaning and balance are less likely to burn out, and more likely to stay longer in the workforce and deliver better care. Healthier doctors mean healthier patients.
“Healthier doctors mean healthier patients.” – Dr. Bo Bi
However, the shift has been far from easy. I’ve wrestled with skepticism, self-doubt, dead ends, and the silent fear of falling behind. Learning to live with uncertainty is still a work in progress, but in today’s fast-moving medical landscape, resistance against change is futile.
The Prescription
The next era of medicine will demand both depth and breadth from its practitioners. Portfolio careers create space for physicians to develop expertise while gaining diverse skills across disciplines. The growing burden of chronic disease, aging populations, and widening health inequities calls for clinicians who can bridge the micro level of patient care with the macro level of health systems. Those who understand not only how to treat diseases, but also the structural determinants that sustain them, will be best placed to guide meaningful reform.
“When the next pandemic strikes, we will need doctors who are able to pivot quickly and think on their feet.” – Dr. Bo Bi
Medicine must also be agile and adaptable. COVID-19 revealed how fast crises can emerge, and how slowly rigid and siloed organizations react. When the next pandemic strikes, we will need doctors who are able to pivot quickly and think on their feet. Those who are already adept at wearing multiple hats will have the skills to see the bigger picture, communicate effectively across disciplines, and lead rapid, coordinated responses.
The Path Forward
The medical ladder will always be there, but beneath it stretches an open field of inspiration and opportunity. For those ready to start exploring, small steps can lead to big rewards: Attend a networking event; reach out to a mentor who has diversified their career; or try a workshop in a different discipline.
Communities like Effective Altruism and High Impact Professionals inspire and empower members to do the most good with their time, money, and resources. For medical students and doctors specifically, High Impact Medicine offers planning courses for thinking deeply and strategically about how to make a meaningful difference with our careers.
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The question is not whether medicine will change, but how deliberately we choose to shape that change. When clinicians weave balance and meaning into their work, the entire system becomes more creative, resilient, and sustainable.
The future wellbeing of both medical professionals and their patients depends on aligning purpose with social impact, and portfolio careers may be just what the doctor ordered.
Written by Dr. Bo Bi for the SciMingo Popular Science Writing Course.
You can read more of Bo’s writing on her Substack @notesfromyourgp, where she explores common medical conditions, medical myths, and the hidden side of general practice.
