Marking a medical career in anniversaries

We mark birthdays and anniversaries to remember family and friends—to honor these individuals as worthy of a celebration. Commemorating special people at special times. Whether it’s a quick text, a heartfelt card, or a Facebook post, these milestones matter. The celebration can be simple or as elaborate as a guest appearance by Elton John at your private residence (I didn’t say this happened in Calgary one enchanted evening).How should we observe the milestones of a medical career? Which Anniversaries matter?Baseline anniversary – It starts right here…Well… right off the top, we have a bit of a problem deciding where to place the mile 0 marker. For those living in Victoria, they know exactly where the placard is. This is not that straightforward. Should the start be when a candidate is accepted into medical school or on the first official day of medical school? Traditionally, for most, the clock starts when the actual MD degree is earned. Of course, with residencies and potential fellowships lasting anywhere from two to seven years thereafter, another “true start” is the first day of actual practice—which could be a literal decade after the start of medical school. The start is hardly the beginning of a physician’s career.Read: Dr. Ted Jablonski: 5 career-changing epiphanies in my life as an MD1st anniversary – I really did it!While there are so many goals achieved just to make it to this point, this is an essential anniversary worthy of celebration. It is one thing to make decisions and manage patients in the supervised setting of residency—quite another as an independent physician in actual practice. Frankly, it is terrifying for most, no matter what supports might still be around and offered. Most are hanging on for dear life and praying that they don’t kill anyone. Still, this is an achievement worth celebrating. MDs successfully practising the medicine they trained for. Congratulations.5th anniversary – I’m getting it nowThe first five years are where the most intense practical learning occurs for many. Doctors rely on their theoretical and academic background but now are testing their skills, sometimes in uncharted waters. You can’t see and experience everything in residency. MDs learn by volume and repetition and by their mistakes in “the real world” (hopefully all very minor in nature at this point). With each year, doctors build upon the foundation and increase their breadth and repertoire. When they graduate from the “first five years in practice” group, there is reason to party! If there were a second degree for surviving and thriving in those first five years, it should be awarded here.10th anniversary – Too busyBy this point, most physicians are deeply entrenched in their careers. They’re managing large patient panels, juggling administrative duties, teaching or leading teams. It’s not that they don’t want to celebrate—it’s just hard to find the time.Ten years is a big deal, but this sign post often passes quietly. Perhaps with a quick moment of reflection: “Wow, has it really been a decade?” And then it’s back to work.25th anniversary – Pause for the cause / This is a big one!Now this is a highlight worth marking. The 25th anniversary is a reflective one—a time to take stock. Maybe with a bucket list vacation, a sabbatical or simply a much-needed break.Many physicians have experienced burnout by this point and, hopefully, learned how to manage it. They may have pivoted into new roles, moved provinces or reinvented their careers more than once. At 25 years, most don’t feel like they have much to prove anymore. They’ve entered what one might call the “sweet spot"” of their careers (originally mistyped as the “sweat spot”—a revealing Freudian slip).There’s experience, wisdom and often leadership in full flight. If an MD is here, they should take the time to acknowledge what they’ve built. They’ve earned it.30th, 35th, 40th, 45th anniversary – Already wrapping it up?These years and anniversaries tend to blur together a bit. Life outside of medicine becomes more pressing. Physicians start to question the sustainability of their pace. Retirement or semi-retirement begins to enter the conversation.At this stage, career milestones are often less about celebration and more about quiet recognition. They’re a testament to resilience, persistence and adaptability. These anniversaries reflect survival—through decades of change in medicine, in patients and in ourselves.50th anniversary – This is simply goldenAn MD still practicing 50 years in? That’s rare—and becoming rarer. If you meet one, applaud them. If you are one, take a break, here’s a comfy chair and a cup of tea. These are the physicians who never lost the love for the work—or never found a hobby to replace it. Either way, this milestone marks a lifetime of service. And for those who’ve already retired, the 50th is a chance to reflect, to celebrate a career well lived, and maybe to tell a few well-earned stories over dinner.60th anniversary – Is anyone out there?Let’s be honest—if anyone is still practicing 60 years in, it’s probably time for an intervention (unless they were a child prodigy who finished med school under age 20).This one’s more of an institutional milestone. Something for medical schools, hospitals or legacy publications like the Medical Post to celebrate.And on that note—Happy 60th anniversary, MP (which started Sept. 14, 1965)! Now that’s a milestone worth writing about.Dr. Ted Jablonski retired his family practice to focus on sexual medicine and transgender health in Southern Alberta. 40th anniversary of being MD has passed unceremoniously.

Marking a medical career in anniversaries

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Ted Jablonski

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