Going Live!
It has been a big couple of weeks over here at BYS Headquarters (aka our kitchen table) as we finally released our baby into the world!
For a few weeks I had been stalling, coming up with various vague reasons why I wasn’t ready – no-one checks social media on a Friday, right….? All we were really doing was posting about our concept on a few forums and contacting potential contributors, but it seemed like a huge hurdle. Although career and non-clinical skills development are not unique concepts, this is a unique move for us and I was nervous! Paul, being blessed with an inner serenity/self-assuredness that I will be forever envious of was baffled by my procrastination but waited it out. Eventually I ran out of non-excuses and got on with it.
Day one: website starts to get some action!
So far, the response has been a relief and a delight. We have been reassured that there is a need for more information and resources about opportunities beyond the norm and touched by the messages of support we have received from both friends and total strangers – many of whom I have now had the pleasure of getting to know. We have spoken to several doctors who already work very successfully within career development and had some fantastic conversations about potential future collaboration.
Getting acquainted with the mic
I have started interviewing a range of people about their experience in working in roles outside the box, from health leadership to event medicine to volunteering at home and overseas. Being an inherently nosy person, this has been a real treat and selfishly has provided me with much-needed inspirational boosts in moments when I wonder if we are doing the right thing. We are sure many of you will also get valuable insights from these discussions and can’t wait to share them. With this has come a new world of technology, both good (my microphone and I are becoming more comfortable together by the day) and sporadic (transcription software has its limitations).
Spot the transcription faux pas!
It is not all easy breezing though (not sure that is actually a phrase but am rolling with it). While we have had an incredible response to our posts, we still have many more roles we hope to cover so have been cold-call emailing as many people as we can find that would fit the bill or have been recommended to us. Checking responses to these messages can feel somewhat like observing tumbleweed rolling round our account but we hope as we start getting some content out there and can show what we are up to, this side of things will pick up.
We hope this doesn’t put you off sticking with us, we want to share a warts-and-all journal of our experience down this unfamiliar path – we aren’t expecting it to be completely flat along the way! Meanwhile, if you or anyone you know would be willing to speak to us about your experience of going ‘beyond’ please get in touch: hello@beyondyourstethoscope.com (read: PLEASE BE OUR FRIEND and tell us about your amazing experiences!!!).