IFM | Plot twist: Embracing the unexpected in family medicine careers

In this episode of the Inside Family Medicine podcast, host Adam Bradley talks with Victoria Boggiano, MD, MPH, and Connie Leeper, MD, MPH, about the unexpected turns that can shape a career in family medicine.

Boggiano and Leeper share the experiences that led them to the specialty and the career "plot twists" that followed. Boggiano reflects on an early interest in health policy, anthropology and global health before finding her way to clinical medicine, public health and academic family medicine. Leeper discusses entering medicine with an interest in sports medicine and global health before discovering a passion for teaching during an obstetrics fellowship and ultimately building a career in academics.

Their stories highlight one of family medicine's defining strengths: flexibility. Because family physicians receive broad training, they can build careers that include outpatient care, hospital medicine, obstetrics, procedures, academics, advocacy, public health and other areas — and change that mix as their interests, communities and lives evolve. Boggiano and Leeper discuss why "full scope" does not have to mean the same thing for every physician and how family medicine allows physicians to continually redefine what their own practice looks like.

The conversation also offers practical advice for students, residents and early-career physicians facing an unexpected opportunity or difficult career decision. Boggiano and Leeper encourage physicians to identify what brings them joy, understand their value, ask for what they need and lean on mentors and the broader family medicine community. Whether a career change begins with a new opportunity or an unexpected "no," they emphasize that family medicine training provides room to pivot, experiment and continue building a career aligned with personal values.

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00:00 Family Medicine Career Plot Twists
01:23 Why they chose family medicine
03:21 When a career "no" creates a new path
05:00 Discovering an unexpected passion for academics
07:10 Why family medicine offers career flexibility
10:54 Advice for navigating a career plot twist
11:35 Knowing your value and finding the right job fit
13:11 Mentorship, networking and leaning on your community
15:13 If your family medicine career were a novel
17:54 Closing thoughts and career resources