One thing living in New York City does positively for you: It makes you tough.
To survive and thrive in this great city, one has to he tough and tender. I’m sure that goes for pretty much any city.
What I see in most cities is more tough than tender, in respect to collegiality.
I’ve been lucky. I’ve had great mentors with the right amount of tough and tender. They always remain respectful of my contribution.
And, I’ve known colleagues that like to eat their “young.”
I’m considered “young” in my fields of anatomy (5 years), chiropractic (about 2 years), and acupuncture (still a student). Across the board – in academia and professional practice – I have watched as colleagues attempt to sabotage and/or bleed their “young” dry.
Underpaid associateships. Denigration and defamation of character.
Sabotage.
Shirking new evidentiary support for old paradigms.
I’ve seen it – and I’m even “young” in these professions! It’s unnecessary.
It’s our job to flip the script, to make it stop. My greatest mentors have shown me the growth we personally receive by sharing and nurturing our “young.”
One of my greatest mentors is a woman with over 30 years of anatomy experience. She states this nearly every time I see her:
“Kathy, I’m so honored and privileged to learn so much from you.”
Now, THAT IS CLASSY.
We can learn from each other until we are in the grave. Let’s get off our high horses, and become better than we were yesterday.
Let’s stop eating our young and continue learning from each other.
– Dr. Kathy Dooley