If you are a new grad, you may not have mentors reach out to you as often as when you were in residency. I felt this my first year out. Now that I mentor residents, I think of my recent grads all the time. I am wishing them well and reminding myself of how I felt in their shoes. However, I do not always check in with them as much as I would like. Reach out to your old mentors. Reach out to your peers, as they are likely facing similar challenges.

When I moved to a new city to start a new job, I thought a support system would form organically (and quickly), similar to residency. I learned that sometimes it takes effort and time to build a community.

4. THINK BEFORE YOU SEND THAT EMAIL, BECAUSE TIME BRINGS CLARITY

I have never regretted waiting to send a heated email. However, I have regretted many angry conversations and emails sent in the emotional flurry of frustration. Maybe you worked an overnight shift with broken equipment and decreased staffing ratios. Before you light up your medical director with a salty email or complain to your colleagues, sleep on it. Time will usually bring clarity to an initial visceral response.

5. YOUR MOOD IS CONTAGIOUS, SO CHECK IN ON YOUR EMOTIONS

The emergency physician sets the tone for the department. If you are grumpy in the department, everyone else will be. If I am returning to work after vacation or a few days off, my emotional battery is at 100 percent. If I am in the middle of a stretch of shifts, I must be aware that I am likely starting depleted. Add on the daily frustrations we all face during ED shifts: the challenging consultant, high volumes, time intensive laceration, etc. We are all human. If you find yourself drained, notice when it is happening and develop your own ritual or mantra to reset. For me, walking outside the ambulance bay for a few breaths of fresh air or walking to brew a coffee is helpful while I reset. You can spend months fostering a good rapport with your ED staff only to ruin it with a few minutes of anger or a harsh word.

6. GIVE YOURSELF TIME BEFORE YOU FORM AN OPINION ABOUT A NEW JOB

When you start somewhere new, give it a fair chance. Give yourself a year at a new place before deciding to move on. Keep an open mind. Try to learn its culture and norms. Don’t be the newbie who constantly refers to “how we did it at my last shop.”