The Importance of Setting Goals for Your Career with Dr. Edward L. Barnes

Edward L. Barnes, MD is currently an Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at the University of North Carolina. Dr Barnes completed his residency in internal medicine at the University of North Carolina, where he also served as a chief resident. He completed his gastroenterology fellowship at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts. While training in Boston, he earned Master of Public Health degree from the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health. Dr. Barnes then returned to the University of North Carolina to complete an Advanced Fellowship in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases. He specializes in the care of patients with inflammatory bowel disease, and has contributed multiple articles and reviews in this area. What gets you up in the morning? Furthermore, what wakes you up in the middle of the night? Today, Dr. Edward Barnes shares why balancing your time combined with your passion is a winning combination for success. To avoid burnout, we must adapt strong time management skills early on in the game. On top of that, we must place importance on career paths that fit who we are—so we’re not forcing ourselves into something that isn’t in alignment with ourselves. He urges us to think with an open mind, embrace rejection as part of the process, and get comfortable with “prioritizing things in your bucket of tasks”. Pearls of Wisdom: 1. Find a career that fits who you are. 2. Find that one thing that excites you to wake up every morning or in the middle of the night. Approach each opportunity with an open mind and think outside the box. 3. Know how to prioritize things in your bucket of tasks. Find the right balance and know when to prioritize what and anticipate that there will be moments in your life when you will have to shift around the things in your bucket. 4. Find the match between your goals and the mentors in your life.