This 32-year-old earns $88K near New Haven, CT
Dr. Shay Taylor Allen, a 32-year-old anesthesiologist at Yale Hospital in New Haven, CT, discusses her career path from hospital cleaner to physician, emphasizing how her previous work experience strengthened her empathy and communication skills with patients. She chose anesthesiology specifically for its better work-life balance compared to her original goal of obstetrics-gynecology, while also being motivated by her mother's vocal cord dysfunction and her desire to help patients feel at ease before surgery.
Summary
Dr. Shay Taylor Allen is a 32-year-old physician working at Yale Hospital in New Haven, Connecticut, where she lives with her husband Rob. Notably, she was born in New Haven and previously worked as a cleaner at the same hospital before becoming a doctor. She attributes significant value to the skills she gained from this cleaning position, particularly regarding how it shaped her approach to patient care.
Allen emphasizes the critical importance of empathy and communication in her medical practice. She believes that some physicians lose sight of the fact that they are caring for real people, and that maintaining a sense of empathy throughout training and practice is essential. This foundation in empathy appears to have been strengthened by her early experience as a hospital cleaner.
Initially, Allen planned to specialize in obstetrics-gynecology but ultimately chose anesthesiology instead. The demanding work schedule of OB-GYN was a factor in this decision. Her choice of anesthesiology was driven by multiple motivations: a personal connection through her mother's vocal cord dysfunction that drew her toward airway medicine, a desire to help patients feel comfortable and at ease before surgical procedures, and importantly, the specialty's allowance for better work-life balance—a consideration she prioritizes as someone who is married and in her early 30s.
Key Insights
- Dr. Allen credits her previous work as a hospital cleaner with developing skills that directly benefited her medical career, particularly in how she communicates with patients.
- She believes that empathy can fade over years of medical training, and emphasizes that remembering patients are real people is critical to good medical practice.
- Dr. Allen originally intended to specialize in obstetrics-gynecology but rejected this path due to its demanding work schedule.
- Her mother's vocal cord dysfunction directly influenced her decision to pursue anesthesiology and specialize in airway medicine.
- Work-life balance was an explicit factor in Dr. Allen's specialty selection, motivated by her being married and prioritizing personal life alongside her career.
Topics
Transcript
[0:00] My name is Dr. Shay Taylor Allen. I am 32 years old. I live near New Haven, Connecticut, with my husband, Rob. I work as a physician at Yale Hospital in New Haven, where I was born and where I once worked as a cleaner. The skills I gained while working as a cleaner definitely helped me on my path to becoming a doctor. The most important thing is how I talk to [0:30] my patients. I think some doctors forget that we care about real people, and that sense of empathy can fade over the years of training. I specialize in the best specialty— anesthesiology. When I entered medical school, I thought I would be an obstetrician-gynecologist ,…
Full transcript available for MurmurCast members
Sign Up to AccessMore from CNBC Make It
Are stablecoins the future of money or just hype?
Stablecoins are cryptocurrencies pegged to the US dollar designed to address cryptocurrency's volatility problem, functioning as digital payment utilities rather than investments. They offer significant advantages over traditional payment systems, including faster transaction speeds (3-5 seconds globally) and dramatically lower fees.
I Quit My Corporate Job To Become A Seamstress At Yellowstone National Park
Zoe de la Paz, a 26-year-old seamstress, quit her $75,000/year corporate job as a mechanical designer in Chicago to pursue her passion for sewing at Yellowstone National Park, where she earns $19.25/hour with $96/month rent. She demonstrates that a fulfilling creative career is achievable by building an unconventional path, supported by low living costs and meaningful work connected to nature.
This family business went from bankrupt to $1.6B/year in sales
Jack Link's family business recovered from a 1985 bankruptcy by pivoting to beef jerky production, leveraging existing meat processing infrastructure and their great-grandfather's sausage recipe. Starting with no established category or machinery, they innovated their own equipment and built Jack Link's into a $1.6B/year sales company.
How AI Is Ruining Job Interviews
AI-powered interview tools are increasingly used by employers to screen job candidates due to cost savings and efficiency, but they have significant limitations including poor follow-up capabilities, inability to accommodate pauses for thought, and potential bias issues. Nearly 40% of candidates have withdrawn from hiring processes that included AI interviews, citing frustration with the impersonal and often discriminatory experience.
NYC's 'Baklava Guy' Brings In $20K A Month Selling Turkish Pastries
Roy Donk, a recovered addict and high school dropout, built Good Baklava into a $20K+/month business by combining masterful sales performance with a premium product sourced from Turkish suppliers. He employs unconventional street vending tactics alongside traditional wholesale and e-commerce channels, achieving 60% gross margins through viral marketing and strategic high-traffic location placement.