Professional Identity Formation: Answering the Call to Lead
This is the third blog in a series about navigating the non-linear journey of forming a professional identity. We interviewed a wide variety of health care professionals about their journeys. Their lived experiences and related concepts can guide you in each stage of your career.
Wayne’s Journey
In this blog, we share Wayne Samuelson’s story and themes that shaped his journey in medicine and medical education.
After 28 years as a pulmonologist, educator, and leader at the University of Utah, Wayne Samuelson retired as dean of the medical school in 2023. He set sail on a humanitarian mission in Ghana with his wife Marianne.
Wayne’s journey started with curiosity, followed by a desire to serve others, and eventually answering the call of leadership.
Listen to the complete interview with Wayne Samuelson on the RealMD podcast.
“Go get ’em!”
Wayne completed his medical degree at the U in 1980. He didn’t begin feeling like a physician until late in his fourth year as a sub-intern at the Salt Lake City VA hospital.
Running down the hall to get a patient transferred to the coronary unit, Wayne heard the patient’s son yell after him, “Go get ’em, Dr. Samuelson!" Right then, he realized “This is it! I can do this. And not only can I do this, I want to do this."
While not every career has defining moments such as this, we can all benefit from tuning in when something brings fulfillment. And then have the courage to follow the signal, through the noise of life, to find your vocation.
“The very first step towards success in any occupation is to become interested in it.”
– William Osler
Let Curiosity Be Your Guide
In fourth grade, Wayne received his first introduction to medicine in the school library. He wanted to read everything he could about engineers. After exhausting the engineering books, the librarian gave him a book on the biography of Joseph Lister. The British surgeon became known as the “father of antiseptic surgery” in 1867.
Wayne vividly remembers reading about Lister lancing a boil on Queen Victoria’s body. That story sparked his imagination about the adventures of medicine. This early interest was nurtured by his family. His mother and father were educators and both of his older brothers attended medical school.
Wayne would tag along to help his brothers with dissections in the anatomy lab. He even collaborated with his father and brothers on a research paper about an innovation in orthopedics. Although the paper was not accepted for publication, the experience cemented Wayne’s intellectual curiosity in medicine and desire to become a physician educator.
Deciding what career path to follow is often unclear. In Wayne’s case, he learned to follow his curiosity as a guide.
Mentored in Compassion
To prepare for residency, Wayne asked Thomas Caine, MD, a well-known internal medicine physician at University of Utah, to be his fourth-year advisor. Caine agreed with one caveat, "You have to understand that I only want to work with somebody that's serious about becoming a physician." Wayne assured him of his commitment.
Caine would often stop by patient rooms to hold their hand when there was nothing more that could be done. His compassionate approach inspired Wayne.
He remembers being in clinic with Caine at the end of a long day. Caine realized one of his patients had uncharacteristically missed their appointment. He decided this warranted a house call and he took Wayne with him.
When they arrived, they found the elderly patient in florid congestive heart failure in need of medical attention. Wayne continued making house calls throughout his career.
“I think health care is more about love than about most other things.”
– Donald Berwick
Listen To Your Inner Voice
Wayne completed a residency in internal medicine and a fellowship in pulmonary disease at Duke University Medical Center. Caine continued to be a mentor and sounding board after residency. At one point, he questioned Wayne’s decision to become an administrator because it would take him out of the clinic.
That was a clarifying moment for Wayne. Despite his mentor’s concerns, he now knew his calling was in teaching and leadership. Later, Caine supported this move. He recognized Wayne’s desire to meet the needs of faculty, staff, and students at the medical school the same way he served his patients.
Mentors may not always understand or support your career choices. Decisions that go against influential people in our lives are defining moments of self-authorship as you move your own agenda forward even when challenged.
Developmental psychologist Robert Kegan describes this process of listening to your own voice above others. He compares it to being in a board room with all the people who influence your life and symbolically moving to the head of table, taking control of your professional journey.
Wayne’s love of learning and relationships eventually led him to pursue multiple leadership opportunities.
Answering the Call
After residency, Wayne joined the faculty at Duke University in the Division of Allergy, Critical Care, and Respiratory Medicine in the Department of Internal Medicine. He returned to the University of Utah in 1995, joining the Division of Respiratory, Critical Care, and Occupational Pulmonary Medicine in the Department of Internal Medicine.
Wayne’s interest in education began while teaching nurses and medical students in the clinic. On one fateful day, he received a call from the senior associate dean of the medical school at the University of Utah, asking him to assume the role of associate dean of admissions.
It was a tumultuous time for the school. Filling this role properly was critical to the future of the school. Though he had reservations about the position, he recognized the need and answered the call.
After stabilizing the admissions process, Wayne was set to give up the role and return to his position in pulmonology. That’s when he was asked to serve as dean for medical education. Inspired by the school’s education mission and his parents who were educators, he accepted the offer.
Wayne’s willingness to accept these initial leadership roles paved the way to subsequent roles as vice dean and dean of the medical school. A desire to support and encourage the people he served led to strong relationships with faculty, staff, and students.
"The great contribution we can make is to prepare the oncoming generation to think they can and will think for themselves."
– Charles Mayo
Setting the Stage for a New Era in Medical Education
Wayne’s legacy at the University of Utah spans nearly three decades of patient care, education, and steady leadership. He laid the groundwork for a transformational change in the culture and curriculum of medical education at the U.
Before retiring in 2023, Wayne helped launch a new mission-driven MD curriculum. This new approach to developing future physicians emphasizes community, relationships, and collaboration. All hallmarks of Wayne’s leadership.
Wayne has made a lasting impact on generations of students and countless others. He did not seek out leadership. He answered the call when he was needed. Something he’s still doing today while serving the people of Ghana on a humanitarian mission.
It’s hard to imagine as a fourth-year medical student how his future carer would unfold. It would be impossible to plan. But making choices that aligned with his values of curiosity, service, and willingness to lead, Wayne led a career of deep meaning and purpose.
