Dr Niddi Uka

I think it's culturally rooted. My family is originally from Nigeria, and we have very strong work ethics and very strong expectations when it comes to education. Determination is something that has been instilled in us since we were young. My older brother is a surgeon, my younger brother is an engineer, so I believe it's a cultural thing that was instilled in us at a young age. That foundation of hard work and high educational standards from my Nigerian heritage has been the driving force behind my success.

The best career advice I would say is to make sure you prioritize yourself. The best version of yourself that you can be at work and at home is when you actually take time for yourself. I think my career is very demanding on the body, and we are givers. We are all constantly taking care of other people, even when we come home to our own homes. So you have to prioritize yourself. If you're sick, take time off and get better. If you don't feel well, don't go to work. Especially in the healthcare field, a lot of times we as health professionals put our health secondary to everybody else, and that's not sustainable.

I would tell them that it's a male-dominated industry, but women are more highly requested than men. This is an industry where you can really make a huge impact, and there are a lot of people looking for you, looking for us. Don't feel intimidated just because you walk in a room and it's a male-dominated room. Hold your head up high and walk in knowing you have the same certifications, the same degree as everybody in there. Don't be intimidated by any of these men that are in this industry. We need more women who are going to make an impact, and more women to show that you can have a family and you can have a career in this industry and you can be successful. We can do it without sacrificing everything.

I think the biggest challenge from a business aspect is that private equity is really coming in and swallowing up a lot of our businesses, and it's really making it difficult for the small practice owner, the doctor who has a practice that works in that office and really knows his or her patients really well to survive, because corporations have taken over. I fear that in the next 20 years, this industry will be completely owned by corporations, and all doctors will just be working for corporations without having any autonomy. That's the unfortunate part. We don't have enough people out there fighting for us and fighting for our autonomy to be individuals in our practice and practice the way that we want that's best for our patients. That's where I see the future of healthcare, period.

For work, I think being a lifelong learner is most important to me. I do believe that learning is essential in any industry, field, or life that you're in, because you want to be the best version of yourself and you want to be able to help people. You have to continue to learn new things and the nuances that are out there. I always take classes, I like to learn from my peers, I like to learn from people that have been in the industry a lot longer than me. Being a lifelong learner is not only going to be helpful for any person in their career, but also allow you to grow in your field and your career and help other people. In my personal life, I think cherishing your time, cherishing the time you have with your family and friends is most important. Time goes by so quickly. I just remember yesterday when my kids were barely able to crawl, and now they're growing older, and as we're growing older, we're seeing everybody around us grow older too. I've been practicing for a while, so I've had close patients that have passed, so I know what that is, and I cherish every day that I'm able to do what I do, both at home and at work.