Planning for Happenstance: Helping Students Optimize Unexpected Career Developments

Introduction: Planning for and responding to happenstance is an important but rarely discussed part of the professional development of medical students. We noted this gap while conducting a study of career inflection points of 24 physicians who frequently mentioned how luck had shaped their unfolding careers. A review of the career counseling literature led us to a body of work known as Planned Happenstance Learning Theory (PHLT). PHLT focuses on the attitudes and skills to make happenstance a positive force in one's life. We found no reference to this work in the medical education literature and resolved to address this gap. Methods: We created resources for an interactive, 90-minute faculty development workshop. In the workshop, the facilitator used a PowerPoint presentation, vignettes of happenstance, a student testimonial, and a reflection worksheet. We presented and formally evaluated the workshop at three national meetings for health science educators. Results: Workshop participants, mostly faculty (N = 45), consistently expressed positive regard for the workshop content, organization, and instructional methods, especially the opportunity for guided reflection. A retrospective pre/postevaluation revealed a meaningful increase in knowledge about PHLT attitudes and skills, as well as a commitment to use these skills in promoting professional development. Discussion: The skills and attitudes of PHLT are relevant to students' career development. A workshop designed to introduce PHLT skills and attitudes to faculty advisors and mentors can help prepare faculty to promote students' awareness and use of these attitudes and skills.