Overcoming imposter syndrome
Dr. Jennifer Hunt shares insight and advice as students embark on residency training
April 20, 2023 — If you have diabetes, you are diabetic. If you have arthritis, you are arthritic. But if you have imposter syndrome, does it follow that you are in fact an imposter?
For many students and professionals experiencing pervasive self-doubt in the health care field, the name commonly given to this phenomenon reinforces a false belief that they are frauds or imposters undeserving of the success they’ve built. This experience can affect anyone, especially during times of immense professional change, like graduating from medical school and beginning residencies or internships — something thousands of students from the University of Florida College of Medicine and around the world will experience in the coming months.
Jennifer Hunt, M.D., M.Ed.
In reality, having imposter syndrome is a disconnect in how you view yourself versus how your friends, family and colleagues view you, said Jennifer Hunt, M.D., M.Ed., chief of staff for UF Health Shands and chair of the department of pathology, immunology and laboratory medicine at the College of Medicine.
“I like to talk about imposter syndrome as an experience of not appreciating and valuing your own skills and talents as much as the outside world does,” she said. “It’s normal to see yourself differently than the world does. But a big gap between those two is typical of imposter syndrome, where people really don’t see any value or contribution they’re making while other people are singing their praises.”
According to Hunt, an experienced mentor and published author on the topic of overcoming imposter syndrome, anyone can experience the phenomenon, though it tends to be more prevalent in women and underrepresented groups. And even if you are not experiencing severe impacts, you can have imposter syndrome tendencies that are not serving you.
“For students in particular, that’s a really crucial thing to recognize,” she said. “Our medical students are about to go into residencies, and they will step into being the least experienced person on the team. My advice is to remember that you are supposed to be the least experienced person on the team. Give yourself grace in those moments of learning; embrace the experience of being new at something, and try to enjoy a period of discomfort from the tremendous growth.”
In her own career, Hunt said she experienced self-doubt when she was promoted to a department chair position for the first time 12 years ago. She felt stretched and outside her comfort zone, and her inner critic flared up. But by taking a mental step back and acknowledging that she had done hard things before and succeeded, Hunt was able to grow into her leadership role and not let self-doubt keep her stuck.
“Most of us are pretty comfortable with a growth mindset,” she said. “Igniting that can help stop imposter tendencies. Saying, ‘Wait, I can do this. It’s not easy, and it won’t be comfortable, but it’s not impossible,’ can be powerful.”
At the University of Florida, resources for students and residents who may be struggling with imposter syndrome include:
- The College of Medicine Office of Student Counseling & Development
- The UF Counseling and Wellness Center
- The Well-Being Index
See the chart below for more tips from Hunt on how to recognize and overcome imposter syndrome.
