The medical director of the emergency department at UCI Health — Irvine shares his unconventional path to healthcare and advice for others looking to make a midcareer pivot
Ryan Gibney ’13, M.D. ’18 didn’t follow the typical path to medicine.
By his late 20s, he was newly married and working long hours in the restaurant industry, a career that had grown out of earlier ambitions as a musician. The late nights and creative energy had once been enticing, but Gibney began to realize the lifestyle was not compatible with the family life he hoped to build.
So he returned to a dream he’d never fully abandoned: medicine.
At 18, Gibney had started down that road, studying pre-med at the University of Arizona. But different passions soon pulled him in other directions – first music, then hospitality – before eventually guiding him back to healthcare.
In many ways, he says, becoming a doctor was always in the cards.
“I have pictures of myself in scrubs when I was 4 years old,” he laughs. “I always said I was going to be a doctor.”
When Gibney returned to college at UC Irvine, he was nearly a decade older than many of his classmates. But those 10 years of life experience gave him something he hadn’t had the first time around: focus.
He knew what he wanted – to go to medical school – and what it would take to get there.
“Having a direct purpose was a big differentiator for me,” he says. “College was less of a social experience. I treated it like a job.”
Every course was chosen intentionally, with medical school in mind. While balancing a demanding academic load, family obligations and a full-time restaurant job, he worked to build the strong GPA he would need to be competitive.
To balance the intense science requirements, he also mixed in courses that spoke to his other interests, such as philosophy and a course on the history of the Beatles.
But even with all the planning, speed bumps still lay ahead.
“I have pictures of myself in scrubs when I was 4 years old. I always said I was going to be a doctor.”
During his first round of medical school applications, Gibney received only one interview – at Penn State – and ultimately did not get accepted.
“I started thinking, ‘What am I going to do if I don’t get in?’” he says.
Concerned that his dream might not pan out, he began preparing for an alternative career as a financial planner, following the advice of a friend.
But then, in his second cycle of medical school applications, things began to shift. He received three interviews and was ultimately accepted at UC Irvine.
“Once I got into medical school at UCI, I never left,” Gibney says. Today he serves as the medical director of the emergency department at the newly opened hospital, UCI Health — Irvine.
“One door after another opened,” he says. “It has been really exciting.”
For others considering a midcareer change, Gibney suggests starting with a simple question: Can I see myself being happy doing this work five years from now?
If the answer is yes, that’s a good place to begin.
For him, the answer lies in the people he works with and the important work they do every day. “I’ve had nightmare days and I come home exhausted,” he says. “But I still want to go back the next day.”
A successful career pivot isn’t just about work, though. It’s also about maintaining the other essentials in life to stay grounded.
For Gibney, that still includes music. While his professional musician days might be behind him, music remains an important hobby for the entire household.
“I have a dozen guitars and a piano at home, so I’ll sit and play for hours,” he says. “Playing helps turn my brain in a different direction. My daughter plays guitar, too, and we enjoy going to concerts as a family.”
He also likes cooking and recently renovated his backyard, adding an outdoor kitchen and a pizza oven, perfect for relaxing hangouts with friends and family.
In the end, a successful career pivot isn’t about less stress or less work. It’s about doing work that matters – while building a life that leaves room for the people and passions that lead us on the road back to ourselves.
Whether you’ve built a successful career, pursued a unique passion or gained valuable life lessons along the way, your experiences can inspire fellow Anteaters. We’d love to hear about your journey and share what makes your story uniquely yours.
