Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

Want to practice primary care and be debt free? Here’s how.

Charmaine Chan, DO
Physician
January 30, 2015
Share
Tweet
Share

shutterstock_255158716

A medical student asked to speak to me about a month ago at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, where I am an instructor of family medicine. He has been very active in our school’s Primary Care Scholars program and community health outreach activities. “Dr. Chan,” he said, “I am so torn. I really love primary care, but I am so worried that I won’t be able to get my loans paid off when I’m done.”

Unfortunately, he was not the first student to approach me with this dilemma, nor will he be the last. I am impressed that students are planning ahead for their future, but the truth is that if you spend all this time training for a profession that demands so much of your time and effort, you have to pick a specialty that speaks to your passion. Students only hear about private solo or group practice, employment in a hospital system or academic medicine.  They never get exposed to all the other ultra-fun options that can launch them into a different career path.

As I talked to this particular medical student, I thought back to my first year in medical school, when I accidentally found out about the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) Scholarship. I landed that scholarship and my career took off on the road less traveled. I chose to go to the Navajo Reservation near Shiprock, New Mexico, a half hour from the nearest town, Farmington, and three and a half hours from Albuquerque. I did full spectrum family medicine, worked in a school-based health center, and explored the Southwest in my spare time. I was doing “international” medicine right in the middle of United States! The majority of the elderly patients spoke only Navajo, requiring us to work with interpreters, usually staff who worked at the hospital. Many of our patients drove up to three hours on dirt roads to get to us for care. Some of them still live in hogans — a traditional dwelling made of wood and packed mud — without running water and electricity. Others lived right in Shiprock or worked in Farmington or Albuquerque.

My scholarship paid for medical school, and I got a small stipend during my studies. Once I moved to New Mexico, I received a salary and a state tax credit — meaning part of my salary would not be taxed — for practicing in an underserved area. When I finished paying back the three years of scholarship that I received with three years of working in an underserved community, I could have applied for loan repayment through the state or through NHSC. Both programs pay off a certain portion of your loan for two or three years of work in an underserved area. Many students have the misconception that NHSC places you in the middle of nowhere, but scholars decide where they want to go. Many choose to work in urban areas such as Washington, DC or New Haven, Connecticut. There are many options. The one common thread that connects us is that we are all adventurous people who want to fill a gap in medical care and make a difference in our careers.

Students also don’t understand that choosing primary care does not preclude specializing later. One of my colleagues in family medicine later did a fellowship in OB/GYN so she could do Caesarean sections as a family doctor, and now, she works in Africa and Thailand. Another internal medicine colleague who oversaw our tuberculosis program at Shiprock is now in the middle of her infectious disease fellowship. NHSC sites also love to utilize the strengths and interests of their providers to offer additional services for their population.

My colleagues and I worked together to start an alternative medicine clinic in conjunction with a pain management program at Shiprock. As an osteopathic family physician, I offered osteopathic manipulative treatments (OMT), a type of manual therapy, and my MD colleague did acupuncture. We got rave reviews from our patients and filled a much-needed gap in their health care.

While I was working in Shiprock, I met many clinicians who signed up for the Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, another interesting alternative career. They have the option of working in many federal agencies, including the FDA, NASA, and the Surgeon General’s office. They can continue to work as practicing physicians, or they can choose to enter public policy and population health. Just like in the military, you earn a rank and slowly move up through the years. Benefits are amazing even after you retire.

There is such a current demand for primary care physicians, and the options for careers in primary care are endless. All that is required is a little research. I’m glad to report that I am currently debt free and enjoying my work, teaching family medicine and osteopathic manipulation in a clinic at my alma mater, the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, serving as faculty advisor to student clubs and medical students, establishing connections with the surrounding community, all without financial worries. I think my experience gave the medical student more options to consider and allayed some of his fears of being chained to a financial sinkhole. I hope this helps you as well.

Charmaine Chan is a family physician who blogs at Primary Care Progress.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com

Prev

Kids need more sleep and later school start times

January 30, 2015 Kevin 1
…
Next

The day the music died and how a hospital lost its joy

January 30, 2015 Kevin 2
…

Tagged as: Primary Care

Post navigation

< Previous Post
Kids need more sleep and later school start times
Next Post >
The day the music died and how a hospital lost its joy

ADVERTISEMENT

More in Physician

  • My experiences as an Air Force pediatrician

    Ronald L. Lindsay, MD
  • How diverse nations tackle health care equity

    Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD
  • What is practical wisdom in medicine?

    Sami Sinada, MD
  • A pediatrician’s role in national research

    Ronald L. Lindsay, MD
  • The danger of calling medicine a “calling”

    Santoshi Billakota, MD
  • Physician work-life balance and family

    Francisco M. Torres, MD
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • When language barriers become a medical emergency

      Monzur Morshed, MD and Kaysan Morshed | Physician
    • A doctor’s letter from a federal prison

      L. Joseph Parker, MD | Physician
    • The dangerous racial bias in dermatology AI

      Alex Siauw | Tech
    • A surgeon’s view on RVUs and moral injury

      Rene Loyola, MD | Physician
    • A sibling’s guide to surviving medical school

      Chuka Onuh and Ogechukwu Onuh, MD | Education
    • How to stay safe from back-to-school illnesses

      Kevin King, PhD | Conditions
  • Past 6 Months

    • Rethinking the JUPITER trial and statin safety

      Larry Kaskel, MD | Conditions
    • How one physician redesigned her practice to find joy in primary care again [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • I passed my medical boards at 63. And no, I was not having a midlife crisis.

      Rajeev Khanna, MD | Physician
    • When language barriers become a medical emergency

      Monzur Morshed, MD and Kaysan Morshed | Physician
    • The measure of a doctor, the misery of a patient

      Anonymous | Physician
    • A doctor’s struggle with burnout and boundaries

      Humeira Badsha, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • ChatGPT in medicine: risks, benefits, and safer documentation strategies [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • My experiences as an Air Force pediatrician

      Ronald L. Lindsay, MD | Physician
    • Re-examining the lipid hypothesis and statin use

      Larry Kaskel, MD | Conditions
    • How the internship shortage harms Black students

      Jonathan Lassiter, PhD | Conditions
    • How diverse nations tackle health care equity

      Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD | Physician
    • What is practical wisdom in medicine?

      Sami Sinada, MD | Physician

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

View 4 Comments >

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • When language barriers become a medical emergency

      Monzur Morshed, MD and Kaysan Morshed | Physician
    • A doctor’s letter from a federal prison

      L. Joseph Parker, MD | Physician
    • The dangerous racial bias in dermatology AI

      Alex Siauw | Tech
    • A surgeon’s view on RVUs and moral injury

      Rene Loyola, MD | Physician
    • A sibling’s guide to surviving medical school

      Chuka Onuh and Ogechukwu Onuh, MD | Education
    • How to stay safe from back-to-school illnesses

      Kevin King, PhD | Conditions
  • Past 6 Months

    • Rethinking the JUPITER trial and statin safety

      Larry Kaskel, MD | Conditions
    • How one physician redesigned her practice to find joy in primary care again [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • I passed my medical boards at 63. And no, I was not having a midlife crisis.

      Rajeev Khanna, MD | Physician
    • When language barriers become a medical emergency

      Monzur Morshed, MD and Kaysan Morshed | Physician
    • The measure of a doctor, the misery of a patient

      Anonymous | Physician
    • A doctor’s struggle with burnout and boundaries

      Humeira Badsha, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • ChatGPT in medicine: risks, benefits, and safer documentation strategies [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • My experiences as an Air Force pediatrician

      Ronald L. Lindsay, MD | Physician
    • Re-examining the lipid hypothesis and statin use

      Larry Kaskel, MD | Conditions
    • How the internship shortage harms Black students

      Jonathan Lassiter, PhD | Conditions
    • How diverse nations tackle health care equity

      Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD | Physician
    • What is practical wisdom in medicine?

      Sami Sinada, MD | Physician

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

Want to practice primary care and be debt free? Here’s how.
4 comments

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...