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

What doctors should learn from taxi drivers

Nneka Unachukwu, MD
Physician
March 27, 2019
Share
Tweet
Share

I love to travel.

Last spring, I found myself on a plane headed for the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. I was on my way to attend a conference in beautiful Rockwall, Texas.

After an uneventful flight, I took my bags, headed for the exit and asked the airport security where the designated space for Uber pick up was. Once I got the information I needed, I whipped out my phone, went to my Uber app and got a ride.

Brenda, a sweet little lady from Peru (she talked quite a bit) drove up to me in her 2017 Nissan Rogue and off we went to my hotel. Sitting in the back seat of her car, it hit me.

I had not been in a taxi in the last five years.

And what makes it worse is that most people are like me.

What happened to the income of those taxi drivers?

What do their families think about Uber and Lyft?

What does the typical profit and loss statement of a taxi company look like now?

You see, times changed and they didn’t. Someone saw the new needs in the marketplace, took advantage of them and disrupted an entire industry.

In the same way, times are changing in the health care industry, and we need to adapt, or we will end up bemoaning our fate just like the taxi industry.

One of the most significant changes is that medicine is no longer just a profession; it is a business.

When I finished residency ten years ago, you could still run a successful practice based on the fact that you are a great clinician. The industry has changed so much since then. In those days, there were hospitals and private practices, and that was pretty much it. Now, for the same patients, there are also urgent care centers, retail clinics, telemedicine companies, clinics run by non-physician providers and the list goes on.  This means beyond being a great clinician; you will have to acquire some solid business skills because, to thrive, you must compete.

The biggest transition physicians must make is going from wearing one hat to wearing two. You are no longer just a physician; you are a physician and an entrepreneur, irrespective of who pays you.

ADVERTISEMENT

In addition to providing excellent medical care, you must also become very proficient at:

  • positioning yourself as the go-to expert
  • marketing
  • negotiation
  • fundamentals in finances
  • building and leading teams
  • creating multiple income streams

As a physician, you have sacrificed a lot to get to where you are. Sometimes, that makes us resistant to learning a whole new skill set.

However, what if I told you that you are one skill set away from what your want: a fulfilling career, financial freedom and time off to do the things that matter to you?

Not sure where to start?

Well, here are a few things you can do.

  • Attend business conferences.
  • Start listening to business based podcasts on your way to work.
  • Hire a business coach.
  • Take massive action with every new principle you learn.

Don’t be like the drivers in the taxi industry. A disruption is already in the works; make sure you end up on the right side of it.

Nneka Unachukwu is a pediatrician and can be reached EntreMD.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com

Prev

Take the naloxone challenge

March 26, 2019 Kevin 0
…
Next

Medical care was never intended to be daily fights against insurance companies

March 27, 2019 Kevin 3
…

Tagged as: Practice Management

Post navigation

< Previous Post
Take the naloxone challenge
Next Post >
Medical care was never intended to be daily fights against insurance companies

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

More by Nneka Unachukwu, MD

  • 5 strategies for private practice success in 2024

    Nneka Unachukwu, MD

Related Posts

  • Doctors die. But the good ones leave a legacy.

    Jaime B. Gerber, MD
  • Why do doctors who hate being doctors still practice?

    Kristin Puhl, MD
  • Doctors: It’s time to unionize

    Thomas D. Guastavino, MD
  • A physician’s addiction to social media

    Amanda Xi, MD
  • When doctors are right

    Sophia Zilber
  • We’re doctors. We signed the book.

    Jonathan Peters, MD

More in Physician

  • The man in seat 11A survived, but why don’t our patients?

    Dr. Vivek Podder
  • When did we start treating our lives like trauma?

    Maureen Gibbons, MD
  • Medicalizing burnout misses the real problem

    Jessie Mahoney, MD
  • Why some doctors age gracefully—and others grow bitter

    Patrick Hudson, MD
  • The hidden incentives driving frivolous malpractice lawsuits

    Howard Smith, MD
  • Mastering medical presentations: Elevating your impact

    Harvey Castro, MD, MBA
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Why removing fluoride from water is a public health disaster

      Steven J. Katz, DDS | Conditions
    • When did we start treating our lives like trauma?

      Maureen Gibbons, MD | Physician
    • When the diagnosis is personal: What my mother’s Alzheimer’s taught me about healing

      Pearl Jones, MD | Conditions
    • 2 hours to decide my future: How the SOAP residency match traps future doctors

      Nicolette V. S. Sewall, MD, MPH | Education
    • Why physician voices matter in the fight against anti-LGBTQ+ legislation [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Why being a physician mom is harder than anyone admits

      Cynthia Chen-Joea, DO, MPH | Physician
  • Past 6 Months

    • Why tracking cognitive load could save doctors and patients

      Hiba Fatima Hamid | Education
    • What the world must learn from the life and death of Hind Rajab

      Saba Qaiser, RN | Conditions
    • The silent toll of ICE raids on U.S. patient care

      Carlin Lockwood | Policy
    • Bureaucracy over care: How the U.S. health care system lost its way

      Kayvan Haddadan, MD | Physician
    • Why we fear being forgotten more than death itself

      Patrick Hudson, MD | Physician
    • Why recovery after illness demands dignity, not suspicion

      Trisza Leann Ray, DO | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • Why physician voices matter in the fight against anti-LGBTQ+ legislation [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • The man in seat 11A survived, but why don’t our patients?

      Dr. Vivek Podder | Physician
    • Why gambling addiction is America’s next health crisis

      Safina Adatia, MD | Conditions
    • When did we start treating our lives like trauma?

      Maureen Gibbons, MD | Physician
    • How robotics are reshaping the future of vascular procedures

      David Fischel | Conditions
    • Medicalizing burnout misses the real problem

      Jessie Mahoney, 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 2 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

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Why removing fluoride from water is a public health disaster

      Steven J. Katz, DDS | Conditions
    • When did we start treating our lives like trauma?

      Maureen Gibbons, MD | Physician
    • When the diagnosis is personal: What my mother’s Alzheimer’s taught me about healing

      Pearl Jones, MD | Conditions
    • 2 hours to decide my future: How the SOAP residency match traps future doctors

      Nicolette V. S. Sewall, MD, MPH | Education
    • Why physician voices matter in the fight against anti-LGBTQ+ legislation [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Why being a physician mom is harder than anyone admits

      Cynthia Chen-Joea, DO, MPH | Physician
  • Past 6 Months

    • Why tracking cognitive load could save doctors and patients

      Hiba Fatima Hamid | Education
    • What the world must learn from the life and death of Hind Rajab

      Saba Qaiser, RN | Conditions
    • The silent toll of ICE raids on U.S. patient care

      Carlin Lockwood | Policy
    • Bureaucracy over care: How the U.S. health care system lost its way

      Kayvan Haddadan, MD | Physician
    • Why we fear being forgotten more than death itself

      Patrick Hudson, MD | Physician
    • Why recovery after illness demands dignity, not suspicion

      Trisza Leann Ray, DO | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • Why physician voices matter in the fight against anti-LGBTQ+ legislation [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • The man in seat 11A survived, but why don’t our patients?

      Dr. Vivek Podder | Physician
    • Why gambling addiction is America’s next health crisis

      Safina Adatia, MD | Conditions
    • When did we start treating our lives like trauma?

      Maureen Gibbons, MD | Physician
    • How robotics are reshaping the future of vascular procedures

      David Fischel | Conditions
    • Medicalizing burnout misses the real problem

      Jessie Mahoney, 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

What doctors should learn from taxi drivers
2 comments

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

Loading Comments...