In the search of looking for alternative sources of income in the last couple of years, I’ve had somewhat of an existential crisis that I think is worth sharing. As physicians looking for side gigs, we naturally limit the scope of that search to jobs that for the most part capitalize on our MD/DO credential. We have worked so hard for what we have become and the label of being …
What physicians miss when thinking about side gigs
This article is sponsored by Careers by KevinMD.com.
It’s normal to daydream about living a life very different from our own:
We all do it …
Regret medical school? Here are 3 things you can do.
If there’s anything I’ve learned about readers of my site, it’s that you are some of the most accomplished and motivated people on this earth. When I hear about some of the things you’re doing, I’m blown away.
Many of you run a successful practice while also being a dedicated parent and partner. People often ask me how I find time to do it all. However, I’m truly amazed at how some of …
Physicians: It’s time to let go of perfection
Many physicians are looking for alternative sources of income and are looking for ways to diversify their investment portfolio from the volatility of the stock market. Some have heard of real estate syndications, but what exactly is a syndication? For those who have not heard of it, real estate syndications can be an attractive investment vehicle for busy professionals who do not have the time or experience to actively manage …
Real estate syndication 101: a physician’s guide
I’m a graduating fourth-year medical student, and as most physicians know, this has been one of the best years of my life. I just matched into my top choice residency and am one step closer to becoming a primary care sports medicine physician, my dream job. Many of my classmates have capitalized on this time of excitement by making the controversial decision to buy a home before they start residency. I have not. …
I don’t plan to buy a home after medical school. Here are 12 reasons why.
This article is sponsored by Careers by KevinMD.com.
Even the best of careers must end sometime. Sure, most doctors look forward to retirement, but not every retired physician wants to sit back collecting sea-shells for the rest of his or her life. Whether driven by financial constraints or by that persistent longing to change the world, any physician …
Best jobs for retired physicians: What are the options?
Three years ago, I received a letter in the mail informing me that my driver’s license would be expiring. Almost immediately, I felt a sense of dread because I knew I would have to go to the DMV to renew my license. As a full-time, practicing orthopedic surgeon, running daytime errands isn’t exactly something I like to do, or better yet, have the time to do.
However, along with the DMV …
Surprise! Health care can learn a lot from the DMV
“Seriously, do you often/very often reflect on how your work helps make the world a better place?”
I was recently involved in an email exchange with a colleague when she sent me this line. We will get to the answer to that question at the end. I was disappointed, but not surprised because until about three years ago, I probably would have answered, “No.” However, I have had a paradigm shift …
How physicians can find meaning in their work
If you think you are the only one being threatened by the chief medical officer (CMO) and/or the medical executive committee (MEC) think again.
If you’re thinking it is going to get better or that they have your best interests in mind, also think again.
You are in an unfortunate and common situation happening throughout the country. If you have been called into an abrupt and unannounced meeting and been told to …
Don’t sign anything: Advice when hospital administration has you against the wall
Physicians are leaving medicine due to being physically and mentally exhausted. Most tragically, the United States loses one physician a day to suicide — an astronomical number. Physician burnout is a crisis that has been brewing in medicine for years. Administrative tasks, long hours, EHRs and a complete lack of work-life balance are all contributing factors of burnout.
Burnout affects almost half of physicians and is …
How physicians can burn in, not burn out
“Happiness is when what you think, what you say and what you do are in harmony.”
– Mahatma Gandhi
Burnout among physicians is at an epidemic proportion. National data suggests that more than 50 percent of our workforce is burned out, and this trend has been across the board from physicians in training to practicing physicians. Some of the specialties are more affected than others. Repercussions of provider burnout on health care …
Fixing burnout among hospitalists is a leadership challenge
Recently the CEO of a large health care network stated: “Market forces don’t apply to health care.”
Of course, economic and political forces apply to health care. Big Medicine’s most powerful entities (insurers, hospitals, medical schools, pharmaceutical companies, pharmacies, and government agencies) formulate health care policy to enrich themselves at the expense of patients and small, independent medical practices.
As an independent family doctor, my practice’s existence is in jeopardy. Small physician …
How Big Medicine is hurting patients and putting small practices out of business
Twenty years of defending doctors and hospitals in medical malpractice cases has made me into a nervous patient. When you see the worst, you look for it. At least I do. That’s why when I was scheduled for a minor elective procedure, I was nervous. I set aside the day, canceling all of my depositions and planning to spend the day on emails and phone calls. My specialist’s office texted …
3 tips from an attorney to avoid a medical malpractice lawsuit
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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 …
What doctors should learn from taxi drivers
“The patient-clinician relationship is dead.” Those of us in health care hear this refrain constantly these days, coming at us from all angles. We feel it in the wall that goes up when we turn from our patients to our computer screens. We infer it in administrative meetings in which we are told once again to get our numbers up, or when yet another physician is let go, technically “without …
The patient-clinician relationship matters. To all of us.
“Why did you wait to schedule this meeting until September, why not July or August?” Candidly, I replied, “I have a family and being on nights, spending those 90 minutes with them a day is very important to me.” It was then, behind closed doors, in an office where he held all of the power that he said: “You know, I don’t think women with families make as good of …
In medicine, maternal discrimination is real
There comes a time in a doctor’s medical career when the demands of caring for patients are too much. To survive medicine, doctors put on armor so we can go into the battlefield of medicine and do the work we do. The armor is the walls and barriers we erect to maintain a safe distance from all that comes at us in the line of duty. Our armor may take …
3 ways your emotional armor is ruining your medical career
Mindfulness, my own personal word-of-the-decade, is the polar opposite of multitasking, which is not at all what it sounds like. Despite popular opinion, multitasking does not help you to get a whole bunch of different things done all at once. When you multitask, what you actually do is to switch your attention incessantly from one focus to another, giving none your full consideration. To multitask is to invest heavily in …
The antidote to multitasking is mindfulness
When my husband and I started parenting, our only explicit goal was to keep our son alive and healthy and growing. We read many of the usual books about pregnancy and the early childhood years. We did not read any literature on equal parenting. At that time there wasn’t any. In fact, if you had been in our apartment one July morning in 2007, you might have wondered if anyone …
Residency and the path to equal parenting
This article is sponsored by Careers by KevinMD.com.
We live in a time when social media isn’t just about sharing pictures or ideas with a close circle of friends and family. Between our Facebook statuses, our Twitter profiles and especially our LinkedIn pages, we are always public, all the time — no matter what your privacy settings may have you believe.
For …
How social media can help or hurt your health care career
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