The Color of Atmosphere: One Doctor's Journey In and Out of Medicine

Here's an interesting book that you may want to read this summer: The Color of Atmosphere: One Doctor's Journey In and Out of Medicine


If the medical profession you'd devoted your life to was completely taken over by liability concerns and insurance regulations, would you stay a physician?

I'll be speaking at BioConference Live 2011 about biopharma careers

I'll be speaking at BioConference Live 2011. My session is titled, "Physician careers in the biopharma industry" and it will occur on Wed June 15, 2011 from 2 to 3 pm EDT.

Abstract: As the health care industry undergoes significant changes over the next several years, we can anticipate that more physicians will be eager to leave clinical medicine and pursue careers in the biopharma industry. As a result, it becomes critical for biopharma professionals to recruit the best talent and to prepare new physicians for an industry career in pharmaceutical medicine.

This presentation will reveal physician attitudes and career trends that reflect the transition process as physicians consider careers in the biopharma industry. We will also examine results from recent physician surveys and polls to explore myths and misconceptions that are highly prevalent as physicians prepare for a career transition. Finally, we will explore effective strategies that will help physicians will make a smooth and successful transition into the pharmaceutical industry.

Resources for medical students who did not match this year

If you know any medical students who did not match into a residency program, you may want to point them to the following resources:

Residency Match Day is Today. Didn't Match? Here Are Some Options

 

Residency, board certification, or medical license not required for these non-clinical jobs

 

http://www.NonClinicalJobs.com/

 

Society of Physicians with Non-Clinical Careers

Members of the NonClinicalJobs.com membership network have created a new society called the  Society of Physicians with Non-Clinical Careers.  The short version is: SPNCC.

Membership is free and is open to physicians, medical students, and other health care professionals and scientists (non-physicians may join as affiliate members).  Currently, the vast majority of our membership represents physicians, residents, and medical students.

To join, visit: http://members.nonclinicaljobs.com/

More docs interested in leaving clinical medicine

The other night, I attended a social function and I was in a room full of over 70 physicians who were seriously interested in finding an alternative physician career.   Some of these physicians found out about the Executive Health Resources (EHR) event through my site NonClinicalJobs.com.

Why do you think physicians are choosing to leave clinical medicine? Is it burnout or stress?  Some may be interested in different compensation models. Others may want a better work/life balance. There are so many different reasons why physicians may choose to leave clinical medicine and pursue alternative medical careers.  A large percentage of physicians don't know what they could do if they were to leave clinical medicine. These are the ones who frequently benefit from some professional career coaching.

If you're thinking about a career change or if you're interested in part-time opportunities where you can generate supplemental income, then you'll find some valuable information on NonClinicalJobs.com.

Being married to a physician

I'm married to a practicing family physician. Given that I have a non-clinical career, my life is quite different compared to her life. I don't see patients. I don't write prescriptions. I don't answer phone calls in the middle of the night. I don't make home visits. I don't need to round in the hospital. I don't worry about malpractice. I don't deal with insurance companies. I don't need to tell anyone they have cancer. I don't need to worry about misdiagnosis. I don't need to think about drug-drug interactions. I don't need to perform bedside procedures. I don't need to solve medical mysteries. I don't need to worry about how the new health care reform bill will impact my practice. I don't need to think about cash or concierge practice models. I don't need to select an electronic health record. I don't need to worry about "meaningful use" and the HITECH Act.

However, since she gets to do all those things, I get to still be a part of that side of clinical medicine. In some ways, it almost feels like I never left the patient's bedside. That's life when you're married to a physician.

Health Reform May Lead to Significant Reduction in Physician Workforce

According to a survey conducted by the Medicus Firm,  "Health Reform May Lead to Significant Reduction in Physician Workforce." This isn't that surprising, is it? Maybe the bigger question is, why?

Here are some relevant snippets from the survey report:

• Nearly one-third of physicians responding to the survey indicated that they will want to leave medical practice after health reform is implemented.
• “What many people may not realize is that health reform could impact physician supply in such a way that the quality of health care could suffer,” said Steve Marsh, managing partner at The Medicus Firm in Dallas. “The reality is that there may not be enough doctors to provide quality medical care to the millions of newly insured patients.”
• Based on the survey results, health reform could, over time, prove to be counterproductive, in that it could decrease patients’ access to medical care while the objective is to improve access.
• Doctors want change, but only 28.7 percent of physicians responded in favor of a public option as part of health reform.
• An overwhelming 63 percent of physicians prefer a more gradual, targeted approach to health reform, as opposed to one sweeping overhaul. 

If you know any physicians looking to leave or quit medicine, refer them to: http://www.nonclinicaljobs.com/

Actually, I think it would be more important to encourage physicians to stay in medicine and to care for all these people who used to lack insurance. Don't switch to a cash practice or a concierge model, because then we'll end up where we started.

To read the report about the physician survey titled, "Physician Survey: Health Reform’s Impact on Physician Supply and Quality of Medical Care," click here.

Is being a medical doctor still desirable?

This is the "Sermo Pick" for the day. This question has a few hundred responses so far. What do you think most physicians are saying? Do they think that being a medical doctor is still desirable? This question implies that it used to be desirable at one point, but have things changed so much that it's no longer desirable?

The sad reality is that a significant proportion of physicians are saying that it's no longer desirable to practice medicine. Some of these individuals end up on sites like NonClinicalJobs.com to look for career alternatives.

Sermo is a great resource for physicians who wish to discuss anything and everything with other physicians.

Discussing Health IT Jobs at NonClinicalJobs.com

There is a growing interest in Health IT jobs among physicians. Therefore, this month (January), I've decided to focus on the topic of health information technology on my site http://www.nonclinicaljobs.com, so I hope you'll find some useful information about health IT.

This topic is also being discussed within the "FORUM" section of our social network "Non-Clinical Healthcare Professionals" (http://members.nonclinicaljobs.com)

Physicians are burning out

Busy physicians are burning out because they are working very hard to see many patients and many are getting discouraged. Those who are working in a cash-only practice are probably experiencing less burnout. Those in concierge/boutique practices are also enjoying a healthier work/life balance. However, for the majority of physicians who are dealing with insurance companies and high volumes of patients, they are experiencing burnout and they're looking for a change.

Over the past six months, many physicians have approached me to learn more about non-clinical career opportunities because they want to leave clinical medicine. It's quite unfortunate to see so many physicians disheartened by the practice of medicine. We need good physicians to serve the public. We need capable and willing physicians who will accept Medicare and Medicaid.

What's going to happen in the setting of health care reform? We're going to have more patients out there who will demand medical care, but we'll have fewer physicians in the workforce.

More physicians practicing medicine in prisons

There's an interesting article on CNN by Parija B. Kavilanz titled, "Jailhouse docs choose inmates over insurance." The articles talks about how more and more physicians are choosing to practice medicine in prisons. Here's a snippet:

Better pay, better hours, retirement benefits and free malpractice insurance are just a few of the reasons why physicians are picking prisoners over civilian patients.

I agree that more physicians are being motivated to look for alternative ways to practice medicine. Some are moving to cash-only models. Others are adopting a concierge practice. Many physicians are simply leaving medicine to look for non-clinical jobs.

What will happen to this shuffle as our nation prepares for some significant health care reform changes? Will we see even more physicians drop Medicare and Medicaid? Will more physicians choose not to deal with insurance companies? Will cash-only become the new standard for outpatient medicine?

Medical Fusion Conference this weekend

This weekend is the Medical Fusion Conference in Las Vegas. I want to wish Greg and the team the very best as they hold this event. The topic of physician career change is really popular these days and this conference will be a powerful resource for those physicians who are seeking alternative career paths and non-clinical options.

I'd love to hear your stories from the weekend, so please don't hesitate to send me a Tweet or e-mail. Maybe we could even chat on the phone and I may share your story (de-identifying any personal information).

To learn more about the Medical Fusion Conference, visit: https://www.medfusionconf.org

How will health care reform impact your job satisfaction?

If you're a health care professional involved in direct patient care, how will the proposed health care reform impact your level of job satisfaction? My wife is a primary care physician and we often talk about how a reformed health care system would impact her practice. Would you be more inclined to leave clinical medicine to pursue a non-clinical career?

I have met so many disgruntled physicians who feel "trapped" by their career. They can't imaging doing anything else. They don't know how they can make a career transition and they can't afford to take huge risks.

How closely are you following the discussion on health care reform? Even if you hate politics, it's very important to understand what's being proposed. It's not just about Medicare or the Public Option. It's not just about managed care companies and denied coverage. Perhaps all the recent discussions have renewed your writing passions as you draft letters to your senators. Perhaps you've recognized that you have a passion for health policy and politics. Maybe you're seeing the forest instead of the trees and you're planning to pursue a career in public health.

I've noticed that I can't see the trees anymore. For me, it's mostly about the forest. Blame that on my MPH. When we compare population health against individual health, we can't deny that our nation needs a new health care system. I just don't know that we've identified the right way to approach this problem yet.

Grand Rounds is at NonClinicalJobs.com

This week, I'm hosting Grand Rounds at my other blog (NonClinicalJobs.com). I hope you'll enjoy this Grand Rounds that highlights various non-clinical areas in the world of health care.

The CME profession

I work in the CME (continuing medical education) industry. We have seen some considerable changes in this industry over the past several years, and now we're seeing this type of shift: CME professionals are moving out of CME

To read more, I encourage you to visit my other site (http://www.nonclinicaljobs.com/) where I describe why some CME professionals are moving out of CME.

Is there a growing interest in non-clinical careers among physicians

In my other blog (http://www.nonclinicaljobs.com), I write exclusively about non-clinical career opportunities for physicians and other healthcare professionals. Recently, I have noticed a significant increase in traffic to http://www.nonclinicaljobs.com directed from Internet search engines such as Google, Yahoo, and Bing. People are typing "non clinical physician jobs" into search engines and they are ending up on my site. This trend makes me wonder: are more physicians searching for non-clinical jobs these days? Are all these debates and discussions regarding health care reform causing physicians to re-consider their "calling" into medicine? Perhaps they wish to stay connected with the science of medicine but maybe they wish to get out of direct patient care. Maybe physicians are exploring their options and developing contingency plans. After all, they may not wish to practice medicine in the setting of reformed health care (although some are reforming their own practice by converting to concierge medicine - which is also often called boutique medicine).

Our nation already faces a shortage of physicians (some may argue this point), but there's no doubt that certain areas of this country have a significant lack of healthcare providers. What will happen if more physicians decide to leave clinical medicine to pursue non-clinical careers?

Former residents suing hospitals

There are two recent stories that may be interesting to you if you're going through residency, or if you're recently survived the toils of residency: (these are snippets from the actual stories)

1. Dr. Claudine Nigro is suing Dr. Francis X. Dennehy of Front Royal for breach of contract, defamation and emotional distress, according to papers filed Aug. 3 in U.S. District Court in Harrisonburg. The Appalachian Osteopathic Postgraduate Training Institute, Warren Memorial Hospital, Valley Health System and Virginia Commonwealth University Medical College of Virginia also are named as defendants in the suit. The suit claims that all defendants unlawfully refused to allow Nigro to progress to the residency program's second year. Read about this case here.
   
2. A former surgical resident (Dr. Oscar K. Serrano) is suing the Johns Hopkins Hospital for $24 million, alleging he was unlawfully fired and then defamed after he accused officials of trying to cover up problems with the residency program. Serrano is also suing Dr. Pamela A. Lipsett, director of the general surgery residency program, and Dr. Julie Ann Freischlag, chief of surgery, among other individuals. Serrano’s superiors told their colleagues and other hospitals Serrano was let go because of mental health problems, a charge denied in Serrano’s lawsuit and by his lawyer. Serrano, 30, was in the third year of his eight-year joint general surgery residency and Ph.D. program at Hopkins when he was fired. Read about this case here.
   

I don't know any of the people involved in these cases, but I think it's very unfortunate to see these types of things happening in the medical field. I'll be curious to see how things turn out for all the parties. Perhaps they will end up pursuing non-clinical physician careers. I could probably help them with that.

The Medical Fusion conference

Are you a physician interested in career change or opportunities in non-clinical careers? Are you frustrated with your medical career and interested in learning about career options for medical professionals? Do you wonder what else you could be doing with your medical training?

The Medical Fusion conference (www.MedFusionConf.org) is a new event that is focused on physician career change. Experts from around the country have been recruited to teach on non-clinical jobs, physician entrepreneurship, venture capital, medical journalism, medical informatics, and opportunities for physicians in the pharmaceutical industry, law, and television.

This life-changing event will take place November 13-15, 2009 at the Wynn Las Vegas. Participants will receive a special room rate at the Wynn for $199 per night and tuition is only $599 for twenty hours of lecture, much lower than many CME events. Register online as a reader of this blog and enter the code "JKBLOG" to receive a $25 discount.

Why continue the frustration? Learn how to use your talents and training in new and interesting ways. Be taught by physicians who have successfully bridged the gap between clinical and non-clinical careers such as:

• Dr. Michael VanRooyen, Co-Director of the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative and co-founder of four start-up companies
• Dr. Mike Woo-Ming, former Family Physician who retired from clinical medicine at age 35 and now runs many successful internet marketing companies
• Dr. Julie Silver, Chief Editor of Books at Harvard Health Publications and author of 14 books
• Dr. Ken Kamler, surgeon and best-selling author who is a consultant for the Discovery Channel and columnist for National Geographic Adventure
• Dr. Joe Smith, Vice President of Emerging Technology at Johnson & Johnson
• Dr. Mark Crockett, expert in medical informatics and President of the Emergency Care Division of Picis
• Dr. Mark Kroll, medical device inventor and expert in medical technology

Come to Vegas in November and learn from the best. Visit the Medical Fusion conference website at www.MedFusionConf.org and see why so many physicians are turning to Medical Fusion to begin their new careers. Make this event your first step to a new and exciting career change. Register online as a reader of this blog and enter the code "JKBLOG" to receive a $25 discount.

The early registration tuition rate for Medical Fusion ends on September 15th. After September 15th the tuition goes up to $799 for physicians and $649 for non-physicians.

Top posts in July 2009 on Medicine and Technology

July was a really busy month on MedicineandTechnology.com and I saw some serious peaks in traffic because I hosted Grand Rounds and because my Facebook account got hacked. Never give anyone money on Facebook.

The top referring websites for this month were 1) Medscape (thanks to Colin for the article), 2) Twitter (thanks to my 17,000+ followers), 3) Pajamas Media (thanks to Glenn Reynolds AKA Instapundit for telling people about Grand Rounds), and 4) CNN (thanks to Sphere, my blog posts often appear at the bottom of health-related CNN articles).

Here were the top posts for July:

1. Grand Rounds July 14, 2009: Technology and Healthcare

2. Is Canada's health system better?

3. Jobs for Physicians with No Residency Experience

4. Things are getting ugly between Sermo and the AMA

5. Non-Clinical Medical Opportunities for Physicians and Other Clinicians

6. Medical treatment based on the color of your skin

7. CNBC debate between Gov Dean and Sermo

8. Fake NASA moon landings?

9. After Obama's speech last night, will more physicians look for non-clinical careers?

10. My Facebook account got hacked!

In July, so much traffic came from referring sites so search engines only represented 13% of my site traffic.

Thanks for featuring me on Medscape

Colin, thanks for writing about me on Medscape. If you'd like to read the story titled, "Not Sure That Medicine Is Right for You? Get Career Tips Here," then click on this link: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/705576

Please note: you'll need to log in to view the article.