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In this week’s podcast episode, John addresses this question: Even if I’m burned out and frustrated, are there ways to stay in clinical medicine while achieving balance, satisfaction, and enjoyment? During this presentation, he discusses the following 5 options for remaining in clinical practice.
Take another stab at addressing the circumstances leading to dissatisfaction by aggressively renegotiating your employment contract. Review your contract and identify the major issues causing your frustration. Develop a strategy for renegotiating those issues with your attorney. These typically involve vacation time and covering for others’ vacations, work hours, salary, restrictive covenants, and inadequate pay for collaborating with midlevel providers.
If you’re looking for a new job, consider engaging an agent to represent you in contract negotiations with a new employer, often at no cost to you.
Start a new practice or join one that does not bill insurance companies. Direct Primary Care and Concierge practices, and narrow-focused practices often enable the physicians to work on cash-only, fee-for-service, or membership models, and to create a better lifestyle and income.
Almost any of us could start or transition to a narrow focused practice. John’s colleague was a full-time general pediatrician who transitioned to caring solely for patients with attention deficit disorder. He uses standard protocols for evaluation and management, and is an expert at billing for these services. He reduced his staff and overhead and his satisfaction and income have improved.
Finally, for those who want to achieve many of the above advantages, and others, without starting a practice, working as a micro-corporation may be a great choice. Incorporating and working as an independent contractor for a large group or hospital system provides more tax benefits, flexible investment opportunities, and off-loading the expenses for rent and staffing.
You'll find links mentioned in the episode at nonclinicalphysicians.com/save-your-career/