I am a family physician who entered medicine with the same aspirations that most doctors share…to work in a private practice setting…to provide compassionate care on a continuing basis to patients who would become my friends…to continually learn and keep up with the incredible advances in medicine.
I also had great aspirations of taking extended time off from my practice in order to do volunteer work in mission hospitals, refugee camps, and inner city clinics. With four children, I also wanted to take extended vacations with my family, as well as have plenty of quality time to spend with them on a regular basis.
Although I had built a very successful private group practice, I found myself working far more hours and far harder than I had ever intended. I was making an excellent income but did not have the time off I had always wanted.
But, all that has changed! I now work part-time…whenever I choose…with as much time off each month to do what I always wanted to do. With my flexible part-time schedule, I give much of my time to leading Heart to Heart International, a medical relief organization that ships medicines and organizes medical teams to countries throughout the world.
No, I do not do traditional locum tenens. I am still in private practice, but it is part-time, and my practice happens to be in a small rural community several hundred miles from my home. Along with three other partners, we each work one week per month. We have an apartment in the community and often bring our spouse or children with us the week we work. I see patients by appointment in the clinic, admit and round on patients in the local hospital, and carry a mobile phone for the occasional patient that shows up in the emergency room. And then I leave at the end of the week.
In addition, I fill in my schedule with some shorter shifts each month or I may work a second week. The option is completely up to me how much I will work.
I have all the benefits of a private practice working in a rural community, taking care of a full range of medical problems while practicing a mixture of outpatient, inpatient and ED medicine.
I believe this kind of practice is something in which many physicians are interested. That is why I formed Docs Who Care. I am not looking for physicians that are primarily interested in making lots of money. I am looking for physicians who want a quality lifestyle in which they can invest their time and their lives in making a difference in the world.
If you are that kind of physician, please call our office today at 877-397-7800. We may have the opportunity to allow you to have the best of both worlds.
