I discussed, among other things, my without cause, abrupt termination by my employer on the October 28, 2023 episode of The Podcast by KevinMD.
I’m grateful to Kim Downey, a fierce advocate for physicians, and Kevin Pho, M.D., for facilitating this important conversation and helping bring it to a larger audience.
Doctors need to know their jobs are not as “secure” as they may think.
We’re indoctrinated in countless ways throughout our training and professional careers. One of the few examples that actually feels positive and encouraging is job stability, but that can created a false sense of security.
Yes, there is a physician shortage, and there will always be somewhere you can practice if you desire.
But that’s where it ends.
Don’t take your job for granted.
Don’t think you’ll be fine as long as you get consistently excellent reviews, have great relationships with your team, close all your charts on time, and check all the compliance boxes.
You’ll likely be fine if you do those 4 things (or, sadly for patients, even just two of them: close charts, check boxes = keep the rev cycle going) as long as you add an important 5th: keep your mouth shut.
I’m not telling you not go get a job, although I do recommend independent practice if it’s right for you.
I’m telling you not to rely completely on your job and not to take it for granted.
Had I not created a stable and strong financial foundation and additional streams of income long prior to my abrupt termination (without cause) by my employer, it would have been even more traumatic for my family and me.
As Vagabond MD said, the hospital will not love you back, and you shouldn’t expect it to.
Take responsibility for yourself. There are plenty of great resources for getting help with that, but you must still take responsibility for yourself.
Shout out to my friends and all around amazing docs, Diana Londoño, MD and Jillian Rigert, DMD, MD, both of whom were also featured in the article “A message of hope for physicians” (KevinMD, written by Kim Downey, 9/17/2023) on which this interview was based.
They graciously deferred the spotlight to me since I had yet to be on the show. 🙏
How are you making yourself and your family more resilient to unexpected and potentially catastrophic events?
