practice
What I’ve learned in private practice
By Emily Murphy Full disclosure: I am a private practice surgeon in the truest sense of the term, I am a partner in a six-person group who provides care at a 545-bed hospital almost exclusively. Further disclosure, this was the job I always hoped I would have (in my hometown, with the opportunity to teach medical and physician’s assistant students, with a solid core of senior partners), so I am probably more than a little biased. But two years into practice, I have learned some things that are specific to my experience, but likely translate pretty broadly. Introduce yourself to everyone (as “Dr. So-and-so”) Playground rules apply to surgery too. Play nice in the sandbox. Interact pleasantly with others. Establish that you are Dr. So-and-so. And if it feels uncomfortable to call yourself doctor among peers, say your name and explain that you are a new surgeon with your group....
Getting over the fear of trying something new: My journey into social media
By: Lillian Erdahl Social media is a part of my professional career and identity as a surgeon. Because of this, I spend a fair amount of time both informally and formally discussing professional social media with physicians and other healthcare workers. People view me as an expert and often seek my opinion on how and why to use social media in their careers. They turn to me for advice on how to receive information via various platforms as well as how to disseminate it. It turns out that in order to become an expert at something, you have start as a novice and remember that you never stop learning. Being a novice is a universal human experience. At some point we all had to learn basic things like how to eat or walk. Developing new skills requires taking chances and inevitably failing before we master them. From my experience as...
What is Private Practice Anyway?
Private Practice. Academic Practice. It used to be a straightforward decision as the end of training loomed in the distance. It is a common enough query, a conversation starter as you scrub with your attendings through training—will you pursue an academic career, or are you heading in to private practice? How to decide? What to consider? What does it mean? What used to be a simple fork in the road of a surgical career, with the occasional chance to jump the track from one path to the other, is now much more complex and nuanced than ever. Lines have blurred, the business of medicine has evolved, and this just isn’t so simple any more. Academic practices are increasingly aware and mindful of the business side of medicine; and fewer private practice surgeons are working in the traditional independent solo or small group setting, instead are joining large multispecialty groups or...
