I wish that my decision to leave medicine could have been controlled and motivated by simply wanting to help more people. This is far from the case. At the time of my departure, I had no intention of leaving my employer, my position as board member and Medical Staff President of an 8 hospital system or seeing patients in my clinic. I felt that I was walking in my purpose on this earth and was fulfilled. However, through an unbelievable series of events I was catapulted out of the hospital system and found my true purpose.
Throughout my years as an esteemed pediatrician and hospital executive I often get asked why I decided to become a coach. It takes a lot for someone to leave a comfortable satisfying job in healthcare making a 6 figure salary. I spent years as a pediatrician helping families individually even though I often felt like I didn’t have enough time to give the families what they needed, but I did what I could to make the families get what they needed for the sake of their child’s health.
As a board member and President of the Medical Staff, my clinical hours decreased, but I had the ability to help people on a larger scale. Much of my time was spent discovering and finding ways to improve health inequities in a large hospital system. Addressing policy and changing systems helped more people collectively than I could individually in the clinic. I worked to inform physicians about the changes systemically while addressing the health disparities. This by effect multiplied the amount of lives that could be touched.
The day the change started is clearly etched in my mind. I had a meeting with the head hospital attorney whom I had met with many times before for various administrative meetings. I sat down in the glass walled meeting room where he looked at me with an anguished face and told me that I was under investigation. I was being investigated as a woman stated I was inappropriate with her in the exam room while examining her infant son. I felt like I was a vacuum in the sterile office environment. I was stunned, numb and did not know where to turn. I was sent away without any direction since this complaint was now a police matter. This complaint led to my arrest, media frenzy, my medical license suspension, my job loss, my DEA certificate revocation, scrutiny of my board certification, and a trial. While devastated, I was thrown into the fight of my life without warning. I ultimately regained my licenses and certifications back prior to my criminal trial which proved my innocence. However, this experience changed my life forever.
Feeling cast aside, hurt and embarrassed with crushed confidence knowing I had so much to offer the world.”
As I sat at home unemployed, I was told of and had found many stories of physicians who were unfairly treated by any number of systems which ruined their career. I found that my story, although highly dramatic, is not that unusual around the country. There are thousands of physicians that are unfairly punished through the limitations of systems, whether hospital systems, medical boards, or the legal system. Doctors are penalized in a guilty until proven innocent system that can destroy their career and livelihood. This is exactly why I became a career restart coach for these health professionals. I remember what it felt like being cast aside, hurt and embarrassed with crushed confidence knowing I had so much to offer the world. Helping physicians and professionals that have been hurt in these “all or nothing” limited systems allows me to help more people than I ever did clinically or administratively. Helping doctors and health professionals get their career back on track after an assault on their career not only helps the professional and their families but the patients and families that they can continue to impact throughout their remaining career.
If you or someone you know has suffered an assault to their career that changed their life, sign up for a free 30 minute exploratory session with me at this link. Also for a limited time, I am offering a free audio to professionals which gives sound advice that has already helped many physicians at this link. Feel free to share this post to anyone that has been hurt and needs to get their career back on track. Until next time, take care.
