Even if medicine is broken, the fight is far from over.  Let’s fix the medical system together and leave a legacy of medicine being in a better place than where we found it.  Start by starting now and challenge the status quo about physicians and the medical system!

Legacy

Today we are talking about legacy. What does it mean to you? To me, it brings me back to when I was a kid, and my dad would tell me that he has lived a good life but his hope for me as my dad was that I have a better life than he did. That’s really the dream of every dad, right? Parents want to leave their kids in a better position than the one they were in growing up. Everybody has ups and downs in their life, but every parent wants to see their kids grow up to do, and be, better than they were.  I apply this to my kids and my residents, and really anybody I can impact on. Just because I had to go through something doesn’t mean that they should have to also.  This is why I have spent thousands of hours building this business and speaking into the microphone each week…legacy.  The legacy we are leaving the physicians who come behind us.

The Future of Medicine

We have a choice right now. We have a choice to let business continue as usual or we can rise up and challenge the status quo to leave a legacy of medicine being in a better place than when we found it. Which choice will you make? I want to be known for speaking up and standing up to challenge the medical system. I offer coaching, courses, and podcasts to help get you started in your journey to leave a legacy, to change the system, and to become financially free and practice medicine because you want to, not because you don’t have a choice. 

Think about this…would you let your son or daughter become a doctor? Your answer will tell you how you feel about medicine and if you believe the system is broken.  I used to think I was the only one who thought the medical system was broken. Once I realized that I was not the only one, I noticed how many people actually feel the same way. Everywhere it is a common narrative. All of us can picture the broken system, but today I want to paint a different picture and not be all gloom and doom.

I want you to dream for a minute.  Imagine that physicians take back the steering wheel that has been handed to insurance companies, administrators, patient satisfaction metrics. Our future must look different to change the future of medicine! Picture the next generation of physicians finding a fulfilling career where they don’t have to choose between being a good spouse, a good parent, and a good physician. Picture a world where doctors have autonomy and where the hard work really means that they are captain of their own ship, and the hospitals and clinics are forced to respect their other life priorities. Where being a husband or wife, son or daughter, mom or dad, a friend, and a community member are held above their role as a physician. Picture a world where we challenge the status quo and change things for the better. Picture it as reality because it can be!

How do we change the future of medicine?

I firmly believe that we can change the future of medicine, but it will take a lot of work.  The mountain seems insurmountable, but it isn’t…we just need to change the way we battle.  If you look to World War II, the German army created the Blitzkrieg style of warfare. They would hit hard in one spot, overwhelm it, and win. It worked for a few years because it went against the status quo. It didn’t work forever though because the Blitzkrieg became the status quo, the allies adapted to that, and challenged it with the hedgehog tactic. Doctors need to continue to challenge the status quo until the medical system is no longer broken! We need to figure out a different way of thinking so physicians can stop feeling overworked, unappreciated, and undervalued.

Become Empowered

The only way to take back medicine is through physician empowerment. Physicians who feel they can speak up because they have personal and financial freedom need to ‘be the change they want to see in the world’ as Gandhi would say.  Finding that physician empowerment is all about money and mindset. Physicians need to have the financial freedom to say no to things that we don’t agree with and the mindset to make that happen. Money isn’t everything, but it is the tool that lets you do anything. Finding financial security through non-clinical sources of monthly income and paying down monthly payments allows you to have that financial freedom. 

The Future of Medicine Depends on Us

Take back your freedom. Put yourself first as a physician, and a person. Stop feeling like you need to constantly sacrifice your well-being and happiness to continue as a physician. I am not trying to deplete the country of its doctors. I am trying to empower physicians to become financially free so that they can make it better for the doctors that come behind us, and for the ones who currently practice.  You have a choice to stand up and speak out or sit down and shut up. This is your chance to make a difference. 

I want you to think about medicine. I want you to consider the kind of legacy you want to leave. Medicine will continue to break and the physicians in training, who will end up taking care of us, will continue in a system that leads to physician burnout, moral injury, or worse.  I hope you find that empowerment to stand up and join me in the journey.  We deserve it, future physicians deserve it, and our patients deserve it.  Where do you stand?

Subscribe and Share

If you love the show – and want to provide a 5-star review – please go to your podcast player of choice and subscribe, share, and leave a review to help other listeners find The Physician Philosopher Podcast, too!

• itunes
• Spotify
• Google Podcast
• Stitcher
• iHeartRadio
• Podbay

TPP