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The education of the doctor which goes on after he has his
degree is, after all, the most important part of his education.
John Shaw Billings (1838-1913)
Running a successful private practice can be hard work ! While
medicine can be a very fulfilling profession, one out of every
three doctors reports that medical practice leaves them dissatisfied
because they have too little time for themselves or their
families. Doctors suffer from depression four times as often
as the general population ; and many doctors hate their jobs
and dislike the majority of their patients. While most doctors
acquire a high degree of medical expertise during their long
years of professional training, unfortunately few learn anything
at all about the nuts and bolts of running a practice. While
some have a natural flair for entrepreneurship, many end up
doing badly in real-life.
In fact, many doctors are now quitting practice because of
too much work, too much hassle, too much competition, too
much despair, and too little reimbursement. They are increasingly
feeling the pressure of having to see more patients, do more
in less time, discount their fees, and face more competition.
Like the White Queen in Alice in Wonderland, they find they
are having to work harder just to remain in the same place.
However, working harder (which is often the only solution
most doctors can come up with to cope with this problem) is
not the answer – after all, there are only 24 hours
in a day ! What doctors need to learn is to work smarter,
more efficiently, and more productively—and with less
hassle and more satisfaction. The secret is to learn how to
manage yourself. The problem is that certain skills—especially
time management, knowledge management, and relationship management—are
not taught in medical schools and most doctors have to learn
them the hard way. Unfortunately , the majority never do,
and they fail to live up to their potential, leading lives
of quiet desperation
Like them, do you find that you are fed up of:
- Long energy-exhausting hours and crushing workloads leaving
little or no free time ?
- Demanding dissatisfied patients ?
- Inadequate payment for all your hard work ?
The purpose of this book is to help you find a truly satisfying
way of practicing medicine which would:
- Give you control of your time;
- Allow you to do work which you felt was worthwhile, for
patients that you enjoy seeing; and
- Pay you well for your effort, so that you enjoy going
to work every day.
Many doctors feel they are very productive because they see
patients all day long. However, there is a difference between
being busy-which almost all physicians are these days-and being
productive. This is the difference between inputs, which is
how busy you are, and outputs, which is how productive you are
- and the smart doctor will focus on improving his outputs !
The better your practice fits with what you really want to do,
then the more productive-and happier- you will be.
A hundred years ago , when life was much simpler, the successful
doctor was said to need three things; a top hat to give him
Authority; a paunch to give him Dignity; and piles to give him
an Anxious Expression. Today, a doctor who wants to run a successful
private practice needs to be far more accomplished ! He needs
to be a :
Clinician , who has polished medical skills, a reassuring bedside
manner; and a high personal standard of medical ethics and professionalism;
Academician, who is a constant learner , and keeps upto date;
Manager , who understands the business aspects of running a
profitable clinic, and is knowledgeable about marketing and
networking;
Financial expert, who can manage his money and his investments;
CEO, who understands how to motivate staff and lead people;
Family provider, who is a good father and husband; and a
Self caretaker, who know how to look after himself and fulfill
his personal needs .
While this may seem to be an intimidating list, there are many
techniques which can help you become more successful. While
many of these are based on simple common-sense, this book will
allow you to think about them clearly, so you can apply them
to your own life. The best practice management advice is disarmingly
simply : "Patients are the practice. Everything else is
just paperwork'."
All doctors have a different definition of success. For someone,
it may mean having lots of patients; for others it may mean
a new car every year; others may find it in publishing high
quality papers in academic journals; while others find happiness
in teaching students. There are as many ways of having a successful
private practice as there are doctors, because everyone’s
definition of success is very personal and private. You need
to create your own path, because success is internal , and is
achieved when you reach your own goals. We are privileged to
be doctors – let’s make sure we enjoy doing what
we do, so we can all be happy and successful in our own lives
!
Dr Aniruddha Malpani, MD
Dr Anjali Malpani, MD
Medical Director
Vital Signs, Medical Practise Management Consultants
Bombay. India.
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