The medical-industrial complex: Why physicians shouldn’t expect wealth Curtis G.Breaking down the link between social rejection and Black women’s health outcomes Melody T.Breaking point: the 5 reasons American doctors are dreaming of walking away from medicine Amol Shrikhande, MD | Physician.And I regret the lost connections I could have had with them. The thing is, I have THREE kids, and my older two are out of the house and will never get to experience THAT version of me. I never miss a single event and can’t remember the last time my dinner conversation was interrupted by a patient call. I get to see her face and know how her day was. I drive my youngest daughter to school every day and am there when she gets home most days. I have much more time for my family and my passions. My practice has become more like Amazon than Etsy, and I regret the lost personal connections I had with patients.īut at 51 years old, my life has become more like Etsy than Amazon. I still see patients three days a week, but I don’t go to the hospital anymore and very rarely take call. Now, our patients get what they need more often from people other than me. Running over to the hospital meant missing recitals, T-ball games, and family gatherings. I was a young solo practitioner with small kids, and taking those patient calls interrupted dinner times. I called them back myself at all hours and did so happily. I saw them in the office and in the hospital. I intended to give every patient exactly what they needed from ME. When I started out, I was like that Etsy artist. Sometimes, I brush them off as “the cost of doing business.” Many times, I find myself questioning my life choices. Hearing these things chips away at me, and I carry those tiny comments around. I thought you were just the name on the door.” People are still kind and appreciative, but they also say things like, “Oh! You ARE real!” or “I’ve gone to your practice for years but have never met you!” or “Huh. If I am recognized in the store or at a restaurant now, it is by the picture on my website or Facebook or Instagram. In the last several years, I have come to spend less time seeing patients myself and more time managing the practice of 20+ clinicians. I felt connected, seen, and like my community chose me for me, not just for my immediate and constant availability.Īs the practice grew, my team grew along with our availability.

Seeing my patients at the grocery store or on the trail or at a restaurant was a treat for me. I knew their stories, medical history, and families. In turn, I knew every single patient intimately. It was just me for five years, and I was the only clinician in the office, on call every night, every weekend, and every holiday. Nearly 19 years ago, when I started my practice, it was more like Etsy than Amazon.

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