A recent online survey conducted by Medscape on more than 15,000 physicians from 29 specialties revealed that the overall burnout rate is 44%, which is a troubling percentage. This hit home for me because experiencing burnout brought me to rock bottom in 2015. I was working 100 hours a week, always fatigued, and thinking about quitting medicine altogether. The one thing that helped me through it all is getting my money affairs in order, and I believe that this is the best way to prevent and/or combat burnout.
A typical day in 2015 involved waking up at 5am to get my kids ready for daycare, going on my hospital dialysis rounds, followed by clinic, return to my rounds, go home, and dictate notes in my closet while my kids scream for my attention.
Fast forward to today: I work from home as a physician, I have a flexible schedule, and I have non-medical side gigs, including coaching women physicians on their finances, and having a lucrative partnership with a wellness company. Now, I wake up at 6:30am on weekdays (1.5 hours of more sleep, woot!), prepare my kids for school, drop them off and come home.
This is when I do my hour of power, head to my home office, see patients remotely, coach my clients virtually, then pick my kids up after 3pm. I no longer work when my kids get home! Instead, I spend time with them on their homework and after school activities, and we eat dinner together as a family. Occasionally, we even have a dance party (I might enjoy this more than the kids do). All in all, this is my dream schedule, and there is no worry about money in sight.
I was able to transition to this new lifestyle by getting my finances in order, but this came with making adjustments to my career also (I am now in telemedicine). Like myself, a lot of my clients love medicine but they want to practice it differently due to the current environment of traditional medicine. However, many physicians remain in the same lifestyles and positions that burn them out due to the fear of disturbing their cash flow; instead of exploring new and/or other career opportunities.
Imagine having a flexible schedule, time freedom, spending quality time with your kids, and practicing medicine on your own terms without sacrificing your income, or worrying about money? That option is available in 2019. “How?” By getting your finances in check now while you are working (getting savings in order, investing to build wealth, etc), so you can live life on your own terms in the future without worrying about money.
Now, I get to live the life of freedom I never envisioned was possible. Do you want this for yourself? If you are interested in getting your money right so you can practice medicine and live life on your own terms, I can help. click this link to book a complimentary breakthrough money coaching consultation.
