My birthday reflections

Dr. Tea  0:01  
Owners of a direct care practice are more likely to experience higher job satisfaction than the insurance based practice. And it's no wonder why direct care is independent of insurance. Patients pay the doctor directly for their expertise. The doctor gets full autonomy in how they care for patients and how they get paid. We've chosen this path for the love of medicine. This is the direct care way. 

Dr. Tea  0:26  
By listening to this podcast, you may even start to believe you too can have a successful direct care practice. Come listen with an open mind. As I share my personal journey on how I pivoted from an insurance based practice to direct care, right in the middle of a pandemic. And the valuable lessons along the way. This podcast may be the very thing you need to revitalize your medical practice. I'm your host owner of a direct care podiatry practice, Dr. Tea Nguyen.

Dr. Tea  0:55  
It's still July. It's like mid July, it's right after my birthday. So this episode is going to be really special. It's being recorded right after my birthday weekend. And it this birthday weekend, I've had a lot of time to reflect on how far I've gone, where I've been my obstacles. And I felt it was worthy of sharing with you. Because we all know life is not linear. It's not perfect. It doesn't always go the way we plan it. And sometimes we just need to be told that that's okay, that that's how it was intended to be. Because what if life was perfect? What if things were down to the fine details exactly how we imagined it to be every single time. If that were the case, we may never learn anything, we may never learn about disappointment, how to bounce back from failure, how to deal with rejection, how to get a thicker skin, how to improve our emotional intelligence, if we never experienced the downfalls and things that are good from life. So this is a journey. Sometimes it feels like a roller coaster. 

Dr. Tea  2:20  
Sometimes it's smooth sailing. But it's your story. Whatever you're experiencing, it is a unique, one of a kind story that you have to tell. And I have my own as well. So reflecting back 20 years ago, I would have been 19 right out of high school. Supposed to be in college, although I missed the boat and understanding that there's an application process involved from going from leaving high school and going to university. So as an immigrant, as a, as a child of immigrants, I was the third of four kids, two of the older siblings did not go to university. So that wasn't even in my imprint of things to do. When I was in high school. My parents came here to the United States in the 80s. Escaping communism. This was post war. So there was a lot of unrest. And everybody was seeking for salvation, for freedom for a better life, better opportunities for the next generation for their children. My parents did just that. So they had to leave behind the life that they need, which meant they didn't advance in their education, but they knew how important it was. And that's why they took that decision to go on a boat to leave their home country and to go on to a new place. 

Dr. Tea  4:01  
The United States they came here not knowing any English. That was during the time where the United States allowed and welcomed immigrants with open arms. It was a beautiful time in this country where there was a lot of immigrants who had a lot to offer. And the United States welcomed us in with that. So I have a lot to be grateful for. So then I wasn't born. I'm a proud Asian American, mostly American from Asian heritage. And I give back by being a doctor by serving my community by helping people who needs help. And that includes people who have foot problems. And that also includes people like you doctors who help other people who have mental health problems. So each night team 20 years ago, if I was told at age 19, this is what my life would have looked like, I would have been a business owner of multiple ventures, I would have had a daughter, I would have been married to somebody. 

Dr. Tea  5:16  
My first love, I would have been blown away, I would have been like, yeah, right, no way. At age 19, I was just entering community college, I was just trying to figure out what college even was like, What was even the point. And at that time, my intelligence level on what the world was, what my life experiences was supposed to be was really shallow. I barely thought ahead for more than a few days, a few weeks, let alone to think about the rest of my career, I was very late on that boat, whereas all my friends, once we left high school, everybody had transferred into university directly, where they had their own path that they figured out for themselves. And I was like, How did I miss this opportunity to do something more with myself. And so I really had a race to pick up the pieces. And to figure out what was going to be my story was I going to be that person who was in perpetual despair, not really knowing what's next kind of just leaning into where the road took me, or was I going to finally decide and create my own destiny, my own future. 

Dr. Tea  6:30  
So age 19, if I was told this was my life, would not have believed it, not a second. But I knew deep down, I wanted to do something that created an impact. So I eventually fell into this space around people who already knew what they wanted. And that was my husband. At the time, he was very clear that he wanted to go into medicine. And me at the time was like, we were just dating. And I was like, wow, that's really ambitious. I don't think I have it in me to do that. I don't think I want to do that, you know, to not have a career until a decade after training, that seems kind of silly to me. And so I kind of cruise through undergrad. And then my last year of undergrad, I found myself in the same situation where I'm just like, Okay, what's next? I got my undergrad degree like, shouldn't job opportunities just be landing on my lap at this point? Don't people want people like me? With an undergraduate degree? I took out a lot of money to get this now what do I do with it? And then the job opportunities, were really meat. 

Dr. Tea  7:48  
I mean, I worked at a pharmaceutical lab pipetting stuff, analyzing stuff under the curve. I don't even know what that means. But you know, like scientific things, as it related to creating compounds that were intended for drug use creation. So I did that. And I don't think I knew much more than what was in front of me, that was my exposure to the world. I thought getting a degree would get me a job, I got a job, but it was barely a little bit more than minimum wage. And I was like, Whoa, I just took out 1000s of dollars of debt, to get this degree, only to get a job that barely paid more than minimum wage. So that was a huge reality check for me. And you may have heard me tell this story, I discovered pediatric medicine at a career fair. It was my last year of undergrad, I spoke with a podiatrist who told me that podiatry was a well balanced career with a steady income. 

Dr. Tea  8:55  
And you can have, you know, you can be a parent, you can be a mom, and all of that. And so he sold me the dream. So I took it and I said that would be really great to reflect back in 10 years that I did do something for myself. And I did become a doctor, you know, a prestigious degree. What well, what was once prestigious these days, it's a little bit of a different story. But back then being a doctor was still considered very high level. It was very prestigious, to do something to dedicate your time for 10 years, plus or minus a couple of years to serve people essentially. So I wanted to have that type of impact in my community and help people in their medical condition. So fast forward to residency fellowship. My first couple of jobs.

Dr. Tea  9:51  
I was I was disappointed. I don't know if you've ever felt this level of disappointment like i i got the degrees i Got the fellowship, I got the letter of recommendations, I bet a lot of really cool people. And then I went out in the real world, which was an employee position. And I was incredibly disappointed. I was like, Why do I have to write so many notes? Why don't have to keep repeating myself? What the hell is a CPT code? Why is it different from an office visit to a telephone visit? Why does it matter the place of service, whether I did the procedure at a hospital or my office. So then I got to understand the world of medicine in a whole different way, in a way that I was never really prepared for. Not in my training, not in fellowship. Because in those times when I was doing my training, we just got a stipend. And we just did the thing, which was focused on being a doctor and getting getting our training under our belt. 

Dr. Tea  10:58  
And that was, that was it. And then reality, swiftly kicked me in the rear and said, there's more to it. And so that put me into 2020. That was just two years ago, where I decided to opt out. So long story short, I could probably probably make the story a whole lot longer. But reflecting back on where I've been, to where I am now, there has been great milestones, and there has been great setbacks. And that is just life. And so when people ask me, What does it take to open a direct care practice, it's very similar. There are some great things that help you move forward. And there are some things that may set you back. But in order to lessen those setbacks, the easier way to do a direct care practice is by learning from someone who's already done it. And because direct care is kind of a new term, there really isn't a footprint, a paved paths that exist. For those in training. 

Dr. Tea  12:11  
This only exists right now, as I'm creating it. And there are people before me who have created their own direct care type of path or concierge medical practice. But it hasn't been unified. It hasn't been community oriented, where it's where there is a pathway to get there. It has kind of been like, pick and choose like a buffet, people did it this way You try it out. And then other people do it that way. And then eventually you create your own plate, you create your own journey. So the intention of what I'm creating here through this podcast is to deliver information that had never existed before. And it could only be created if I had taken the step to do it myself to do the thing that was hard, which was to be uncomfortable to go on a journey that just didn't really exist. 

Dr. Tea  13:05  
And this is a program that I wish I had in the beginnings of my practice. But we can't keep reflecting back and saying I wish I could have done it differently, right? There's a reason I've gone through these experiences. There's a reason why at age 19, I had some hardships, and I continue to have hardships in my life. In residency where I almost got kicked out in my fellowship, where, you know, my my best letter of recommendation was at the absolute worst in my jobs, where I thought I had landed my dream job only to be completely disappointed in how everything was done. And so on. So these ups and downs, you know, peaks and valleys are just an essential part of practice of life. And it's really character building. So if I had sat here and told you everything was perfect, in my direct care practice, that would be a fat lie, because it's not been like that. And what I hadn't been told in the past that I've only discovered on my own is that when you create anything, there is a growth phase. Something as simple as that probably would have saved me a lot of burden. A lot of like, mismatched expectations. So only in doing the work to find your answers. 

Dr. Tea  14:35  
You really understand what it means that there is a growth phase. So if you go into a new venture or direct care practice thinking, you know, how can I do this quickly with very little mistakes. You could certainly improve or shorten that period, that learning phase through a coach through program. But there still is a growth phase. that you have to live through. Because that's the experience that you need to have to really understand what's up ahead. So it's kind of like the analogy had is, you know, we we got our medical degree in four years, because there is a formula to it, there are classes you need to take, there are tests to take. Now, if I told you, anybody can get a medical degree in six months versus four years, what does that really look like? Do you think in six months, you can get the same experience as you can in four years? And that's exactly the same thing. as having a direct care practice, there's going to be a timeframe that is just what it is. That's just the phase of the business that you need to let sit in mature. But can you shorten the time it gets from that? Can you shorten the time where you start it into when you get profitable? Yeah, you do that with a coach, you do that with somebody who's already doing it, there is prep work involved, but there is still going to be a period of time to allow it to grow. 

Dr. Tea  16:16  
Because you can't, no matter what your marketing strategy is, there is no one marketing technique that will put you in front of everybody, all at once. Not radio ads, not Google ads, not Facebook ads. No, because there's a growth to that. First People need to know who you are. And then you need to establish a level of trust a level of rapport. And then people then decide if they want to work with you. So all of that requires growth. So that's what I've been thinking about all weekend, as I am now turning 39 not afraid to show my age. Because with age comes came with a lot of experiences that is worth sharing. Because I didn't have like an older sibling or a parent who told me otherwise. This is how I was taught life was a real life example. My dad took me to a swimming pool. with absolutely no swimming lessons, no floaties nothing. You just go in the water. And you see how it goes. And did I drown? I started. I drowned. And he, he made light of it. He said, Well, that's how you learn how to swim. 

Dr. Tea  17:44  
Yeah, it's, you know, times are different. back then. And it's kind of funny, because I'm gonna say it. Back in my day, you just learned how to do stuff on your own. But this day and age, with so much information and so much technology at our fingertips, we can really shorten some of that learning curve through somebody else. And certainly, we can avoid mistakes when other people have done it. And they've shared it, which that's what I'm doing here on this podcast I'm sharing with you the good and the bad. And everything in between, so that you can be prepared when you are ready to decide to either create your own direct care practice, or uplevel your current practice. I'm here to help you do that. 

Dr. Tea  18:30  
So I hope you enjoy this little reflection I have for you. You know turning 39 It's technically midlife. So yes, I might. Am I having a midlife crisis? Yeah, here I am. But me having a great time doing and exploring? Yeah, I'm still learning, I still have so much more to learn. And I'm so excited that you're here with me to share this journey with. So with that. I think that's it. That's all I have to show today. So Oh, yeah, I wanted to share with you that I created a brand new mini series on how to start your direct care practice. It is. It's like it is a 10.

Dr. Tea  19:14  
You know, you don't need to know how many managers leaders and you're not here for the module. You're here for the lessons, right? So it's going to show you what to expect in your direct your practice if you haven't already started. And I'm going to share with you real life cases of what people pay me for the things that you already do. Things that you already know how to do now the technical part of medicine, you already know how to treat people, you already know how to diagnose them, but I show you how I packaged it in a way where people thought it was a good idea to pay for it. And then the price that they paid for it. 

Dr. Tea  19:44  
And it's not the insurance rate. Let me tell you the insurance rate that's dictated by somebody who doesn't have a medical degree. Yeah, that's all that's gone by the wayside. I'm not doing that. I'm giving my rates, my fees, what I want to be paid for my time and my expertise. He's. So I'll show you how I do that there is a bunch of freebies. Within the modules. There are free PDFs that you can take alongside with you, so that you can create your customized journey and keep it and it keeps you on track. So I hope you check it out, go to my website coaching with t llc.com. The link is in the bio. This was a recording in my car because I got really excited about talking about my birthday week. And yes, I had a fabulous weekend of doing actually did more than I intended to I created this mini series. But I really wanted to be able to share this with you. Every birthday I do something for other people. It's always been a little awkward when it's centered around me. So this is this this year I made this thing for you. So please check it out, share it with their friends. And I'll catch you on next week's episode. Thanks so much for joining. 

Dr. Tea  20:58  
Thank you so much for being here with me today. If you enjoyed this episode and want to hear more, please like, share and subscribe. So more people like you can have access to another way of practicing medicine, that direct care way. Let's connect by my info in the show notes and send me your questions. It might be the topic for future episodes. 

Dr. Tea  21:18  
And lastly, if you remember nothing else, remember this. You are in control of your life. See you next time.