Dr. T  0:00  
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. They have chosen this path with a love of medicine. This is the direct care way. 

Dr. T  0:24  
By listening to this podcast, you may even start to believe that you too can have a successful direct care practice. Come listen with an open mind as I share my personal journey and how I pivoted from an insurance based practice to direct care right in the middle of the 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. T  0:52  
Hey there, welcome to another episode, I have so much to give thanks for. So when this episode gets published, it'll be two days before Thanksgiving. And I'm really excited to share with you what I'm thankful for. And I hope you take the time to also think about what you're thankful for. And not to take things for granted. I think when we're so busy in our medical practices, we tend to forget a lot about ourselves, and taking care of our own bodies and our own minds. So what I have to be thankful for this year is the freedom to practice medicine, the way that I want to, with the mind that I have, I have a healthy mind, that allows me to think about things in a consistent manner, in a productive manner. 

Dr. T  1:39  
And I'm really grateful for that freedom, you may not understand or really see how valuable your mind is until you start to have disease, you start to be more forgetful, you start to have inner conflict, anxiety and things like that. And it's not to say I never have those experiences actually did just last month, I had a major meltdown. So I had my husband take my daughter out on a trip, so that I can stay home and cry by myself for three days. And I'm pretty sure I didn't burn more than 50 calories. In those days, I just woke up, brush my teeth, ate some food laid on the couch. And that was it. And then I had a pity party for myself, of course. And it's so timely because my calendar, I have this daily calendar that I think is really fantastic. I'm trying this thing where I'm working on a calendar for my daily task, there was this quote that's in there that says breakdowns can create breakthroughs, things fall apart. 

Dr. T  2:40  
So things can fall together. I just really love that, because I felt I was really close to giving up. Listen, I'm here talking about my experiences of having my direct care practice how to sustain it. And I'm sharing with you all of the things in here I am going through my own meltdown. All by myself, now I'm the type of person I wonder if you're like that, but I'm the type of person who does better. by resolving my own issues by myself, I have a really difficult time kind of sharing that with other people, I feel most resolved when I can sit quietly in my own space in my own mind. And then just kind of letting it go through the motions, my emotions and all of that. So I had the freedom to do that. I'm incredibly thankful for a supportive husband who understands that my isolation is actually therapy for me. 

Dr. T  3:35  
And so I got through that. And then the following week, I went on to a business retreat again, apart from my family for another couple of days. You know, these separations have always been difficult for me, especially now that I have a four year old. I remember back in 2019 knows 2018 When I had my daughter in the same year, I was just opening my private practice. So I went out on another business retreat. And I had left her behind for two nights. And I remember going to my hotel room, just crying because I missed her so much. She was only five, six months old. And I really didn't want to be apart from her. But I also knew I needed to develop these business skills so that I can have a long sustaining practice for years to come. I knew the first couple of years upfront was going to be incredibly challenging, because I'm moving out of the associate position into an ownership position. And those require very different skills. And I was determined to develop the skills because I knew that that was what was deficient for me. 

Dr. T  4:42  
So anyway, as time goes on, and I see all this really amazing conferences go on but I just couldn't. I couldn't see it in myself to continue to invest in myself and leaving my family. I just have this huge attachment to being with my my daughter. Every single night, it might be your first mom thing I don't know. But now she is four years old, she's a lot more independent. And she really does enjoy her friends. She loves her dad. And I felt it was just the right time to do something for myself without guilt. So when I go to these conferences, I had a lot of guilt. I was like, Is this selfish for me to do this thing for my own brain, and to be apart from my family? Or can I just look at this as an investment of a short period of time, and then I'll be right back in her arms, you know, letting laying right next to her. And this year was very different, because this is the first year that I am completely cash. 

Dr. T  5:41  
And as you know, or not know, it's been a long process, pivoting out of insurance based practices, having to let go of insurances informing patients of the changes, I moved locations, there is just a lot going on in the last two years. And so this last business retreat, I felt like I was at the bottoms, the depths of despair, I was like, this is going to be the last event that I do. Leaving my family investing in myself, it was a hefty sum of money as well, as it normally is, because you know, it's considered an investment. And you know what, I'm really glad that I did it. I was in a room full of other physician entrepreneurs, who made six, seven figures easily in their businesses. And I was like, the only way that I can reach my own financial goal is to be around people who are actually doing it. I don't know, if it was just a light bulb for me, I remember back in residency, I was surrounded by people who would complain about private practice, who were all saying, Oh, you're gonna end up being employed. That's what everybody wants to do private practices dead. You know, it's so much paperwork. It's such a headache. Nobody likes the administrative burdens of being the office manager, and HR and all those things. 

Dr. T  7:01  
And I just remember how much people were complaining about private practice. So for a long time, I didn't think that was really a good option for me, until I went through it until I was an employee until I saw some of the things that I had no control over, that just drove me insane. Some of those things, were like hiring staff and training staff. It was unbelievable. Some places will retain toxic staff, because it was easier than hiring and training new staff.

Dr. T  7:33  
I just that just blew my mind that business owners will accept that situation because they think the alternative is way worse. And I encountered a couple of staff members where I was just like, can we just get on the same page? And can we just write out our protocols? And can we just do the things collaboratively so that patients have a positive experience, rather than feeling the tension in the air because one person doesn't get along with another person. And it's just constant bickering back and forth behind their backs in front of their faces, you know, all of that. And, to me, part of the delivery of medical care has a lot to do with the office staff, and the energy flow and the efficiency. And you can tell when an office is inefficient, when you call the office, and people have no idea how to answer basic questions, you can tell that the training is just not to par. 

Dr. T  8:28  
So that was really important to me. And that was kind of the push for me to go into private practice. Because I wanted that control. I thought I was really good. I thought I would be a really good business owner. And I was like, I really want to create a positive environment where everybody shows up and just loves the environment. They feel good about their contributions, they get rewarded for that, rather than punished. They actually get along with each other. That's what I wanted. So I had that for a short period. And then I you know, downsized a director model. And I was like, I actually don't need a lot more staff anymore. How funny is that? Right? So anyway, what I wanted to say in all of this is really, I want to thank you for allowing me to be with you, in your journey, wherever you are. 

Dr. T  9:17  
Maybe you're a student or pre med, maybe you're in training, contemplating what life is like in private practice in a direct care model. Maybe you're in an employment situation where you just feel like it's just not for you. So what else is there? Or maybe you are in an employed situation in the hospital practice? I don't know I need to just kind of wondering what the world is like on the other side. Is the grass really greener on the other side? And if you listen to me this far, the answer is always yes, of course. The grass is greener on the direct care side. And I say that because I'm living it every day. Every day is an adventure even with drew my meltdowns, my breakdown, you know all of that, but That's not to say that these don't exist in other models, hey, we're human after all of this. But I have to say there is less of it. When you get to control your schedule, when you get to choose the environment, the staff that you hire, the energy that you create all of those things, you know, I can say, I want to have a wellness day for myself, and I can block my schedule at a moment's notice. 

Dr. T  10:27  
And it's not a big deal. I don't have to reschedule 30 people, at most, maybe I rescheduled eight people. So you know, the stress is less is, the bigger your practice is, of course, all of your stresses multiply, because you got to hire more people, you gotta get more stuff, you have to do all these things, you increase your overhead and all of that. And I honestly just don't have the capacity for that. At this stage in my career, I'm completely happy with how things are. I feel like I have everything that I needed. I do always want to reach for more just because hey, why not? We're still living, right? So I will continue to reach for more to improve, to innovate, to inspire all of these things. And I am incredibly thankful that I have the tools to access those things. For things where I'm deficient in like business. I have mentors, I have business coaches, you have podcasts to write. So if you're looking to advance yourself and your own development, you also have access to this as well. Then I share with you that I also have a coaching program. This month is November, the coaching program is closed for November and December, if you're interested, if you're like, yes, I want to get on that bandwagon of crazy folks who are doing direct care, and you want to get the guidance and coaching and doing it safely. 

Dr. T  11:44  
So you're not causing yourself financial harm. I invite you to join my coaching program, where you can be around like minded individuals that will support your craziest ideas. I'm telling you, we are the wild ones. But I will be here to support you if that's what you want. So I am incredibly thankful that I get the opportunity to share my experiences with you. And I hope you take a moment to share your gratitude to what you're thankful for as well this Thanksgiving holiday. And with that, I'm wishing you a very safe holiday, and I will catch you next week. Take care. 

Dr. T  12:18  
Thank you so much for being here with me. 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 find my info in the show notes and send me your questions. That might be the topic for future episodes. 

Dr. T  12:37  
And lastly, if you remember nothing else, remember this be the energy you want to attract. See you next time