Why are doctors leaving?
DBGE #1: Kermit Fox, MD and MBA candidate
Kermit is a successful doctor in the Cleveland area, but recently he has experienced challenges with the management at his hospital system. Over years of negotiating with executive leadership with no change in sight, Kermit decided to resign from his position in early 2018 to focus on his MBA and family life.
Full disclosure: Kermit is also my brother-in-law and was the first person willing to share his story through DontBeGoodEnough.com (website in progress).
Name
Kermit Fox
https://www.linkedin.com/in/kermit-fox-822343160/
Provide a brief summary of your personal life:
I’m 39 years old. I was born and raised in San Antonio, Texas, and moved to Cleveland, Ohio 11 years ago as part of my medical training. In spite of the cold winters, I have found of home here in the suburbs. I am happily married with two wonderful children aged 2 years and 4 months. My hobbies include swimming, playing the piano, making homemade pizza. I’m a foodie and a cinephile.
What is your current role and/or area of expertise?
I’m pursuing my Executive MBA while developing a startup company in the private sector. Currently I am in the process of interviewing at many different programs across the United States.
What was your previous job and who was your employer?
I was Division Director for Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at a large hospital system in Cleveland. |
Why did you leave your previous job? What was the initiating action?
I am an idea guy, and I enjoy making things more efficient. The tendency to question the status quo led to promotions and ultimately, I was working a full-time clinical job while also attempting to be a full-time administrator. In order to transition out of clinical work and into full-time administration, I needed more education, but I was unable to carve out the time at my work place to pursue an MBA while also maintaining my sanity and having adequate time to spend with my family. In short, it was work-life balance that led to my departure.
Did you have any personal values that were challenged in your previous role?
As our hospital streamlined to become profitable, there were growing pains that affected our staff. We were held accountable with productivity benchmarks and patient satisfaction scores, which in isolation was a good decision (and much overdue).
However, little was done to improve the support system infrastructure, leaving the physicians having to pick up the slack. We were working longer hours, trying to see more patients and field more emails and phone calls while trying to provide “better customer service”. I found myself constantly torn between quality and quantity metrics. Providing the best possible care for any one person would create a great experience for that one person, but I would empty my limited resources of time and energy and some people would not get any service.
I ended up having to ration my care, which felt like a compromise. On a more personal level, if I attempted to expand my capacity to give everyone the best service, I would not be home until late at night and would compromise my role as a husband and father. I wanted to give my best, but constantly had to compromise.
What was your lowest point that caused you to question your current path?
I asked for the hospital to support me financially to finish taking some hospital business courses in preparation for an MBA, and I was told that they could not spare the funds. They were paying me a significantly lower salary than what I could make in the private sector, and I was performing the same work as colleagues in a different department within our institution at reduced compensation.
In the end, money talks, and I realized that they had other priorities than to invest in my future. I was stuck in a position that required far too much work for too little pay and there was no end in sight.
How did you discover what you wanted to do next?
Ironically, it was through my employer, as they sent me to medical leadership classes offered through the American Association for Physician Leadership. I discovered that many physicians were obtaining their MBAs to advance into administrative positions.
I thought I could do the same. But I soon realized that I could be my own administrator and do things privately if I just had more knowledge and experience about business matters.
How hard was it to make the adjustment? Were those around you supportive of the change?
Very hard at first. While I was compensated on the lower end of the spectrum, physician pay is still excellent and it’s hard to give up a well-paying job and have no steady income stream for an unspecified period of time. I needed support from my wife, my family, even my pastors and other friends and mentors.
When I had consensus that this was a good move, and things at work were such that I saw the writing on the wall, I did not hesitate to make the decision.
One very important factor for us was ensuring that we had financial stability for the long haul. I’m fortunate that I have financially stable parents who could support us if we needed it. We’ve arranged our finances that this should not be necessary, as we want to make it on our own, but having a safety net is a wonderful thing and not everyone has that.
The first few weeks after making the decision were hard. I was second-guessing myself constantly. I had given 6 months’ notice at work, which is not unusual for physicians, so I had plenty of opportunity to see what I was giving up and also what I was gaining. It became clear very quickly that I had made the right decision as things continued to degrade at work.
If you could sum up your current outlook on life with one word, what would it be, and why?
Optimistic, because I had daily confirmations that I was making the right decision. Nearly every day at my former job after making the decision to leave I saw situations worsen and I felt like I transition to a life raft just in time. While I didn’t know if where I was heading would be better, I knew that in that moment I had made the best decision for myself and for my family.
Are you happy you made the change?
I’m very happy. My health is improving as my work stress is decreasing. I’m excited about being able to make choices my career that are my own and not merely that of a larger administration. I can spend more time with my family, and they can be involved in these career decisions.
Is there anything you would have done differently in regards to your education, job selection, or career path?
Perhaps I would have gone to MBA school earlier, worked on making connections outside my institution, developed strategies for my career that would succeed independent upon the decisions of senior leadership at my institution.
My mistake was putting all of my time and energy into the immediate situation of my workplace, constantly attempting to put out fires when I had no control over what was causing them. My career was completely at the mercy of my senior leadership, and I didn’t realize that I had limited ability to change their minds from the ground level until I was seven years into my career.
What advice would you give to people who are looking to make a change from a potentially frustrating work situation?
Talk with other people who have been in similar situations. Begin exploring alternatives. Don’t make a snap decision, but give yourself a set period of time to do some research, at least 3–6 months, but no longer than 12 months.
What were the resources that helped you the most in this transition?
Friends in my industry and in other professional industries. Family for sage advice since they know me best.
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
Don’t Be Good Enough was created as a personal blog and resource for individuals making mid-life career changes. It was started to document my own career shift and to interview those that have successfully navigated this transition or are in the process of making the change.
If you would like to share your story, please use the following link(website still in progress).
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
