Physician Success: Dr. Kimberly Ford’s Plan for a Sustainable TelePsychiatry Career

Dr. Kimberly Ford has loved and been devoted to practicing psychiatry in an acute, inpatient care setting for 20 years — so it may be surprising to learn that she originally wanted to be a veterinarian.

As she recalled in a recent interview about her path to telemedicine: “I don’t think my dad was really a fan of the veterinary medicine. But you know, he supported it.”

Yet caring for animals on a daily basis was not to be. While in undergrad, Dr. Ford started developing a severe allergy — first to cats, then to dogs. She took it as a sign that perhaps veterinary medicine was not for her: “I thought, ‘gosh,’ maybe I’m not on the right path.”

It was then she turned to psychology, taking some classes and sparking a lifelong interest. When it came time to choose between becoming a psychologist and going to medical school to study psychiatry, she chose medical school — perhaps influenced by her father’s having been in family practice, a career he continued in for five decades.

Dr. Ford attended medical school in Miami, Florida, and then completed residency in psychiatry at Harvard in Boston.

She said she had a strong interest in acute mental illness from the beginning, which led her to go into inpatient psychiatry after graduating. Dr. Ford said she enjoyed the team approach to treating patients, working with nurses, social workers, and sometimes psychologists.

She also liked seeing results in her patients: “I like to see things happen and change quickly. I just ended up finding it very rewarding. In a one-week period of time, you can see patients really have some dramatic change and improvement.”

Transitioning to Telemedicine Psychiatry

Dr. Ford was working at a hospital in Pennsylvania when a recruiter from Access TeleCare reached out to see if she would be interested in practicing remotely. She hadn’t previously considered telePsychiatry, but they both agreed it would be a good match. Plus, it came with the added benefit of enabling Dr. Ford to move closer to home, in Savannah, Georgia.

But the transition was not without its challenges. As Dr. Ford explained, there are several factors unique to psychiatry that can contribute to burnout, not the least of which is the continual exposure to serious mental health challenges. Transitioning to a remote practice setting had the potential to add isolation as another factor.

Dr. Ford said she recognized this potential shortly after signing with Access. “It was within the first three months of starting, and I really began feeling somewhat isolated with the telemedicine from home,” she recalled. “I mean, it was great to be at home, but I’d always been on-site, working with a team, seeing patients in person.”

Starting the Physician Success Program

Dr. Ford noticed something else as well: a pervasive misconception in the medical field that physicians could take on everything without needing support. After talking with leadership and in an effort to change this mindset and improve physician wellness, she decided to start a Physician Success program.

It started with what Dr. Ford dubbed the “Shrink Wrap Social,” a forum for other telePsychiatrists in the company to meet online, connect, and share their experiences. Next, she started rolling out a mentorship program, so that new providers being introduced to the company have a guide to help them through the first six months. Dr. Ford and colleagues have also been working on ways to improve scheduling and communication and ensure that physicians have enough rest and recovery time.

These programs have been successful enough that they are now being rolled out in other specialties and being incorporated into the company’s overall wellness initiatives.

A long career

Like her father, Dr. Ford plans to have a long career in medicine.

And though burnout continues to be a frequent and growing topic among the country’s mental health professionals, Dr. Ford has every confidence she will continue to practice psychiatry for decades to come. “I love psychiatry. I mean, I think it’s just it ended up being the path I was supposed to be on,” said Dr. Ford.

Her plan is not exactly to “retire,” but to one day transition to part-time so she can spend more time on the slopes. Her goal? Become a ski instructor in her 70s and 80s, while continuing to practice psychiatry on the side.