BOSS Business of Surgery Series

    Hello Surgeons! Do you feel trapped in your job?      Have you thought that it would be possible to determine your schedule- and maybe take a year off?    The latest BOSS podcast episode features Dr. Beth Johnston. She is a general surgeon, and she and her husband, a cardiologist,  have done just that.    She created a schedule that worked for...

The latest BOSS podcast features Dr. Kenneth Cho. He is an interventional radiologist and Army Veteran with significant leadership experience. Once he left the military, he noted the striking difference in the leadership ranges of physicians in the civilian world. If you are struggling at work, you may wonder if it's you, or if there is something bigger going on. He and I discussed some signs...

The latest BOSS podcast features Dr. Brad Block. He is an otolaryngologist and began podcasting nearly 4 years ago to help doctors learn better ways to take care of patients. He realized that as residents, our focus is on the OR, but as attending surgeons we spend most of our time in office hours. He focused on social engineering ideas and found inspiration everywhere including dating po...

The latest podcast features Dr. Sarah Beth Snell, a breast surgical oncologist who has been recognized for her efficiency in clinic. She talks to us about how we can all do better for our patients by improving their experience in clinic. This is especially important for new graduates and those moving to new jobs. Some of the highlights from the episode: -It takes a while to get the team in line wi...

The latest BOSS podcast features Dr.  Sarah Lee-Davisson, a minimally invasive surgeon with excellent advice on getting patients into clinic by supporting our primary care physicians (and APPs in the current environment). We had a great time recording this, and there is pure gold advice for every surgeon in practice.  The top tips: - Take good care of the patients and make the PCP look g...

Healthy boundaries promote empowerment. We are safe to interact with the world. We can be around people and not worry about them manipulating us. We can hold any job, because we can protect ourselves from overworking or being taken advantage of. It is a critical part of negotiating with ourselves and the people around us. Without boundaries, we are a set up for resentment, passive aggressive behav...

The latest BOSS podcast features Dr. Robyn Tiger, a diagnostic radiologist and founder of StressFreeMD. She has been a leader in the field of evidence-based self-care tools and burnout thriver.   “I made my mess my message”   She began her wellness career when after 10 years in practice she had somatic symptoms that no one could figure out- migraines, headache, vertigo, tinnitus, couldn’...

Dr. Riikka Mohorn is a trauma/general surgeon and sudden widow when her husband unexpectedly passed away at 46 years old. Her life was initially all chaos managing her three young children and a general surgery career that she loved. She found help anywhere she could, and although it was difficult, she knew that it had to be possible to manage it all. Over time, she gradually prioritized her life....

The latest BOSS podcast features Dr. Heena Santry, a double-boarded trauma and acute care surgeon and consultant talking about how health care design can help health care equity and prevent moral injury and burnout.    She had two guiding principles as a surgeon: creating a just culture in surgery and advancing health equity. She was excelling along the typical academic track when she re...

Why do we have the same problems but have different outcomes? Why are some people burned out and some people achieving at their highest potential? Coaching involves understanding our thoughts and how they affect our emotions and actions and ultimately the result we get in our lives. Why would a surgeon need a coach? Like an elite athlete, we need someone who can analyze our strengths and weaknesse...

The latest BOSS Business of Surgery Series podcast features Dr. Latifat Akintade, the MoneyfitMD. She coaches women physicians about money so they can burnout less. We had a great talk about how our thoughts and fears about money can hold us back. She had some great insights including:   - Separate the money we make from our value as a human. Money is a thank you for the work that we do, but...

The latest podcast episode features Dr. Jonathan Dort,  the Director of Surgical Education for the Inova Health System and Program Director of the Surgical Residency for the Department of Surgery at the Inova Fairfax Medical Campus.   “I never understood how surgeons had egos, because it is the most continuously humbling business I can imagine being in…”   Dr. Dort left private prac...

The latest BOSS podcast features Bonnie Koo, MD!   We talked about the entrepreneur journey, coaching, the importance of personal development, and of course money!   She is founder of Wealthy Mom, MD and the author of “Defining Wealth for Women (n.): Peace, Purpose, and Plenty of Cash.” Her book is what is missing in financial education - money mindset. Her book challenges money myths th...

This week's episode is such a great one- and one that we ALL need. That is, unless your CV is up to date and awesome- and if that is the case, send it to me! I would love to see your example! Dr. Emily Steinhagen and I talked about tips for creating a fantastic CV and keeping it updated. There are 5 key strategies: 1. Know what to put on your CV- and don't undervalue your experiences. Keep a maste...

This week's episode is the edited webinar "It's Complicated" where I talk about some strategies for dealing with complications. I have created a full 3 month program focusing on this (registration now closed), because so much is involved in our reaction to complications. This episode focuses on the most important aspect of complications: shame resilience. If you can keep yourself from feeling sham...

Part 3 with Dr. Maura Lipp. Dr. Lipp always wanted to be a physician. Like all physicians, there was a long road to get where she was and being a doctor was her entire identity. Like many mid-career physicians, especially after COVID, she began to doubt her career choice. She went from fully committed to her career to feeling like she just didn’t know if she wanted to do it anymore. That all chang...

Dr. Lipp was diagnosed with with multiple sclerosis in 2015. She developed leg numbness and trigeminal neuralgia, but like most physicians do, she ignored her symptoms and pushed through.   She fought the insurance company for over 6 months trying to get the medication that she needed for treatment. She was out of work for 6 weeks unable to walk, and was concerned that with the...

The latest podcast episode is with Dr. Faryal Michaud - a palliative medicine physician who is elevating the practice of palliative care. She encouraged us to start having these conversations early.  "If every life is a book, then the last chapter matters."   The first role of the palliative physician is to find out where the patient is at in their...

The latest podcast episode is with Dr. Matt Endara- a plastic surgeon who has experienced multiple practice models. I thought this would be a great time to talk about different models given that many of you are looking for jobs.  On this episode, we   talked about   how you get paid:  Many   hospital-based practices   are rvu based. This is a productivi...