Alison Ritchie

Ted Sussman, MD, has volunteered with Health Volunteers Overseas eight times in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

	Nearly every physician would agree that they originally pursued medicine to help others. But with changing requirements and regulations, it’s easy to get caught up in the day-to-day tasks. One way to break free of that daily grind is to volunteer your medical services, says Kate Fincham, director of program support for 

	“The most common comment made in our trip reports is people say, ‘This trip reminded me of why I went into medicine in the first place,’” says Fincham. “That’s because they’re doing medicine. They’re not doing insurance. They’re not given only 10 minutes with a patient and told they’re not allowed to take any longer than that. It does give them personal and professional fulfillment.”

	HVO is a non-profit organization, where medical professionals can volunteer their services across the globe. Its seven programs include a variety of subspecialties, including internal medicine, and it serves more than 25 counties in need. During a two to four week stay, HVO volunteers provide medical training and mentorship to healthcare providers in that country. Depending on their location, volunteers may be permitted to bring their spouse and their children.

	Volunteers vary in their experience levels, from recent medical school graduates to physicians who have already retired from practice. But for those who are just finishing up their residency, not only will volunteering look good on their 

, it may also help them further their own training.

	“It is not uncommon for doctors at that part of their training to say that they came back more confident in their skills,” she says. “Using just a finger on the pulse and examining a patient to make a correct diagnosis – using those skills rather than the 20 tests that they’ve ordered. Overseas they don’t have those 20 tests. It boosts their confidence in their skills because they have to depend on themselves and not the machines.”

	Physicians with an established patient base may also see professional benefits from volunteering.

	“A lot of physicians have talked about how it has enhanced their relationships with their patients,” she says. “If someone is travelling with us for two weeks to a month, their patients find out about this. It’s an opportunity for your patients to see you in a different light.”

, are available for those who would like to volunteer with a group of medical professionals or who would like to provide immediate disaster relief.

	“As challenging and as much work as it is to do it, whether you volunteer with HVO or another group, physicians will look back on it and say it’s one of the best things they’ve ever done,” says Fincham. “There are a lot of groups out there. They should find one that they like and just do it.”

For a list of volunteer opportunities, visit 

the American College of Physicians website

Articles

With changing requirements and regulations, it’s easy for physicians to get caught up in the day-to-day tasks. One way to break free of that daily grind is to volunteer your medical services.

Physician volunteer programs can revive your passion for medicine, while boosting your career

	When interviewing for a position, sometimes it’s easy for physicians to tell whether the hospital or practice will be a good fit. But rather than relying on instinct alone, evaluating an organization’s culture can be a crucial element to the interviewing process.

	Jim Stone, president of the Medicus Firm and the National Association of Physician Recruiters, offers these four tips for physicians to guide them in their decision process:

 – “Get your arms around what the expectations are in terms of practice style and in terms of workload, patient volume, and procedures,” says Stone. “All of those things play a significant role in how happy a physician is going to be in that environment.”

 – “We always encourage physicians to inquire with the other doctors who are already there as to why they chose to practice there,” says Stone. “What do they like about practicing there? What has kept them there? Those kinds of questions will typically give you some pretty good insight about what attracted other physicians.”

– “That’s an important thing to understand. There are lots of things that drive physician turnover," says Stone. "Physicians are increasingly mobile. It’s not like the old days where they set up shop somewhere and practice there for 40 years. They move around a lot more than they used to for professional, personal and compensation reasons. But that’s definitely an appropriate question to ask."

 – “Are they replacing a physician who left the community or is this an additional physician that they’re adding and hoping that the patients come? Is the patient volume there to support the addition of this doctor? These days I think hospitals and physician groups are savvy enough to understand the importance of having a verifiable and documented need for a physician,” Stone says. 

When interviewing for a position, sometimes it’s easy for physicians to tell whether the hospital or practice will be a good fit. But rather than relying on instinct alone, evaluating an organization’s culture can be a crucial element to the interviewing process.

Author | Alison Ritchie

Articles

Physician volunteer programs can revive your passion for medicine, while boosting your career

4 tips for physicians to evaluate practice culture during a job interview