Medical Fusion Conference Lecture Videos Available

Freelance MD has become a great place for physicians to learn more about ways they can leverage their medical training in order to advance their careers.  This web hub is a great distance-learning tool to connect like-minded physicians and promote learning.

The live/physical version of Freelance MD is our Medical Fusion Conference which occurs every November in Las Vegas.  At the Medical Fusion Conference we bring together experts from a variety of niche areas-- many of whom write for Freelance MD-- in order to network and connect person to person.  It's an event that only happens once a year, so we eagerly promote it here on Freelance MD with the hope that our readers will pencil the event into their busy schedules.  We want to meet our Freelance MD members and we know you'll benefit from the speakers we've assembled.

Over the past few weeks we've reorganized our Medical Fusion Conference website to make it more interactive and give potential participants an idea of what happens at this innovative event.  We recently added a blog to the Medical Fusion Conference website and we've posted a few lecture clips from past Medical Fusion Conferences.

Check out the videos below to get an idea as to what goes on at the Medical Fusion Conference.  We'll be posting more lecture clips in the near future, so stay tuned to Freelance MD.  

Video clip #1:  In this video, we assembled a team of venture capitalists to discuss VC and how clinical physicians can become a part of this interesting career.  Dr. Bruce Robertson, Managing Director of H.I.G. Bioventures, Dr. Josh Resnick of Prism Ventures, and Dr. Joe Smith, VP of Emerging Technology at Johnson & Johnson are the members of this interesting panel discussion.

 Video Clip #2:  Dr. Michael VanRooyen in the director of the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative and a well-known expert on humanitarian disasters.  However, Dr. VanRooyen is also an experienced entrepreneur and has helped start and develop four businesses, one of which, Ibex, was eventually bought by Picis for millions.  In this lecture, Dr. VanRooyen discusses the culture of start-up companies and how clinical physicians can develop their business skills in order to be more effective in enterprises like these.

Video Clip #3:  Dr. Mike Woo-Ming, a Family Physician who retired from medicine at the age of 35 years old in order to focus on his internet businesses, discusses internet marketing and internet entrepreneurship.  "Dr. Mike" as he is known in internet circles, offers advice to those who are interested in using the internet to leverage their clinical knowledge in a variety of ways.

The Medical Fusion Conference Accelerator Sessions

Our next Medical Fusion Conference is just a few months away and we've changed up the Medical Fusion Conference website and added a blog to it.  This Medical Fusion Conference blog will be focused mainly on the event, but we'll post more general information on the site from time to time.

In an effort to get the word out about our event, I've started a video blog to highlight some of the important features and topics of the Medical Fusion Conference.

In the first installment of this video blog I discuss a unique feature of the Medical Fusion Conference-- the Accelerator sessions.  These sessions are scheduled at the end of the first two days of the Medical Fusion Conference and allow conference participants to spend considerable time with the Medical Fusion faculty.

Here's the video describing the Accelerator sessions and why I believe they are so important:

I've also posted a quick video clip of one of the Accelerator sessions to demonstrate how these sessions work "in vivo."  Notice in this video clip that each faculty member sits at a table and participants have direct access to them.  These Accelerator sessions last 1.5 hours and are scheduled for the end of the first two days of the event.

If you are interested in not only learning about various niche areas within medicine but also building a network of mentors and peers who can help you build towards your career goals, there is no better resource than the Medical Fusion Conference.  We hope many of our Freelance MD readers can join us at our next event this November in Las Vegas.

Kilimanjaro & CME

Climb Kilimanjaro for your CME?

In the summer of 2009 I was working in my local Emergency Department when my cell phone informed me of an incoming text.

"At 14,500 feet. Preparing to summit tomorrow. All is well," read the text.

"Great," I thought, "and here I am dealing with sniffles and low back pain."

The text had come in from the face of Kilimanjaro, the highest peak on the continent of Africa and one of the famed "Seven Summits."  The sender was my good friend Dr. David Townes who was helping lead a group of physicians to the summit of Kili for an ExpedMed CME event.

I was happy for Dave and excited for the CME participants, but also insanely jealous.  

Kilimanjaro is one of those romantic "must do" experiences for adventures around the world.  It stands just over 19,000 feet in northeastern Tanzania and rises independently from the plains of the surrounding region.  Mentioned by famed writers like Hemmingway (The Snows of Kilimanjaro), this magnificent peak towers over the African landscape and is the backdrop to many classic safari portraits.

I am pleased to say that Dave and the rest of the ExpedMed CME group made it to the top of the mountain in 2009.  The participants enjoyed it so much, we swore we'd lead another group back to Kili in the near future, but of course, as often happens, months turn into years and no new ExpedMed Kilimanjaro climbs were scheduled-- until now.

In the spring of 2012 we have scheduled another CME climb up Kilimanjaro.  The dates are March 24-April 6, 2012 .  Our outfitters are once again our esteemed friends at Tusker Trail.  Details of the CME trip can been seen at this Tusker link.

Find more information including pictures from the last Kili CME climb can be found on the ExpedMed Kilimanjaro CME Adventure page under the 'Events' tab above. 

Dr. Michael Callahan and the Medical Fusion Conference

Not long ago I caught up with my friend, Dr. Michael Callahan, and got his thoughts on our new Medical Fusion Conference.

Michael is an Infectious Disease specialist from Harvard who works with DARPA and the U.S. Defense Department in various niche areas.  He's an expert on reptile envenomations, high altitude acclimitization, and international search and rescue.  Each year we have the privilege of learning from Michael at our Expedition Medicine National Conference in Washington, DC. 

As an individual who has broadened his career to include many interesting and unique areas, I was curious what Michael thought of our Medical Fusion Conference .  Check out the video below to get his insights...

Physicians and The Richest Man in Babylon

If you're a physician looking to transition into some form of business, do yourself a favor and read some of the business classics.

Like every career area, business has a collection of classic texts that many in the field have read and to which they often refer.

After seeing it listed in multiple business books recently, I finally sat down and read the famous finance book, The Richest Man in Babylon by George S. Clason.

Originally published n the 1920's, The Richest Man in Babylon explains how to build wealth and handle money through a series of parables.  While the language is sometimes stilted due to a less-than-modern style and wording, the principles ring true and are fundamental to basic financial health.  It has been a popular text for many years-- cited by multiple sources-- and has reportedly sold over 2 million copies since its original publication.

The book is not a long or difficult read.  Here are some of the basic principles and meaningful quotes:

• "I found the road to wealth when I decided that a part of all I earned was mine to keep. And so will you."  (ie- pay yourself first and save your money)
• "Opportunity is a haughty goddess who wastes no time with those who are unprepared."
• "Which desirest thou the most? Is it the gratification of thy desires of each day, a jewel, a bit of finery, better rainment, more food; things quickly gone and forgotten?  Or is it  substantial belongings, gold, lands, herds, merchandise, income bringing investments?  The coins thou takest from thy purse bring the first.  The coins thou leavest within it will bring the latter."
• "Good luck can be enticed by accepting opportunity"
• "If thou desire to help thy friend, do so in a way that will not bring thy friend's burdens upon thyself."
• "Better a little caution than a great regret."

If you're going to be getting into entrepreneurial pursuits, jumping into a business endeavor, or simply interested in better managing your finances, you really need to begin learning the principles contained in the business canon.  The Richest Man in Babylon is a business classic and contains timeless principles.  It's not a bad place to start your financial education.

ExpedMed Participant Interviews

Well, our Expedition Medicine National Conference is just a few months away so I thought it would be a good idea to post some past participant interviews.

The conference will be in Washington, DC, during September 16-18, 2011 at the Omni Shoreham Hotel and participants this year will receive 20 hours of Category I CME credits as well as our 700 page hardcover textbook entitled Expedition & Wilderness Medicine.

When watching these interviews, notice the diversity of the participants. They come from many different specialities and plan to use the training from this event in many different ways.  Some participants really don't travel to remote areas themselves, but they found the teaching useful even though they don't consider themselves "true" expedition physicians.

We'd love to meet many of our Freelance MD readers at our event this September, so if you want a fun and efficient way to earn your 2011 CME credits, swing by the Omni in DC this fall.

Physician Career Diversity and Matt Dancing Around the World

As physicians, it's easy to get stuck in a rut.

By nature and training, we're more prone to the "track" mentality, ie- this step leads to that step which leads to that step...you get the idea.

Many physicians I know are dissatisfied with their careers, but they have a difficult time trying to think of unique ways to use their talents.  They go to career fairs and speak to their physician colleagues but still can't seem to break free.

In my opinion, one of the problems we have as physicians is being waaay too narrow when we think about outside endeavors.  We only look at medical niches and don't even consider alternative areas.  We never take the time to read outside the medical field so we have no idea what others are saying outside of medicine.  We're all drinking from the same well, so it's no wonder we find it difficult to change perspectives.

As an example of someone with a very original career pursuit outside of medicine, I recently came across a video of a guy named Matt who filmed himself dancing in various locations all over the world.  Matter of fact, his video was so successful, Stride gum sponsored him to do a few more trips on their dime (note: this guy is not a professional dancer or anything like that...at best I would describe his dancing as an awkward, silly jig.  Matt simply describes his dancing as "bad.").  Matt is now a quasi-famous individual who does not have a "real" job, travels all over the world, and writes on his website entitled Where the Hell is Matt?

For those of you who might need a little bit of inspiration, check out Matt's video above and read his blog. If a guy can carve out a career niche dancing in remote locations around the world, then maybe there's hope for all the physicians out there who simply want a little career diversity.