Medical Fusion Conference Thoughts

Julie Silver MD at Medfusion 2011

I went to Medfusion last year and was really impressed. This year I was blown away.

I got back from the Medical Fusion Conference last night and I wanted to set down my thoughts while they're still fresh in my mind, so here are some of my take-aways kind of as a stream of consciousness.

• The Aria is a nice hotel for conferences and the Sky Suites are sweet. From the time that I parked the car (I drove down) I didn't step foot outside of the hotel until I left on Sunday. (I've been to Vegas a lot so no need to dawdle.)
• The conference always surprises me with how savvy the physicians are who attend. If you're looking to keep you head down and love to toil in obscurity, this is not the conference for you.

• Dr's Ed Hsu and Italo Subbarao are incredibly fun and very generous: Ed and Italo have written an intense (I'm half way through) thriller on bio-terrorism and I got to spend some time with them that included taking some photos at the room in the Aria referenced in their book.  I'm sending some copies to friends. You can buy Prion on Amazon here.
• Greg handles conferences really well: (The experience now doubt.) They seem to just flow along without a hitch. (Whoever was running the front desk also deserves kudos.)
• I always wish that I had more time: There were a number of writers for Freelance that were there and I would have loved to sit down with and learn something from but I missed completely and probably came across as an ass. My sincere apologies to those that I didn't sit down with. I hope to next year.
• These guys are all really good speakers: From Barry Silbaugh's first talk to the end I was really impressed with every presentation. Super good stuff and everyone brought their A-game.
• I need to work on my public speaking: No one threw cabbages out of kindness but there's room for improvement there.
• The networking is at least half of the value: Medfusion isn't like most of the medical conferences that I've been to where you already have a cadre of buddies or everyone's doing exactly the same stuff and it's not that interesting. (If you're a plastic surgeon, how many other plastic surgeons do you already know who are doing exactly the same thing that you are?) Medfuion really is about opportunity and real changes and deals get done.
• Julie Silver is a fantastic speaker and terrific person. (I owe you $40 Julie.)
• Gautam Gulati is doing some really interesting work and is a great presenter. I'd be taking his class on Medical Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Hopkins if I were there.
• Students want this information and access too: There were a number of students at Medfusion this year and they're also excited to know that, as a physician, you can do something that's uncommon or non-traditional and that you can still have and control your own career in medicine. This was personally exciting to me and we'll be launching a companion site to Freelance MD that's targeted exclusively at medical school students and residents. (This will not be 'integrated' in to the Freelance MD physician community since the audiences are completely different.)
• Opportunity is everywhere and there are physicians who are taking advantage of it.
• I dropped the Twitter ball: I didn't see until after the conference all of the tweets that were going out in real time capturing part's of the presentations. I should have been more forward-thnking and used my iPad. I should also have taken more pictures. My iPhone just doesn't cut it long distance.

Anyway, those are a few of my initial thoughts. I look forward to finding out what some others think of their experiences.

'Value' Is Different From 'Price'

Woe unto you if you decide everything based on price. Even more woe unto you if you compete solely on price. Price is not all that matters—what is important, at least to some people, is value. And value takes into account training, support, and the intrinsic joy of using the best tool that’s made. It’s pretty safe to say that no one buys Apple products because of their low price.

What I learned from Steve Jobs, Guy Kawasaki

Find Out What You Love As A Physician

Freelance MD is about finding out what you love as a physician outside of clinical practice, and then going there.

Here's what Steve Jobs had to say about it where you should be.

You've got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do.... Don't settle...

...Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma--which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.

Steve Jobs - Commencement address, Stanford University, June 12, 2005

If you feel that you're not following the path that you want, it is possible to cut a new path and find the career and lifestyle that you want. But you have to start.

If you're looking to understand your options outside of clinical practice and get some personal face-time with others who are where you want to be, come to Medical Fusion. Not only will you get a fantasitc understanding or what's available out there, but you'll have mucho face-to-face access to every speaker (and other attendees) during breaks and accellerator sessions. (Take a look at who's speaking at Medical Fusion.) I hope to see you there.

The Medical Fusion Conference - November 11-13, Las Vegas

Doctors Underestimate Their Options

By Franz Weisbauer MD

Most of us who studied medicine went into medical school thinking that they were going into the coolest profession that was ever invented. It’s exciting, it’s intellectually stimulating, it’s well respected, it’s well paid etc. etc.

Many of us started to work as physicians after medschool and realized that there were parts to our work that we did not like that much: the long hours, death, grief, paperwork, administrators, bad pay (but everyone told us that doctors were rich?).

Some of us did not get over these undesirable aspects of the physician life, they are unhappy with what they are doing but unable to quit….after all, this is supposed to be the coolest profession (remember?). Plus, what would my friends, parents, grandparents, …. (fill in blank) think of me?

Very few of us jump in at the deep end and either don’t start to work in medicine or quit this highly respected profession to do whatever feels best to them. Many of those who are stuck, who don’t dare to exit think that there is really nothing else they can do. Think twice. You are highly educated, smart, creative, eloquent, analytical. Otherwise you would have never made it into medical school.

There are tons of jobs out there waiting for you: be it as a medical writer, entrepreneur, public health expert, medical advisor to the industry, teacher, speaker, blogger, coach, psychotherapist, angel investor etc. etc. etc. If you are one of those people who think that you are not creative enough to come up with alternatives to your current job, this video is for you….Enjoy!

By the way, we highly recommend Derek‘s book “Anything You Want”. It describes his lessons learned from founding, running and selling cdbaby an online platform for indie music. Derek can serve as a role model for all of us.

About: Dr. Franz Wiesbauer is a founder of Medcrunch

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Finding Your Lifesytle Niche As An MD

ZDoggMD (AKA Zubin Damania MD) is a hospitalist who's kickin'it his own way.

ZDogg's interview with TechCrunch TV discussing finding your niche and being happy as a physician.

ZDogg is a genuine doctor who uses YouTube as a creativity outlet to teach people about things like safe sex, delivering bad news, stayin’ healthy on vacation and hemorrhoids. When Hsieh asked how the world of being a doctor was going for him, ZDogg answered that he loved it but was frustrated with the fact that he couldn’t be himself. He told Tony that he’d love an outlet to share the raps he composes with a wider audience, hopefully to give people a good laugh but also to teach them a medical thing or two. Tony, being the zen like guy that he is, responded, “Why don’t you do it then?”. And so he did. The results are in the links above.

Calling All MD / MBAs! Boston University Needs You For A Survey.

Boston University is conducting an important survey of MD/MBAs to collect information on careers, satisfaction, and income.

If you have both an MD and an MBA degree, please take 5-10 minutes to complete the survey at the link below. Please forward this email to anyone you know who has both degrees, whether or not they are a Freelance MD member.

Respondents must have both an MD and MBA degree

TAKE THE SURVEY HERE

There are 5 sections with 29 questions.

1. Background information
2. Medical licensure
3. Clinical training
4. Income
5. Career satisfaction

It should only take you 5 - 10 minutes to compete and it's anonymous. However, we will share the results with interested respondents if they provide us their email in Q. 27

Thank you!

N. STEPHEN OBER, MD, MBA
Director, MD/MBA Dual Degree Program Boston University School of Medicine
715 Albany Street (mail) 80 East Concord Street, Room A-503 (office)
Boston, MA 02118
(617) 645-3193
sober@bu.edu

http://www.bumc.bu.edu/admissions/programs/md-mba/

A Physicians Primer To International Travel

If you plan to travel overseas or even across the borders into Mexico or Canada, your plans need to include foresight and caution if you want to enjoy a hassle-free and healthy trip.

Knowledge about public health issues such as advisories, vaccines, environmental hazards and natural disasters and weather can eliminate surprises in your travel and help you be prepared in case you need to travel despite warnings. This primer can help you pinpoint your responsibilities and can make your travel plans easier by providing topics to heed and links to more expansive information about international travel.

To simplify your efforts, you might ask yourself the following questions and seek answers for your specific travel plans:

1. Do you need a passport and visa? If you’re traveling across U.S. borders, this information is helpful in your identification and can ease travel snags. You may need to plan for these documents up to six months before you travel.
2. Do you need immunizations or vaccines? Learn this information, ideally, about two months before your trip.
3. Do you have any health issues that you need to address before travel? Learn more about what you may need for your current health issues and about other problems that you may encounter during your trip. This site also contains information about travel kits you might pack to address specific problems.

Other issues include whether or not you need travel insurance and if your destination is under any travel advisories or warnings. These advisories can occur at the last minute, even on the day you plan to leave…so plan ahead.

About Travel Advisories

Advisories are public notices issued by government agencies to provide information about the relative safety of traveling to and from foreign shores. Advisories can range from epidemics to natural disasters and from environmental issues to political upheavals. If your travel is necessary, be sure to check with officials locally and learn about the consulate available at your destination so you are prepared with a plan of action.

Note that advisories issued from the United States Department of State are called warden messages. U.S. embassies or consulates within foreign countries may issues advisories, which then are relayed to the U.S. Department of State and broadcast to U.S. citizens. The U.S. Department of State provides a list of U.S. embassies, consulates and diplomatic mission Web sites that you can peruse well before you plan your trip.

Traveling With Others

Finally, traveling with the elderly or with children poses special problems. Learn more about how you can make the trip enjoyable for yourself and for your companions. Everyone who travels with you must follow the same immunization plans, obtain passports and heed the same advisories. But, other issues may occur that you cannot possibly fathom. Web sites devoted to these issues, such as International Travel, Passports, Visas and Children & Family Issues can help you iron out those problems in advance.

Finally, the following list of ten excellent international travel sites can help you determine what you need to do when you make your plans.

Governmental Travel Health Links

1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Travelers’ Health: The CDC is interested in saving lives, protecting people and saving money through prevention. They offer topics that range from information about destinations to vaccinations, diseases a way to find a clinic and resources and training.
2. Foreign & Commonwealth Office Travel & living abroad: The country advice offered by this UK site is full of useful information for countries throughout the world. The Foreign & Commonwealth Office offers support to UK travelers in emergencies, and a range of services for businesses including document legislation.
3. Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada Traveling and Living Abroad: This guide out of the Canadian government offers travel reports and warnings, information about consular services and more positive outlooks such as how to handle children and travel and a safe travel planner.
4. Government of Western Australia Department of Health’s Healthy International Travel: This link leads to information from another perspective half a world away. Look at how this governmental health agency approaches international travel risks.
5. U.S. Department of Homeland Security Transportation Security Administration: The Transportation Security Administration protects the Nation’s transportation systems to ensure freedom of movement for people and commerce. Although the TSA has come under fire recently for various harsh measures on travelers, they provide information on this site to help make your encounters with TSA more tolerable.
6. U.S. Department of State Travel: A quick and easy guide to worldwide caution, including travel warnings and alerts, is provided in the left column on this intensive overseas travel site. Other helpful information includes tips for traveling abroad, advice for older travelers, and information about child abduction to child adoption.
7. U.S. Department of State Bureau of Diplomatic Security: OSAC provides daily news, reports, events and incidents that can effect travelers and expatriates. They include a resource library and searches by countries and cities.

Other Helpful Travel Links

1. International SOS [PDF]: This document contains information about a 24-hour worldwide assistance and emergency evacuation service for travelers and expatriates. Only members enrolled through a corporate membership or standard group members and paid for by the subscriber are eligible for services.
2. Johns Hopkins Travel Center: This site is maintained by Supply Chain Shared Services and has been developed to provide faculty and staff with up-to-date information regarding University travel policies, services, and information. Look for travel warnings, useful sites and information about various agencies.
3. Nations Online: Nations Online Project collects travel warnings around the world to help travelers and citizens to take their own decisions about their travel plans.
4. UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health Office of Global Health Travel Requirements for UNC Public Health Students: Although intended for public health students, this page carries some great tips and information for anyone who travels. Scroll down the page to find a list of necessary items to take when traveling.
5. World Health Organization’s Travel and Health: WHO carries general information about how to travel safely and provides specific information on infectious diseases and current updates on international health regulations. They also approach various issues such as food safety in attempts to educate the traveling public.

About: Jennifers blog is at http://mphdegree.org/blog/

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