The academic and professional worlds measure success almost exclusively on IQ (a.k.a. Scholastic Intelligence) with yardsticks like:

• GPAs 
• degrees, 
• titles, 
• academic positions, and; 
• publications in esteemed peer-reviewed Journals.

However, the real world measures success very differently. 

For example, the bank does not care about your GPA or having “more degrees than a thermometer” after your name. 

Instead, the bank grades you by:

• Credit Score (TDS/GDS), 
• Net Worth (Personal vs. Corporate), 
• Retained Earnings, and;
• Multiples of Earnings (of a Practice/ Business).

Have you ever heard of “the A students teaching the B students to work for the C students?” 

Regardless of careers or spheres of influence, the above statement rings true.

So, what do the C students possess more than the A & B students?

• EQ- Emotional Quotient
• RQ - Relationship Quotient
• AQ - Adversity Quotient

The calculations of these other...

The pandemic brought immense changes to our practices. Whether we are hospital or clinic-based, many of us are working more hours at home. While this may not always entail video-based clinics, we are having more meetings online.

Though many of us are happy to reduce our commutes, there have been challenges with working from home. 

In our two-physician household with four children, things can get hectic. Along the way, we’ve learned a few useful bits of wisdom:

1. Let things slide - While we always strive to create a zoom-worthy home office, we remind ourselves that this is our house. The kids’ artwork and toys are a part of our busy, happy home. We aren’t about to upturn the household to project an image of something we aren’t. 
2. Try the phone - It’s natural to feel cramped in an office chair all day. We evolved as bipeds to walk and talk - so go with it! Instead of another video chat and all the presentation that it requires, do a phone call...

Whether we like it or not, we physicians are being rated everyday either individually or as a profession-- from the popular RateMD website which many patients frequent, to PAR (Peer Assessment Reviews) from our Colleges. 

In fact, there are multiple batteries of assessment of Physician Performance, e.g.: 

• 360 Degree Physician Performance Assessment, 
• Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS), 
• Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS)

So, what are the top 3 attributes your patients want from you?

1. Aptitude
2. Attitude
3. Accessibility

And of these 3 As, which one do you think ranks as the most important?

Surprisingly, aptitude is NOT on the top, despite what traditional med schools or residency programs have trained us to believe. 

During malpractice complaints/ lawsuits, most MDs get pardoned for their incompetence if their attitude was great and they have been accessible to patients. Conversely, MDs get the harshest...

One of the core teachings of Physician Empowerment is the notion of You As The Most Important Investment. There are many different aspects to this both in our professional and personal lives.

But today, I want to share with you a twist on the old adage of “pay yourself first”.

In its most basic sense, this means prioritizing long term investments over short term purchases.

While I am decades away from retiring, I watch our four children grow up and I am shocked at how quickly the years go by.

Reflecting on my own life, I try to imagine the person I will be years from now. I ask that person what he would want or need and who he would need to care for in his later years.

Were I to become ill or disabled, could I maintain my household and financial security? If a family member were to become sick, would I be able to provide not only money, but time (the most important asset in our lives)?

Looking to happier things…

When do I want to be able to give up clinical work?...