Dr. Nisha Mehta discusses changing the culture of medicine by creating open conversations about burnout, work life balance, and financial literacy.
- [01:01] How Dr. Mehta is Changing Medicine for the Better
- [03:08] Physician Side Gigs and Entrepreneurship
- [05:36] Current Health Care Landscape for Women in Medicine
- [09:19] Work Life Balance as a Physician
- [14:59] Personal Finance Affects Work Life Balance
- [19:10] How to Prepare for Radiology Clerkship
- [22:35] How to Study for Radiology Exams
- [24:57] Tips for Choosing Your Medical Specialization
- [28:59] Focus on Being the Best Doctor You Can Be
Chase DiMarco talks to Dr. Nisha Mehta MD, a radiologist, writer, and keynote speaker. She is also the founder of the Physician Side Gigs Community, a group that empowers doctors to create the life they want in medicine through the discussion of finance, business, and entrepreneurship. As a physician advocate, Dr. Mehta is on a mission to change the culture of medicine by creating open conversations about burnout, work life balance, and financial literacy.
Physician Side Gigs and Entrepreneurship
Physician side gigs can add new dimensions to your life. A second job can keep work life exciting and may even lead to new opportunities. The right side gig can bolster career longevity.
Not all physicians need to have side gigs. However, having solid business and finance skills is essential. Many doctors feel inadequate to start a business because they lack entrepreneurship training or they have huge loan burdens. As a result, they follow the safest pathways to financial stability instead of creating the life they want in medicine. By teaching students and doctors about personal finance, they are empowered to carve out their own path.
Work Life Balance as a Physician
There is no “perfect time” to start a family. Each stage in your medical journey has its own unique challenges and advantages. People around you have their own ideas about when is the best time to get married or have kids. Don’t let yourself be swayed by other’s opinions. Trust yourself to know when you’re ready.
Be honest about what you want, then make it happen. As a student and doctor, you’ve already sacrificed a lot. It may be harder to achieve your life goals the longer you put them off. If you keep on depriving yourself, you may end up resentful of your career. Have faith that you will find a way to fulfill your priorities outside of medicine because they matter.
Personal Finance Affects Work Life Balance
The general education system neglects to teach personal finance and business skills to students. This is especially worrying for medical students due to the larger debt they incur for tuition. When students become doctors, their earning potential is greater than the average worker’s salary. Without a proper understanding of numbers, one can easily ruin his/her financial future at a young age.
Students and residents need to grasp the fundamentals of money management because money problems will inevitably affect work life balance. The focus of your practice may shift from treating patients to working solely for pay. Even though you feel burnt out or have other personal obligations, you may be unable to reduce your hours because you are in need of money.
How to Prepare for Radiology Clerkship & Exams
Build a solid foundation of knowledge in radiology before clerkship starts. There will be a lot of missed learning opportunities if you have no familiarity at all with the subject matter. Even just knowing the basic methods can tremendously improve the rate at which you learn during clerkship.
Students may find radiology boring because of the learning set up. Without any background in radiology, you may end up just watching the radiologist scroll through images until they point out a finding. It’s more enjoyable when you also have an idea of what the radiologist is assessing. Do some self-studying and take the opportunity to ask questions during rotation.
For radiology exams, it’s crucial that you look at as many images as you can. Your clinical rotation will not be enough to prepare you for tests, especially since majority of cases will show normal results. Know what abnormal conditions look like. Use questions banks and review books and pay attention to the small details.
Tips for Choosing Your Medical Specialization
Before deciding on a specialization, you need to assess several things. What field interests you the most? What will you not compromise on? Where do you think you’ll succeed? You need to consider all these aspects to find out which specialty will be a good fit for you.
Sign up for as many rotations as you can. Learn more about the field you’re planning to choose. Gain lots of experience so that you’ll know what to expect in your future field of specialization.
Check out Dr. Nisha Mehta’s website to learn more about her work and advocacy. Sign up for a Free Coaching session with Chase DiMarco, sponsored by Prospective Doctor! You can also join the Med Mnemonist Mastermind FB Group today and learn more about study methods, memory techniques, and MORE! Do check out Read This Before Medical School. Like our FreeMedEd Facebook page and find our Medical Micro Course, Blog posts, and Podcasts at FreeMedEd.org! Feel free to Email any Questions or Comments.
