Hippocratic Adventures Podcast

Ashwini Bapat
  • 5.0 (4)
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What if your medical degree could take you anywhere? Welcome to Hippocratic Adventures, the podcast where we pull back the curtain on what it actually takes for U.S.-trained physicians to build a life and career abroad. We’re Dr. Ashwini Bapat and Dr. Emeric Bojarski, two U.S.-trained physicians who left the traditional path, moved to Portugal, and built careers that support the life we actually wanted. Each week, we share real stories from physicians who are: living abroadworking remotelypivoting into non-clinical careersor designing completely unconventional paths in medicineYou’ll hear the behind-the-scenes, not just the highlight reel. The uncertainty. The logistics. The identity shifts. And the creative ways physicians are making it work. Because there’s no one way to do this. But there is a way that works for you. If you’ve ever thought, “There has to be more than this…”,  you’re in the right place.

Episodes

  1. Jul 13

    10 - Burned Out OB/GYN to Expat Physician: Dr. Carmen Brown's Australia & New Zealand Journey

    What if a one-year locums assignment changed the course of your entire career? For Dr. Carmen Brown, that's exactly what happened. An OB/GYN in the United States, Carmen found herself increasingly burned out by the realities of modern medicine. "I was over the encroaching EMR. I was getting to the office early just to finish notes from the night before and staying two hours late..." A vacation to New Zealand and Australia sparked a different vision for what life could look like. What started as a one-year locums position in New Zealand turned into more than a decade abroad and eventually a permanent move split between New Zealand and Australia. In this episode, we discuss Carmen's journey from physician burnout to building a new life overseas, as well as what physicians should know if they're considering practicing in Australia or New Zealand themselves. You'll learn: ✔️ Why Carmen left the U.S. healthcare system ✔️ How a one-year locums assignment became a long-term international career ✔️ The differences between practicing medicine in the U.S., New Zealand, and Australia ✔️ What physicians should know about licensing and finding jobs abroad ✔️ Common mistakes doctors make when planning an international move ✔️ Her advice for physicians wondering if there's a better way to practice medicine If you've ever looked at your inbox, your charting, or your schedule and wondered how long you can keep doing things the same way, this conversation offers a glimpse into another possibility. Interested in learning more? Check out Carmen's book, Expat MD: Your Guide to Living and Working as a Physician in Australia and New Zealand, available on Amazon. Editor's Note: This episode was originally published on May 11, 2021. Long before physician burnout became a mainstream conversation, Carmen recognized that the path she was on was no longer sustainable. Rather than leaving medicine altogether, she found a different way to practice. Her story remains a powerful reminder that sometimes the solution isn't walking away from medicine—it's finding a place where medicine works differently. 🔗 JOIN US Join our physician-only private Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/936658356753142/ Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hippocratic_adventures/ 🌍 MORE RESOURCES FOR YOU Start your adventure with our FREE Physician Starter Kit: https://www.hippocraticadventures.com/start-your-adventure/ 7 Physician Jobs You CAN Do from Abroad (Free): https://mailchi.mp/hippocraticadventures/physician-jobs If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review. It really helps us get this message into the hands of physicians who need to hear it.

  2. Jul 7

    9 - This Pediatrician Moved to France Without a Full-Time Medical Job

    What if you moved abroad before you had a medical job lined up? That's exactly what Dr. Carrie Reynolds did. A pediatric gastroenterologist by training, Carrie packed up her life and moved with her family to Carcassonne, France, without a full-time clinical position waiting for her on the other side. Instead, she built a life abroad through a creative mix of U.S.-based locums work and as a real estate agent in France.  In this episode, we discuss what it actually took to make the move to France, from finances and immigration to language learning, family logistics, and creating income streams that support a life abroad. You'll learn: ✔️ Why Carrie decided to move to France before having a job lined up ✔️ How she supports her life abroad through locums and non-clinical work ✔️ What it's really like to learn French and navigate the immigration process ✔️ How she approached the conversation with her husband and daughter ✔️ The realities of everyday life in southern France ✔️ Her advice for physicians who think living abroad is financially out of reach This episode is a reminder that there is more than one way to make an international move work. You don't always need a contract in hand. You don't always need every detail figured out. Sometimes you just need a plan, some flexibility, and the willingness to take the first step. If you've ever dreamed about living abroad but assumed it wasn't possible, Carrie's story may change your mind. Editor's Note: Originally published on June 24, 2025. Carrie's story remains one of our favorite examples of a physician creating a life abroad on her own terms. She didn't move overseas because she landed the perfect job. She moved first, then built a portfolio of clinical and non-clinical work that supported the lifestyle she wanted. For physicians wondering whether there's only one way to make an international move work, this episode is worth revisiting. 🔗 JOIN US Join our physician-only private Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/936658356753142/ Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hippocratic_adventures/ 🌍 MORE RESOURCES FOR YOU Start your adventure with our FREE Physician Starter Kit: https://www.hippocraticadventures.com/start-your-adventure/ 7 Physician Jobs You CAN Do from Abroad (Free): https://mailchi.mp/hippocraticadventures/physician-jobs If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review. It really helps us get this message into the hands of physicians who need to hear it.

  3. Jul 6

    8 - The Salary Question Every Physician Asks About Moving Abroad

    American physicians are among the highest-paid doctors in the world. So by that logic, nobody should leave. And yet every year, physicians pack up their lives and move to Canada, New Zealand, Ireland, the UK, Portugal, and beyond. Often for less money. In this episode, we talk about the salary question almost every physician asks when they start thinking about practicing medicine abroad: “Okay, but what will I make?” We don’t run through a giant country-by-country salary spreadsheet. Instead, we talk about why comparing a U.S. physician salary to a salary abroad is rarely apples to apples. We talk about: ✔️ Why U.S. physician salaries are so high compared to many other countries ✔️ How medical school debt, health insurance, malpractice, pensions, and vacation change the equation ✔️ Why many physicians accept a lower salary in exchange for a different kind of life ✔️ Who should be cautious about taking a pay cut to practice abroad ✔️ What physicians may actually be getting in return One thing that kept coming up throughout this conversation? A spreadsheet is great at comparing salaries. It’s not so great at comparing lives. And if you do want the numbers, here’s the link to physician salaries abroad: https://www.hippocraticadventures.com/physician-salaries-abroad-why-physicians-move-even-when-they-earn-less/ Because it’s hard to assign a dollar value to being home for dinner, spending more time with patients, taking real vacation, feeling respected as a physician, or building a life that feels bigger than work. Wondering whether a lower salary abroad could still be worth it? Here’s the conversation. 🔗 JOIN US Join our physician-only private Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/936658356753142/ Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hippocratic_adventures/ 🌍 MORE RESOURCES FOR YOU Start your adventure with our FREE Physician Starter Kit: https://www.hippocraticadventures.com/start-your-adventure/ 7 Physician Jobs You CAN Do from Abroad (Free): https://mailchi.mp/hippocraticadventures/physician-jobs If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review. It really helps us get this message into the hands of physicians who need to hear it.

  4. Jun 30

    7 - Dottoressa: An American Doctor in Rome

    What happens when an American physician trades the East River for the Tiber River? In 1978, Dr. Susan Levenstein left New York City and moved to Rome. More than forty years later, the internist and primary care physician is still there. In this episode, we discuss her memoir, Dottoressa: An American Doctor in Rome, and what it has been like to practice medicine in Italy's universal healthcare system for over four decades. You'll learn: ✔️ Why she decided to leave New York for Rome ✔️ What it's like to practice medicine within Italy's healthcare system ✔️ The strengths and shortcomings of Italian healthcare ✔️ What she has learned after forty years of caring for patients abroad But Dottoressa is also a love letter to Rome. “From Michelangelo to Giotto, Saint Mark’s to the Trevi Fountain, backstreets like movie sets, women with perfect earrings, men with their shirts half unbuttoned…I loved how workmen burst into song, how children ran around in restaurants, and especially how all of a sudden, abracadabra, it was April in Rome, with a non-stop soundtrack of screaming swallows, and there had been no winter.” Dr. Levenstein shares the everyday moments that made her fall in love with the Eternal City, and why she never left. You can grab her book on Amazon.  Editor's Note: This episode was originally published on March 23, 2021, and was the very first video interview we released at Hippocratic Adventures. We thought it was worth revisiting because Dr. Levenstein's story remains one of the most enduring examples of what’s possible when physicians choose a different path. 🔗 JOIN US Join our physician-only private Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/936658356753142/ Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hippocratic_adventures/ 🌍 MORE RESOURCES FOR YOU Start your adventure with our FREE Physician Starter Kit: https://www.hippocraticadventures.com/start-your-adventure/ 7 Physician Jobs You CAN Do from Abroad (Free): https://mailchi.mp/hippocraticadventures/physician-jobs If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review. It really helps us get this message into the hands of physicians who need to hear it.

  5. Jun 1

    6 - How to Get Licensed to Practice Medicine in Portugal

    When we moved to Portugal in 2020, I knew I wouldn’t be able to practice medicine locally anytime soon. The only Portuguese word I knew was obrigada. And the Duolingo lessons I’d been doing on my commute into Boston? Turns out they were Brazilian Portuguese. I had absolutely no idea European Portuguese was different. In this episode, I share what it actually takes to get licensed to practice medicine in Portugal as a U.S.-trained physician, from learning European Portuguese to navigating the licensure process, oral exams, and medical board registration. We talk about: ✔️ The level of Portuguese fluency you actually need ✔️ The exams I had to take ✔️ How long the process realistically takes One thing that really struck me throughout this process? The Portuguese physicians evaluating me kept asking: “Why would an American doctor move to Portugal?” Which honestly says a lot about how differently people define success, lifestyle, and quality of life around the world. Want all the details on getting licensed in Portugal? Here it is:  🔗 JOIN US Join our physician-only private Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/936658356753142/ Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hippocratic_adventures/ 🌍 MORE RESOURCES FOR YOU Start Your Adventure with our FREE Physician Starter Kit: https://www.hippocraticadventures.com/start-your-adventure/ 7 Physician Jobs You CAN Do from Abroad (Free): https://mailchi.mp/hippocraticadventures/physician-jobs If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review. It really helps us get this message into the hands of physicians who need to hear it.

  6. May 11

    5 - What It's Really Like to Practice Medicine in Ireland as a US Family Doctor

    Dr. Hayley Parsley, a U.S.-trained family medicine physician, moved to Ireland to work as a GP. They weren’t looking for a short-term adventure. They were looking to build a life. In this episode, Hayley shares what it actually took to make that move, from navigating the licensing process to adjusting to a new healthcare system and culture. Moving abroad as a physician isn’t fast or straightforward, and Hayley’s experience offers a clear, honest look at what that timeline can really look like. In this episode, we talk about: ✔️ What the licensing process in Ireland involves and how long it takes ✔️ How clinical practice differs from the U.S. ✔️ The challenges within the Irish healthcare system ✔️ What’s easier, including significantly lower medication costs ✔️ The pace and culture of life in Ireland ✔️ Why patience is essential when making a move like this If you’ve ever considered Ireland as a place to live or work, this episode gives you a realistic look at what that journey can involve. 🔗 JOIN US Join our physician-only private Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/936658356753142/ Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hippocratic_adventures/ 🌍 MORE RESOURCES FOR YOU Start your adventure with our FREE Physician Starter Kit: https://www.hippocraticadventures.com/start-your-adventure/ 7 Physician Jobs You CAN Do from Abroad (Free): https://mailchi.mp/hippocraticadventures/physician-jobs If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review. It really helps us get this message into the hands of physicians who need to hear it.

  7. Apr 27

    4 - Physician Sabbatical in the Netherlands: What No One Tells You About Coming Back

    Dr. Andrea DeMets, a pediatrician, moved her family to the Netherlands for a year. Now she’s back in the US. In this follow-up conversation, she shares what it was really like to take a sabbatical abroad and what it felt like to return home. Because leaving is one thing. Coming back to the same life, as a different person, is something else entirely. In this episode, we talk about: ✔️ What the sabbatical was actually like ✔️ Why family connection became the most meaningful part ✔️ How each of her kids handled the move differently ✔️ How living abroad changed her perspective on medicine ✔️ The challenge of re-entry after coming home ✔️ And what it means to step away from the identity of “the doctor” If you’ve ever wondered whether a sabbatical abroad is worth it, this is an honest look at what that experience can really be. 🔗 JOIN US Join our physician-only private Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/936658356753142/ Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hippocratic_adventures/ 🌍 MORE RESOURCES FOR YOU Start your adventure with our FREE Physician Starter Kit: https://www.hippocraticadventures.com/start-your-adventure/ 7 Physician Jobs You CAN Do from Abroad (Free): https://mailchi.mp/hippocraticadventures/physician-jobs If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review. It really helps us get this message into the hands of physicians who need to hear it.

  8. Apr 17

    1 - We Almost Bought a House in Boston… Then We Moved to Portugal

    We were about to buy a house in Boston. Four bedrooms. Long commute. The “right” next step. And still, something felt off. A few days later, a trip to Spain changed everything. In this first episode of the Hippocratic Adventures podcast, we share the real story behind our move to Portugal and how two U.S.-trained physicians walked away from the default path and built careers that allowed us to live abroad. This isn’t the polished version. It’s the honest one. In this episode, we talk about: ✔️The moment we realized the life we were building wasn’t the one we wanted ✔️Why the traditional academic path stopped making sense ✔️The challenge of making two different specialties work abroad ✔️How we navigated uncertainty and a lot of fear ✔️The “what are we doing?” moment mid flight with 2 kids and no backup plan ✔️And how we built careers that actually support the life we wanted If you’ve ever wondered whether a life abroad is actually possible as a physician, this is where to start. 🔗 JOIN US Join our physician-only private Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/936658356753142/ Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hippocratic_adventures/ 🌍 MORE RESOURCES FOR YOU Start your adventure with our FREE Physician Starter Kit: https://www.hippocraticadventures.com/start-your-adventure/ 7 Physician Jobs You CAN Do from Abroad (Free): https://mailchi.mp/hippocraticadventures/physician-jobs If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review. It really helps us get this message into the hands of physicians who need to hear it.

  9. Apr 15

    2 - “You Can’t Do That”...How a Trauma Surgeon Built a Life in Spain Anyways

    When you bring up moving abroad, do people say: “Wait… you can’t do that?” Meet Dr. Shailvi Gupta. A trauma surgeon who built a life in Barcelona while continuing to operate in the U.S. Plenty of people told her it wasn’t possible. She did it anyway. In this episode, we talk about what it actually takes to create a life abroad while still practicing clinically. The real version. You’ll learn: ✔️ Why she and her family moved to Spain ✔️ What happened when she told her boss she didn’t want to stay in the U.S. ✔️ How she stepped away from surgery and found her way back ✔️ How she handled doubt, uncertainty, and outside opinions ✔️ What she wishes she had known earlier ✔️ Her advice for surgeons considering a similar path Moving abroad as a physician isn’t easy. But her story is proof that you don’t have to follow the same path as everyone around you. Sometimes, you have to tune out the noise and build your own. 🔗 JOIN US Join our physician-only private Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/936658356753142/ Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hippocratic_adventures/ 🌍 MORE RESOURCES FOR YOU Start your adventure with our FREE Physician Starter Kit: https://www.hippocraticadventures.com/start-your-adventure/ 7 Physician Jobs You CAN Do from Abroad (Free): https://mailchi.mp/hippocraticadventures/physician-jobs If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review. It really helps us get this message into the hands of physicians who need to hear it.

  10. Apr 15

    3 - Doctors CAN Pivot: She Left Primary Care and Built a NonClinical Career in Switzerland

    Think leaving clinical medicine feels impossible? Think again. Meet Dr. Jill Monteiro, an internist who walked away from primary care in the U.S., moved to Switzerland without a job, and built a nonclinical career at AMBOSS. Her first “job” abroad? A vegetable garden and a lot of “Danke.” Now she’s a Director. In this episode, we talk about what it really looks like to pivot out of clinical medicine and start over. You’ll learn: ✔️ Why she left U.S. primary care ✔️ How she went from freelance medical editor to Director ✔️ The identity shift that comes with leaving clinical medicine ✔️ What it’s like to start over in a new country ✔️ Her honest advice if you’re considering a nonclinical path This is one of those stories that reminds you: Your medical degree isn’t a cage. Career pivots are possible. And you can design your life abroad. 🔗 JOIN US Join our physician-only private Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/936658356753142/ Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hippocratic_adventures/ 🌍 MORE RESOURCES FOR YOU Start your adventure with our FREE Physician Starter Kit: https://www.hippocraticadventures.com/start-your-adventure/ 7 Physician Jobs You CAN Do from Abroad (Free): https://mailchi.mp/hippocraticadventures/physician-jobs If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review. It really helps us get this message into the hands of physicians who need to hear it.

  • 10 Episodes

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
4 Ratings

About

What if your medical degree could take you anywhere? Welcome to Hippocratic Adventures, the podcast where we pull back the curtain on what it actually takes for U.S.-trained physicians to build a life and career abroad. We’re Dr. Ashwini Bapat and Dr. Emeric Bojarski, two U.S.-trained physicians who left the traditional path, moved to Portugal, and built careers that support the life we actually wanted. Each week, we share real stories from physicians who are: living abroadworking remotelypivoting into non-clinical careersor designing completely unconventional paths in medicineYou’ll hear the behind-the-scenes, not just the highlight reel. The uncertainty. The logistics. The identity shifts. And the creative ways physicians are making it work. Because there’s no one way to do this. But there is a way that works for you. If you’ve ever thought, “There has to be more than this…”,  you’re in the right place.

Information

  • Creator
    Ashwini Bapat
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    10
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Ashwini Bapat

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