The Prosperous Doc Spaugh Dameron Tenny

Every physician has felt it before: You have a bad day or work is stressing you out, and you start imagining what life would be like if you were doing something else. Most of us shake it off after a good night's sleep, but what do you do if that feeling doesn't go away? You don't necessarily want to leave medicine with all the time you have invested in your education and training. And changing careers doesn't feel simple. 
Fortunately, the pharmaceutical and biotech industries offer opportunities for you to use your clinical knowledge in a different kind of role. Dr. Nerissa Kreher, MD, MBA, advises physicians on how to make the shift from the grind of seeing patients and doing procedures to working in pharma or biotech.
Three different roles comprise the options for physicians looking to land biotech or pharma careers: medical affairs, clinical development, and drug safety or pharmacovigilance. Each role lends itself to different types of practitioners.
On this episode of the Prosperous Doc®, our host Shane Tenny, CFP® welcomes Dr. Kreher to discuss how she made the move from the patient room to research. For her, it all started with a pharma rep asking for her resume to pass back to their company. But she thinks there are plenty of other ways to break in.
“I’m a big fan of LinkedIn,” she says. “LinkedIn is a great place to not only network — which is critically important to making this transition [to clinical research] — but also to job search.”
Compensation for physicians transitioning to the pharma/biotech field starts in the mid-to-upper $200K range, with bonus opportunities and the potential for equity and options. But perhaps the greatest compensation of all for a tired physician? No call. 
The number of hours physicians spend working on call or during weekends factors into their hourly rate, Dr. Kreher explains. “That’s something that they should translate as well, as compared to just thinking about that annual salary piece.
💡 Featured Guest 💡Name: Dr. Nerissa Kreher, MD, MBA
What she does: Dr. Kreher is the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) of a biotech company and a pediatric endocrinologist. Her move into the pharmaceutical industry occurred early in her career, and she has now accumulated more than 15 years of experience working in biotech and pharma.
Company: The Pharma IndustryMDCoach
Words of wisdom: “There’s a myth that there’s no stress in the pharma and biotech industry. The stress is still there, but it’s different stress.”
Connect: LinkedIn | Website
💰 On the Money 💰Top takeaways from this episode 
Physicians have three roles to choose from. Medical affairs involves presenting research findings to the public and with peers at conferences. Clinical development involves designing and executing clinical protocols and determining efficacy metrics. Finally, pharmacovigilance involves interpreting data related to drug safety. The schedule is more flexible. While working in pharma/biotech isn’t always an even 40 hours, there is no call. You might still expect occasional nights and weekends when meeting a deadline, but it’s much more flexible than a typical practicing physician position. Your skills will transfer. Even without a deep background in clinical research, the skills you bring to patient visits are the same ones you need in research. Dr. Kreher highlights leadership, humility, and communicating medical concepts in lay terms as the skills...

Having a well-oiled team is a crucial piece of any successful business. Medical practitioners running their own practices are no stranger to the impact of employee turnover. In this episode of the Prosperous Doc®, Shane Tenny, CFP®, speaks with Dr. Michael Neal about the importance of building a strong team and hiring and retaining the right people. 
Dr. Neal practices optometry alongside his wife, Dr. Amy Neal. When they first opened their practice, he began to experience the challenges of developing a team alongside a growing business.
“We were approaching hiring team members the wrong way. We were approaching it completely upside down. And unfortunately, we got the results that we deserved because of how we were approaching it,” Dr. Neal says about his first hiring challenges.
A desire to streamline the hiring process and evaluate candidates more effectively led Dr. Neal to develop assessments that determine a candidate's suitability for a role and their ability to learn quickly. These assessments are delivered via text message and filter out 97% of applicants, removing a significant administrative burden from the hiring process. This was the starting point of his other business venture, Build My Team, which delivers better people faster. 
Later in the episode, Shane and Dr. Neal discuss the benefits of bringing in a professional manager to oversee the operations of a medical practice. 
“It's the team that's providing the care for the bulk of [the time]. If you want to advance in healthcare, one of the ways to do it is to adopt that mindset and bring on these A players,” he says. 
💡 Featured Guest 💡Name: Dr. Michael Neal
What he does: As the Chief Executive Officer at Build My Team, Dr. Neal is the face of the company. He founded Build My Team as a result of his own practice’s hiring struggles.
Dr. Neal is a practicing optometrist alongside his wife, Dr. Amy Neal, at Lakeside Vision in picturesque Hawley, Pennsylvania. They are celebrating their 20th year of servicing patients in Northeast Pennsylvania. 
Company: Build My Team and Lakeside Vision
Words of wisdom: “I like to grow businesses. That's one of the things I get most excited about. We serve people, we grow, and do as good a job as possible.”
Connect: Website 
💰 On the Money 💰Top takeaways from this episode 
Resumes don’t do what you need them to do. Traditional interviews often leave candidates feeling intimidated and unable to showcase who they really are. Dr. Neal did not find success when relying on resumes as the primary tool for hiring, as they do not effectively assess a candidate's potential performance. A shift in approach puts the focus on identifying candidates who can excel in their roles based on their abilities.Streamline hiring with targeted assessments. Dr. Neal developed assessments for candidates to quickly determine their suitability for the role and how fast they can learn on the job. Candidates receive the assessment via text message after applying for a position. He shares that they now reject 97% of applicants. Select from a roster of A players. Build My Team streamlines the hiring process by writing and publishing the job description for the physician, screening applicants, and conducting one-way video interviews with promising candidates. This process reduces costs and saves hiring managers time. Hire candidates who are...

Physicians go to school to become physicians, right? Well, most of the time that’s true. Sometimes physicians go through all their many years of med school, residency, and fellowship to find that they’re actually more interested in research. Dr. Toyosi Onwuemene is one such physician, choosing to become a clinician researcher. And she thinks there’s room for more doctors like her.
“It's very obvious that there's a deficit now that I've done a little bit more research. As clinicians, because you're so immersed in patient care, you're reading the literature, you're interpreting the literature, there's a sense that you're aware of what research is needed, ” Dr. Onwuemene says in regards to moving from a clinician to a researcher. “You can interpret the research, but the gap we have is not recognized [is] how much really needs to come together to be able to be successful as a researcher.”
In this episode of the Prosperous Doc®, host Shane Tenny, CFP® welcomes Dr. Onwuemene to discuss her path to becoming a clinician scientist. Dr. Onwuemene views research as an exciting growth opportunity that feeds her curiosity to answer questions to help people improve their health. 
Recognizing there is a lack of mentors available to help guide clinicians to become clinician scientists, Dr. Onwuemene offers coaching to professionals in the field. She fills the gap for individuals who feel they lack the necessary training or mentoring to succeed in their research. Her ideal coaching client is someone who is early in their career and wants to move research forward but has the opportunity and the ability to lead their own experience. 
And if it’s not early in their career, it’s not too late. But sooner is better. “From the beginning, start with what you care about,” she says. 
💡 Featured Guest 💡Name: Dr. Toyosi Onwuemene
What she does: Toyosi Onwuemene, M.D. M.S. is an Associate Professor of Medicine-Hematology at Duke University School of Medicine and a coach, consultant, and speaker. She helps academic clinicians build research programs so that they can thrive in their careers while making a lasting impact. She also hosts two podcasts — Heme Consults for Women of Color in Hematology and Clinician Researcher.
Website: https://www.coagcoach.com/ 
Words of wisdom: “The work we do matters and being able to care for not just the person in front of us but generations beyond them is so powerful, and it's so impactful.”
Connect: LinkedIn | Instagram 
💰 On the Money 💰Top takeaways from this episode 
Research can take years to yield actionable results. Academic clinicians need to not only conduct research but also navigate manuscript writing, publication processes, and grant applications. Institutions need to provide protected time and resources for clinician training in research methodologies to allow clinicians to build their skills.Pursuing research can provide both excitement and personal growth opportunities. Despite having to navigate institutional support challenges, Dr. Onwuemene sees opportunity for clinical research to deliver growth and development. It’s a chance to answer impactful questions that can help a lot of people. Bring people to earlier diagnosis. Research gives the opportunity to...

Studies from the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) and Healthgrades have confirmed that patients overwhelmingly want their physician providers to not just be smart and technically astute, but to also show compassion, comfort, patience, personality, and bedside manner.
“The patient will never care how much you know until they know how much you care.” This quote aptly summarizes today’s episode of the Prosperous Doc®, where host Shane Tenny, CFP® welcomes Dr. Scott Abramson, a retired neurologist who practiced medicine for over 40 years with Kaiser Permanente in Northern California. Dr. Abramson is also the author of a book titled, Bedside Manners for Physicians and Everybody Else: What They Don't Teach in Medical School or Any Other School, which includes stories from his extensive medical experience and from coaching colleagues in the mission of physician communication. Tune in to hear Dr. Abramson talk about “bedside manner”, a central element of patient care. Dr. Abramson also shares his perspective and insights from years of training, including actionable communication tips, and practical takeaways. 
💡 Featured Guest 💡Name: Dr. Scott Abramson
What he does: Dr. Scott Abramson is a retired neurologist who practiced medicine for over 40 years with Kaiser Permanente in Northern California. He's also the author of the book, Bedside Manners for Physicians and Everybody Else: What They Don't Teach in Medical School or Any Other School. 
Dr. Abramson has been passionately involved in physician communication and physician wellness endeavors. While retired from neurology, Dr. Abramson remains actively engaged in these pursuits. He has conducted numerous workshops in these areas and has personally coached many physicians. He has developed programs on time management, physician-patient communication, marriage in medicine, burnout, the threatened physician, difficult conversations, storytelling, and his favorites: “The Secret of Happiness” and “What The Great Wisdom of Country Music Can Teach Physicians.” Dr. Abramson also has a YouTube website channel called Doctor Wisdom, where he shares insights and stories from his extensive experience and years of practice. 
Words of wisdom:  “My hope is that number one, you will develop a better connection with your patients because if they like you, they will connect with you. If they connect with you, they'll trust you. If they trust you, they're gonna follow your advice. If they follow your advice, they're gonna have a better outcome. Number one is better patient outcome. 
The second thing is better clinician outcome because when you connect with people, when you can do that on a human level and not just, you know, find it, fix it, explain it, go bye-bye, it brings such joy and meaning to your medical practice.”
Connect: LinkedIn | Website
💰 On the Money 💰Top takeaways from this episode 
Building connection can benefit patients as well as doctors. Feeling good about...

Dr. Christine Meyer’s negative experience working as an employed physician in poorly managed medical practices motivated her to become an independent doctor and launch her entrepreneurial career with her husband. The pair believed that they could provide better patient care through their own venture. 
“I think the movement towards value-based care in medicine has been tremendous and so enjoyable. I know a lot of people feel like it’s a grind, and it’s so hard to meet these metrics and earn these incentives. But what it has done for our practice is truly improve the quality of care that our patients receive,” Dr. Meyer says. 
In this episode of the Prosperous Doc®, host Shane Tenny, CFP®, welcomes Dr. Meyer to discuss the preservation of independent medical practices and the alarming changes in the medical landscape over the past decade, with many private practices disappearing or being acquired. 
In 2022, the American Medical Association found that wholly physician-owned practices had dropped from 60% a decade ago to just above 45%. 
Despite the challenges of running an independent practice, Dr. Meyer can attest to how rewarding it can be. In its early days, the practice was just her, two examining rooms, and a couple hundred patients. Today, her practice includes five physicians, 15 advanced practitioners, and a team of 55 with multiple buildings to support the more than 20,000 patients they are responsible for. 
“People probably think they need to have some sort of a business degree to run a successful medical practice, and you really don’t,” Dr. Meyer says. “I think it goes back to the patient experience. If you’re a physician and you went into medicine to provide patients with an excellent experience, you can run a successful medical practice.”
💡 Featured Guest 💡Name: Dr. Christine Meyer
What she does: Dr. Meyer is the founder and owner of Christine Meyer, MD and Associates. She was born and raised in New Jersey to first-generation Egyptian parents. She received her Bachelor’s Degree from Rutgers University and then went on to earn her Medical Degree from Hahnemann University School of Medicine (now Drexel University). Dr. Meyer then completed her Internal Medicine Residency at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital and is Board Certified in Internal Medicine. 
Company: Christine Meyer, MD and Associates 
Words of wisdom: “Private practice allows you to build a culture in your organization that you are proud to work in.”
Connect: Website 
💰 On the Money 💰Top takeaways from this episode 
Bad business management equates to bad patient care. When Dr. Meyer experienced frustration with poor management while working as an employed physician, she saw how poor business management trickled down to affect patients. This is why, when the opportunity arose to venture out on her own as an independent practice, she didn’t hesitate to make the switch. It takes time for a new practice to be sustainable. It took Dr. Meyer about three years to start to see steady and stable growth in her practice. In the early days, she focused on providing excellent care to the initial patients. As her finances got stronger, she was able to expand the team that was seeing patients, which is when the revenue really started to come in. You need to trust someone else with your patients. One of the significant inflection points for Dr. Meyer was bringing on more practitioners to allow the practice to scale. While her first nurse practitioner...

“Part of my identity was just being a doctor. I never thought I could do things outside of medicine,” says Dr. Michele Cho-Dorado, who wrote a children’s book about financial literacy and founded her own company to spread this knowledge to more children.
But Dr. Cho-Dorado didn’t start as an entrepreneur or financial literacy expert. Her own knowledge gap prompted the creative leap.
“I was about eight years into practice as an attending and already almost 40. And I just realized, at some point, despite all those years of medical school and training, I had received very little financial education,” Dr. Cho-Dorado explains. 
On this episode of the Prosperous Doc®, our host Shane Tenny, CFP® welcomes Dr. Michele Cho-Dorado, a pediatric gastroenterologist, Medical Director, author of the children’s book Reach for the Stars, and founder of Bright Futures EDG, which strives to educate and empower children through money knowledge.
Dr. Cho-Dorado speaks about her immigrant parents and her upbringing, her work ethic and perseverance, and how, despite it all, she found herself in the dark about money and what to do with it. She set out to become more money savvy and, in doing so, opened the door for personal growth and even more success.
Tune in to hear about how Dr. Cho-Dorado took charge of her finances, learned more about creating wealth for herself, and now shares this knowledge with today’s youth.
💡 Featured Guest 💡Name: Dr. Michele Cho-Dorado
What she does: Dr. Michele Cho-Dorado is a pediatric gastroenterologist, Medical Director, and author of the children’s book “Reach for the Stars.” Michele is the founder of Bright Futures EDG, which serves as a platform to share about financial literacy and empower kids to be bold and to think big.
Company: Bright Futures EDG
Words of wisdom: “Just because I didn't know about it before, doesn’t mean I cannot learn and master it.”
Connect: LinkedIn
💰 On the Money 💰Top takeaways from this episode 
Don’t pigeonhole yourself in your work. Dr. Cho-Dorado always considered herself just a doctor. When she became curious about her money and how to make better financial decisions, she got creative. Following those interests and creative drives led Dr. Cho-Dorado to become an author and entrepreneur. Make your money work for you. Physicians typically make good money. Dr. Cho-Dorado learned about different asset classes and how to make her money work for her rather than strictly working for money. In addition to the stock market, she learned about real estate investments, as well as mutual funds, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), and bonds.Teach your kids about money. Shane and Dr. Cho-Dorado discuss practical tips for teaching kids about money. They include being transparent, talking about all things money, introducing concepts, and demonstrating the behaviors and concepts that you are teaching.
⚡ Prosperous Insights ⚡[02:56] A late start: Dr. Cho-Dorado shares how she came to write a children’s book about financial literacy while having a professional background in medicine. 
[08:13] Environmental factors: Whether you grew up with money or were raised in a house where money was scarce, there are always financial messages being taught or picked up. Dr....