Practice on Purpose | Episode 8
Healing the “Us vs. Them” Mentality with Stu Schaff
Welcome to Practice on Purpose, where physicians can explore how to set up their career on purpose from the very beginning to stay connected to their purpose for their entire career. Today we’re talking about the “Us vs Them” mentality that many medical professionals and medical administrators feel towards each other and how to change that narrative. Our guest is Stu Schaff, a physician compensation expert helping to make great medical groups even better through his work as the founder and principal of Intentionate Healthcare Advisors. Stu shares invaluable insights on bridging the gap between physicians and administrators, emphasizing the importance of clear expectations, mutual respect, and effective communication.
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Chapters
- 0:00:05 – You are listening to practice on purpose, where physicians can explore how to set up their career on purpose (intro).
- 0:01:10 – I’m seeing physicians feeling like administrators don’t care about them.
- 0:02:30 – There’s a growing trend of physicians leaving healthcare due to burnout.
- 0:07:35 – It’s common in healthcare to have bosses who don’t understand your specialty.
- 0:09:08 – What do physicians need to really connect within themselves before they look for a job?
- 0:12:35 – Consider what kind of life you want first, then look for the job.
- 0:18:06 – When you got to your first job, what do you think was most important to you then?
- 0:20:29 – There are four questions physicians need to answer when thinking about joining a practice. Are you sure you want to work for this practice given what you know about the culture?
- 0:21:50 – The second question is, are you clear about what will be expected of you in the job?
- 0:24:18 – The third question is, are you clear on what you’ll earn and how you can earn more?
- 0:28:11 – The fourth question is, have you asked all questions and received acceptable answers?
- 0:30:10 – Many medical professionals haven’t had a real job.
- 0:33:26 – If you’re an early career professional physician, you’re about to negotiate an employment contract, how do you keep that us vs. them trap at bay?
- 0:34:35 – Having a clear sense of what you’re asking for in a negotiation is important.
- 0:38:51 – Take time to invest in relationships, and that’s ultimately how we improve care.
- 0:41:00 – Always assume good intent and always assume that the other person means well.
- 0:42:51 – What is your greatest passion or purpose, and how do you stay connected when things get tough?
- 0:45:37 – This episode focuses on the us vs. them mentality (outro).