It's time for a change.
The practice of medicine has evolved in the past 10 years. I began in General Surgery where I have felt my most true calling. After spending several years in the practice of General Surgery I began to realize that if I wanted to be as financially secure as I desired I would not be able to spend time watching my children grow up. It was in this mindset that I was convinced finding a niche surgical practice, whose primary source of revenue was non-insurance related, would be desirable.
I spent considerable time and energies learning the trade through what I know was the best educational experience. What I didn't consider at the time was that the market for Cosmetic Surgery could become super-saturated over a very short period of time. This led me to play let's make a deal and I began to feel that some patients were coming only because I was low bid and not because they valued my surgical abilities.
I must also say that Cosmetic Surgery is a very expensive business. There are many additional expenses including advertising and consumables that at times are quite difficult to quantify in terms of ROI. I must say that I've discerned that this large overhead and over-saturated market has left me with the decision to return to my roots.
As such I will be closing my Cosmetic Surgery and elective General Surgery practice on December 1, 2007. I have taken a position with Desert Trauma Surgeons, Inc. (DTS) as a Trauma/Emergency Surgery surgeon. DTS works out of Desert Regional Medical Center the Coachella Valley's only Level 2 Trauma Center. I have come the realize that this will be my niche surgical practice. I forsee with University of California, Riverside's new School of Medicine, a hospital based surgical practice, especially one based in trauma, will be positioned well to become a core surgical residency rotation.
I wish my staff and my patients all the best and I hope your futures are bright.