I've posted previously about considering leaving EM due to a back injury - I had a very successful disc replacement surgery 4.5 years ago, and that in of itself is a non-issue, save for my inability to get LTD at a rate that makes any sense.
what IS an issue, however, is that I have a lung problem leading to recurrent and increasingly severe bouts of pneumonia. may or may not be related to newly diagnosed connective tissue disorder. yeah, never going to qualify for ANY individual LTD even at jacked up rates once ehlers-danlos type IV (hypermobility type) is in my chart, which it is. i've been out of work for 6 weeks due to complications from a bilateral bacterial and viral pneumonia.
the writing is on the wall that my 5-7 year plan to get out of community EM needs to have its timeline shortened. my original plan was to transition into academia in some capacity, likely via hospice or teaching fellowship.
there is nothing i enjoy about EM more than caring for patients - i am a fierce patient advocate, am bilingual in Spanish, and have won patient satisfaction awards. in short - this is breaking my heart.
as i look at future plans, however... hard to imagine how to get a CV together to do say a health policy fellowship when i finished residency in 2009 with NO spectacular features. I wish i could say i'm on strong financial ground, but the back situation cost me $250k easily. just now out of that debt.
I post this because I am hoping one of you either has gone through something similar, or knows someone who has. I am horribly, horribly afraid of what may happen the next time I contract a nasty viral URI or have pneumococcal pna for the then 3rd time. I know of folks doing insurance chart reviews, which is drying up and sounds like torture to me.
I am reasonably skilled and interested in informatics, sports med, hospice, health policy/advocacy, tox (though nonclinical or minimally clinical jobs are rare), would have no issue returning to school for a 2nd degree but would need to take a temp job for serious, serious bank.
(if anyone knows of a place paying beaucoups $$$... i may be interested, even if it sucks. i need a parachute!)
what IS an issue, however, is that I have a lung problem leading to recurrent and increasingly severe bouts of pneumonia. may or may not be related to newly diagnosed connective tissue disorder. yeah, never going to qualify for ANY individual LTD even at jacked up rates once ehlers-danlos type IV (hypermobility type) is in my chart, which it is. i've been out of work for 6 weeks due to complications from a bilateral bacterial and viral pneumonia.
the writing is on the wall that my 5-7 year plan to get out of community EM needs to have its timeline shortened. my original plan was to transition into academia in some capacity, likely via hospice or teaching fellowship.
there is nothing i enjoy about EM more than caring for patients - i am a fierce patient advocate, am bilingual in Spanish, and have won patient satisfaction awards. in short - this is breaking my heart.
as i look at future plans, however... hard to imagine how to get a CV together to do say a health policy fellowship when i finished residency in 2009 with NO spectacular features. I wish i could say i'm on strong financial ground, but the back situation cost me $250k easily. just now out of that debt.
I post this because I am hoping one of you either has gone through something similar, or knows someone who has. I am horribly, horribly afraid of what may happen the next time I contract a nasty viral URI or have pneumococcal pna for the then 3rd time. I know of folks doing insurance chart reviews, which is drying up and sounds like torture to me.
I am reasonably skilled and interested in informatics, sports med, hospice, health policy/advocacy, tox (though nonclinical or minimally clinical jobs are rare), would have no issue returning to school for a 2nd degree but would need to take a temp job for serious, serious bank.
(if anyone knows of a place paying beaucoups $$$... i may be interested, even if it sucks. i need a parachute!)
