Q: What’s the worst advice you ever received?
A: Always practice defensive medicine because, if you don’t, you will get sued.
Q: Have you tried to mentor others? Why or why not?
A: I have mentored several medical students because I feel it is important to give back to the next generation.
Q: What’s the biggest change you’ve seen in HM in your career?
A: More paperwork.
Q: What’s the biggest change you would like to see in HM?
A: Decreasing paperwork.
Q: What aspect of patient care is most rewarding?
A: Connecting with patients.
Q: What is your biggest professional challenge?
A: Leaving a hospital because of poor administrative processes, especially when the hospitalist group is excellent to work with.
Q: What is your biggest professional reward?
A: Being able to work with and learn from other hospitalists.
Q: Outside of patient care, tell us about your career interests.
A: I have a passion for locum tenens hospitalist medicine. I enjoy practicing in different types of communities across the country, and I enjoy teaching others to do the same. I also enjoy consulting hospitals about how to improve their hospitalist systems. Telemedicine platform consultation has also become one of my interests.
Q: Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
A: Retired.
Q: What’s next professionally?
A: I enjoy practicing global medicine. My next destination is Cambodia in October. I’d like to increase the number of global medicine trips I do per year. I also have a very strong interest in integrative holistic medicine and am excited about expanding my practice in the coming year.
Q: What’s the best book you’ve read recently? Why?
A: Fortify Your Life, a book about supplements.
Q: How many Apple products (phones, iPods, tablets, iTunes, etc.) do you interface with in a given week?
A: iPhone and MacBook on a daily basis.
Q: What impact do you feel devices like those just mentioned have had on HM? And medicine in a broader sense?
A: I use them for electronic health records.
Q: What’s your favorite social network? Do you use it at all for work or professional development?
A: Instagram, but not for work.
Richard Quinn is a freelance writer in New Jersey.