Podcasts about docs outside

SEND US A TEXT MESSAGE!!! Let Drs. Nii & Renee know what you think about the show!Dr. Brittne Halford, co-host of Wealth-Minded MD podcast, joins us at Docs Outside the Box Podcast to reveal how she paid off $138,000 in student loan debt in less than three years while still traveling and investing. We also share our story on how we paid off $662k of student loan debt in 3 years. For physicians struggling with student loan repayment, tune in to learn how to take control of your financial destiny. We Discuss:0:00 Introduction03:13 Dr. Brittne's journey, family and background.07:46 How much debt Dr. Brittne had after Med school & Residency.10:09 Being savvy and smart with paying your debt. 14:32 How to survive residency + pay debt at the same time.18:50 Investing and the necessity of building habits early.20:57 Paying off debt as a couple.28:19 How we paid off $662k of student loan debt in 3 years.31:09 How Dr. Brittne consistently paid off her debt as an attending.36:06 Real estate investments.37:03 PSLF uncertainties and advice on handling debt as a resident.44:20 Having a plan and goal when paying off debt.FREE DOWNLOAD -  7 Considerations Before Starting Locum Tenens - https://darkos.lpages.co/7-considerations-before-locumsLINKS MENTIONED Wealth-Minded MD podcast Website - http://Wealthmindedmd.comQ&A and Suggestions Form - https://forms.clickup.com/9010110533/f/8cgpr25-4614/PEBFZN5LA6FKEIXTWFSend us a Voice Message - https://www.speakpipe.com/docsoutsidetheboxSIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER! https://darkos.lpages.co/newsletter-signup/ WATCH THIS EPISODE ON YOUTUBE!Have a question for the podcast?Text us at 833-230-2860Twitter: @drniidarkoInstagram: @docsoutsidetheboxEmail: team@drniidarko.comMerch: https://docs-outside-the-box.creator-spring.com

SEND US A TEXT MESSAGE!!! Let Drs. Nii & Renee know what you think about the show!Joining Nii on this episode of Docs Outside the Box is James Dockery who brings over 40 years of diversified legal experience to this discussion on the benefits of hiring a lawyer to review and negotiate physician contracts. Dockery is a UNC School of Law graduate and is a labor and employment expert and former judge advocate in the US Air Force.  Things to expect in this episode:The difference between negotiating and reviewing a contractThe cost of hiring a lawyer to review or negotiate a contractMistakes physicians make when attempting to negotiate their own contactHow to vet a lawyerNegotiating more than just the salary, including bonusesGuest Contact Information:Email: jdockery@doclawgroup.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-dockery-2829986/WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!!!!TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO HEAR ON FUTURE EPISODES!!!!FILL OUT THE DOCS OUTSIDE THE BOX PODCAST SURVEY (in partnership w INCROWD)INCROWDMAKE EXTRA MONEY AS A RESIDENT OR ATTENDING - COMPLETE MEDICAL SURVEYS WITH INCROWDWATCH THIS EPISODE ON YOUTUBE!Join our communityText word PODCAST to 833-230-2860Instagram: @docsoutsidetheboxLinkedIn: Nii-Daako DarkoTikTok: @docsoutsidetheboxEmail: team@drniidarko.comThis episode is edited by: Your Podcast PalThis episode was sponsored byProvider Solutions & Development

On this episode, Dr. Renee and Nii talk Origins of Docs Outside the Box PodcastDid you get into medicine to be broke?Biggest a-ha moments over the last 10 years of practiceDr. Renee realized how hard it was to focus on marriage vs her career aspirations.Dr. Nii talks about the hardest part of medicineDocs Outside the Box Podcast is about lifestyleWATCH THIS EPISODE ON YOUTUBE!Join our communityText word PODCAST to 833-230-2860Twitter: @drniidarkoInstagram: @docsoutsidetheboxEmail: team@drniidarko.comPodcasting Course: www.docswhopodcast.comMerch: https://docs-outside-the-box.creator-spring.comThe episode is sponsored by:Set For Life Insurance. What the Darkos use for great disability insurance at a low cost!! Check them out at www.setforlifeinsurance.com

Drs. Nii and Renée announce their latest video series, Docs for Hire, a collaboration with Locumstory.com that takes an up close and personal glimpse into Renée's job search that led her to locums. The docs also comment on Donald Glover's GQ interview and introduce the Docs Outside the Box Magic Mirror segment, an opportunity to shout out other doctors succeeding outside the realm of medicine. Things to expect in this episode:Drs. Nii and Renée congratulate LSU on their 2023 NCAA National Championship Inspired by Donald Glover's GQ interview, Dr. Nii explores the blessings in rejections, as he looks back on the closed doors in his career path. The doctors congratulate Urologist Dr. Fenwa Milhouse on her new TLC series, Dr. Down BelowOrthopedic Surgeon Dr. David Burgess, who took Dr. Nii's Ten Steps to Podcasting course, celebrates his 100th podcast episodeThe doctors explore the ramifications of Envision Healthcare, a popular physician staffing company, not hitting their numbers.PBS's Age of Easy Money (full documentary) | FRONTLINEWE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!!!! TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO HEAR ON FUTURE EPISODES!!!!FILL OUT THE DOCS OUTSIDE THE BOX PODCAST SURVEY (in partnership w INCROWD)INCROWDMAKE EXTRA MONEY AS A RESIDENT OR ATTENDING - COMPLETE MEDICAL SURVEYS WITH INCROWDWATCH THIS EPISODE ON YOUTUBE!Join our communityText word PODCAST to 833-230-2860Twitter: @drniidarkoInstagram: @drniidarkoEmail: team@drniidarko.comPodcasting Course: www.docswhopodcast.comMerch: https://docs-outside-the-box.creator-spring.comThis episode is edited by:Your Podcast PalThis episode is sponsored by Locumstory. Learn how locum tenens helps doctors make more and have the lifestyle they deserve!. Check them out HERE!Set For Life Insurance. What the Darkos use for great disability insurance at a low cost!! Check them out at www.setforlifeinsurance.com

 On this episode we are thrilled to interview Dr. Nii Darko also known on his podcast “Docs Outside the Box” as Dr. Nii.  He will tell us about why he started podcasting as well as how he chose the specialty of Trauma Surgery.  He will explain what Locum Tenens work is and why he feels it fits his life and goals.   Dr. Darko will discuss his journey from Lehigh University  to Kansas City College of Osteopathic Medicine  and how he persevered in obtaining a general surgery residency at Morehouse followed by a prestigious Trauma Fellowship at the Ryder Trauma Center at the University of Miami.  Dr. Nii speaks about  his pride in being an osteopathic physician and how seriously he takes  being a role model to  minority pre-medical students and physicians.  We Know you will enjoy this episode.

Drs. Nii and Renée meet up in the Docs Outside the Box studio to talk about the big money in Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) deals, plus other advantages kids of the rich and famous have in life. The doctors also respond to Textiful questions and comments from listeners ranging from book recommendations to investment and money habits for residents to the insurance options available to doctors working as independent contractors.  Things to expect in this episode:High school basketball player Bronny James, the son of NBA superstar LeBron James, is making millions in NIL deals The advantages of kids with successful parents, NEPO kids and moreJamar gives a book recommendation via Textiful that explores social media as a distraction.Dr. Nii gives Dr. Renée a round of applause for her nearly six-week T25 workout achievementThe doctors file an extension for their business taxes, 1099s and moreWE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!!!! TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO HEAR ON FUTURE EPISODES!!!!FILL OUT THE DOCS OUTSIDE THE BOX PODCAST SURVEY (in partnership w INCROWD)INCROWDMAKE EXTRA MONEY AS A RESIDENT OR ATTENDING - COMPLETE MEDICAL SURVEYS WITH INCROWDWATCH THIS EPISODE ON YOUTUBE!Join our communityText word PODCAST to 833-230-2860Twitter: @drniidarkoInstagram: @drniidarkoEmail: team@drniidarko.comPodcasting Course: www.docswhopodcast.comMerch: https://docs-outside-the-box.creator-spring.comThis episode is edited by:Your Podcast PalThis episode is sponsored by Locumstory. Learn how locum tenens helps doctors make more and have the lifestyle they deserve!. Check them out HERE!

Drs. Nii and Renée are back in the Docs Outside the Box studio to dish on Chris Rock's highly anticipated Super Bowl of comedy shows, ‘Selective Outrage', Netflix's first live global event. The doctors also discuss their first syndication deal, and the latest news and statistics on the recent Match.  Things to expect in this episode:The doctors give Chris Rock's much anticipated comedy show a B gradeDrs. Nii and Renée are excited about their first syndication deal, an 88-unit apartment complex in Wichita, KansasSyndications 101 - investors, silent investors, sponsors, property management, tax benefits, attorneys and selling Congrats to those who did and didn't match, social media stories, plus Leah and Sam's Textiful message re. couple's matchingAdvice and strategies for those who didn't match, plus the algorithms, trends and outlook on specialtiesEpisode 324Episode 325Bryan Carmody TweetWE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!!!! TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO HEAR ON FUTURE EPISODES!!!!FILL OUT THE DOCS OUTSIDE THE BOX PODCAST SURVEY (in partnership w INCROWD)INCROWDMAKE EXTRA MONEY AS A RESIDENT OR ATTENDING - COMPLETE MEDICAL SURVEYS WITH INCROWDWATCH THIS EPISODE ON YOUTUBE!Join our communityText word PODCAST to 833-230-2860Twitter: @drniidarkoInstagram: @drniidarkoEmail: team@drniidarko.comPodcasting Course: www.docswhopodcast.comMerch: https://docs-outside-the-box.creator-spring.comThis episode is edited by:Your Podcast PalThis episode is sponsored by Locumstory. Learn how locum tenens helps doctors make more and have the lifestyle they deserve!. Check them out HERE!

We're trying something new, y'all! This is the trailer for the first episode of our reality TV series, Doctors for Hire.  ▶️ WATCH IT HERE ON YOUTUBE! Give us a

In this episode of Docs Outside the Box Dr. Nii lays out his plan to read a new book a month in 2023, and discusses how he selected each of the twelve titles. Included in his selections are How to Win Friends and Influence People, Heavy: An American Memoir, Building a Second Brain and How to Be an Antiracist. Renée shares her own book choices, including Michelle Obama's, The Light We Carry, and the doctors respond to a Textiful question from two third-year KCU medical students. Things to expect in this episode:Dr. Renée scats to Nii's dismayThird-year medical students, Leah and Sam, inquire about couple matching for residencyThe doctors share their book list for 2023, and float the possibility of starting a DOTB book clubDr. Nii shares how he anticipates the book, So Good They Can't Ignore You, will relate to his own personal struggle balancing his passion for podcasting with his work as a surgeon.Dr. Chambers, The Period Doctor, freezes her eggs and Dr. Renée shares her own IVF experienceDrs. Nii and Renée's Book Reading List for 2023:So Good They Can't Ignore You: Why Skills Trump Passion in the Quest for Work You LoveThe Pathless Path: Imagining a New Story for Work and Life by Paul MillerdSomeday is Today: 22 Simple, Actionable Ways to Propel Your Creative Life by Matthew DicksThe Way of the Superior Man: A Spiritual Guide to Mastering the Challenges of Women, Work and Sexual Desire by David Deida$100M Offers: How To Make Offers So Good People Feel Stupid Saying No by Alex HormoziWhite Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism by Robin J. DiAngeloHow to be an Antiracist by Ibram X KendiHeavy: An American Memoir by Kiese LaymonHow to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale CarnegieBuilding a Second Brain: A Proven Method to Organize Your Digital Life and Unlock Your Creative Potential by Tiago ForteHomegoing: A Novel by Yaa GyasiThe Miracle Morning: The Not-So-Obvious Secret Guaranteed to Transform Your Life (Before 8 AM) by Hal ElrodThe Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times by Michelle ObamaI, Too, Cry Purple Tears by Dr. Brooke M. MobleyWE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!!!! TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO HEAR ON FUTURE EPISODES!!!!FILL OUT THE DOCS OUTSIDE THE BOX PODCAST SURVEY (in partnership w INCROWD)INCROWDMAKE EXTRA MONEY AS A RESIDENT OR ATTENDING - COMPLETE MEDICAL SURVEYS WITH INCROWDWATCH THIS EPISODE ON YOUTUBE!Join our communityText word PODCAST to 833-230-2860Twitter: @drniidarkoInstagram: @drniidarkoEmail: team@drniidarko.comPodcasting Course: www.docswhopodcast.comMerch: https:

The medical community worldwide has been rocked by the news that ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence (AI) program, passed the U.S. Medical Licensing Examination, Steps 1, 2, and 3. Early investigations suggest that the program could be used in clinical decision-making. In this latest episode of Docs Outside the Box, Drs. Nii and Renée discuss the recent findings, its potential impact on medical practice, education and research, as well as the effects of bias in these systems. Things to expect in this episode:Renée's keynote address on DEI, plus Renée and Nii clash on Childish GambinoListener response to episode 343, the third year medical student who dropped outAI in medical education, both for the patient and the medical studentIs artificial intelligence a threat to doctors? Skill versus knowledgeResearch on the impact of bias in artificial intelligence exploredhttps://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.12.19.22283643v1https://www.vice.com/en/article/akebwe/chatgpt-is-passing-the-tests-required-for-medical-licenses-and-business-degreeshttps://levity.ai/blog/ai-bias-how-to-avoidWE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!!!! TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO HEAR ON FUTURE EPISODES!!!!FILL OUT THE DOCS OUTSIDE THE BOX PODCAST SURVEY (in partnership w INCROWD)INCROWDMAKE EXTRA MONEY AS A RESIDENT OR ATTENDING - COMPLETE MEDICAL SURVEYS WITH INCROWDWATCH THIS EPISODE ON YOUTUBE!Join our communityText word PODCAST to 833-230-2860Twitter: @drniidarkoInstagram: @drniidarkoEmail: team@drniidarko.comPodcasting Course: www.docswhopodcast.comMerch: https://docs-outside-the-box.creator-spring.comThis episode is edited by:Your Podcast PalThis episode is sponsored by Set For Life Insurance. What the Darkos use for great disability insurance at a low cost!! Check them out at www.setforlifeinsurance.com

RVA baby, a holistic concierge practice for newborns, was born out of pediatrician Dr. Janet West's passion for caring for infants and moms in the early months following birth. In this Docs Outside the Box episode Dr. Nii converses with Dr. West about her journey from a burned out medical director to a creator of a new model of pediatric care that encompasses the whole family. Things to expect in this episode:Dr. West's journey from MD to MBA to Founder of RVA BabyRVA Baby, from burnout to practicing what she loves most about medicineThe RVA Baby model, plus clientele, insurance and affordabilityHow other pediatricians respond to her model of carePassion, risk, profitability and future growth plansGuest Contact Information:Website: www.myrvababy.comEmail: whatsnext@myrvababy.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/myrvababy/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/myrvababyLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/janet-west-md-mba-37a42678/WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!!!! TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO HEAR ON FUTURE EPISODES!!!!FILL OUT THE DOCS OUTSIDE THE BOX PODCAST SURVEY (in partnership w INCROWD)INCROWDMAKE EXTRA MONEY AS A RESIDENT OR ATTENDING - COMPLETE MEDICAL SURVEYS WITH INCROWDWATCH THIS EPISODE ON YOUTUBE! Join our communityText word PODCAST to 833-230-2860 Twitter: @drniidarkoInstagram: @drniidarkoEmail: team@drniidarko.com Podcasting Course: www.docswhopodcast.comMerch: https://docs-outside-the-box.creator-spring.com This episode is edited by:Your Podcast PalThis episode is sponsored by Locumstory. Learn how locum tenens helps doctors make more and have the lifestyle they deserve! Check them out HERE!

The Physician Philosopher, Dr. Jimmy Turner, returns to Docs Outside the Box, to discuss his latest book, Determined: How Burned Out Doctors Can Thrive in a Broken Medical System. Bringing his own personal insight and experience with burnout as well as a mountain of evidence-based psychological studies, Dr. Turner explains the systemic problems within the healthcare system and, most importantly, how doctors can become self-determined practicing physicians within it. Things to expect in this episode:From burnout to his latest book, DeterminedTransitioning from Trading Time for Money to Working Less for MoneyThe difference between burnout and moral injury, plus the thrive story on the other side The healthcare continuum, profit over people versus people over profitThe answers to perfectionism and other cognitive distortionsGuest Contact Information:Website: https://thephysicianphilosopher.com/Email: editor@thephysicianphilosopher.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/tpp_md/Twitter: https://twitter.com/tpp_mdFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/PhysicianPhilosopher/WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!!!! TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO HEAR ON FUTURE EPISODES!!!!FILL OUT THE DOCS OUTSIDE THE BOX PODCAST SURVEY (in partnership w INCROWD)INCROWDMAKE EXTRA MONEY AS A RESIDENT OR ATTENDING - COMPLETE MEDICAL SURVEYS WITH INCROWDWATCH THIS EPISODE ON YOUTUBE! Join our communityText word PODCAST to 833-230-2860 Twitter: @drniidarkoInstagram: @drniidarkoEmail: team@drniidarko.com Podcasting Course: www.docswhopodcast.comMerch: https://docs-outside-the-box.creator-spring.com This episode is edited by:Your Podcast PalThis episode is sponsored by Provider Solutions & Development. Experts in holistic career coaching – check them out HERETwitter: @PSDConnectsFacebook: @PSDConnectsLinkedIN: Provider Solutions & Development

The topic of this week's Docs Outside the Box is “Don't be a Broke Retired Doctor”, number eight of the “Eleven Money Traps that Keep Doctors Burned Out” series. In this episode Drs. Nii and Renée discuss the importance of investing in retirement plans early on, so that later in life, when and how a doctor retires, is their choice. Things to expect in this episode:Renée's Good Morning America debut gets bumped for Brittney GrinerDo doctors continue to work late in life because they can't afford to retire, or because they love their work?Why doctors are at a 10-year disadvantage for retirement plan investmentChoosing funds for your 401k or 403b, stocks, bonds, REITS and IRAsAssessing expense ratios, the expenses involved in investingWE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!!!! TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO HEAR ON FUTURE EPISODES!!!!FILL OUT THE DOCS OUTSIDE THE BOX PODCAST SURVEY (in partnership w INCROWD)INCROWDMAKE EXTRA MONEY AS A RESIDENT OR ATTENDING - COMPLETE MEDICAL SURVEYS WITH INCROWDWATCH THIS EPISODE ON YOUTUBE! Join our communityText word PODCAST to 833-230-2860 Twitter: @drniidarkoInstagram: @drniidarkoEmail: team@drniidarko.com Podcasting Course: www.docswhopodcast.comMerch: https://docs-outside-the-box.creator-spring.com This episode is edited by:Your Podcast PalThis episode is sponsored by Locumstory. Learn how locum tenens helps doctors make more and have the lifestyle they deserve!. Check them out HERE!

Since childhood Dr. Renée wanted to be a pediatrician. In college she narrowed it down to pediatric endocrinology. However, during her fourth in medical school, while doing rounds, she realized that Obstetrics and Gynecology was her true calling. On this episode of Docs Outside the Box Dr. Renée sits in the guest seat while Dr. Nii walks her through her journey to becoming an OB/GYN hospitalist. Things to expect in this episode:The risk and reward of pivoting from Pediatrics to Obstetrics and GynecologyMedical school experiences, including becoming class president & SNMAShadowing and rotations, plus deciding on and applying for residenciesRenée's perspective on whether or not men should be OB/GYNsTakeaways for students and residents, including The Sunken Cost FallacyWE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!!!! TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO HEAR ON FUTURE EPISODES!!!!FILL OUT THE DOCS OUTSIDE THE BOX PODCAST SURVEY (in partnership w INCROWD)INCROWDMAKE EXTRA MONEY AS A RESIDENT OR ATTENDING - COMPLETE MEDICAL SURVEYS WITH INCROWDWATCH THIS EPISODE ON YOUTUBE! Join our communityText word PODCAST to 833-230-2860 Twitter: @drniidarkoInstagram: @drniidarkoEmail: team@drniidarko.com Podcasting Course: www.docswhopodcast.comMerch: https://docs-outside-the-box.creator-spring.com This episode is edited by:Your Podcast PalThis episode is sponsored by Locumstory. Learn how locum tenens helps doctors make more and have the lifestyle they deserve!. Check them out HERE!

Getting an education and going off to college is supposed to be an exciting and hopeful time in your life. But, for most people, it also comes with student loan debt.That's what happened to Drs. Renée and Nii Darko who had $700,00 of student loan debt a couple of years after graduating college. The debt seemed like a burden they would have to deal with for decades. After realizing that they would spend close to $1.2 million repaying their debt if sticking with the minimum payment, they decided to take a different approach.With strategy, discipline, and sacrifice, they paid $700,000 worth of debt in 3 years. Dr. Renée and Nii created a plan. They focused on earning extra money outside of their main job as physicians, improving how they managed their income, and making money work for them - so that they would pay off their debt, build wealth and live life on their terms.In this episode, Dr. Renée and Nii Darko discuss:How they accumulated $700,000 of debt and how they paid it off in 3 yearsDebt deferment & how their debt grew by $100k in interest alone in a few yearsHow they became more intentional with their moneyTheir IVF journey Designing a wealthy life on their termsHow they implemented out-of-the-box side hustles like:“Docs Outside the Box” PodcastIndependent contracting businessHow they are investing to build wealth for the futureTips to have a successful work relationship with your spouseIf you enjoyed today's episode, here's what you can do to support me and help more Dreamers discover the podcast:Leave a review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts. I read every single review. I will select one review to read on the podcast every month.Follow the podcast, so you never miss an episode: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | iHeart Radio | Amazon Music | Listen NotesShare the podcast with your family, friends, and co-workers.Tag the podcast on Instagram @thedreamers.podcast and let me know what you like about it.Would you rather watch this episode? Go to our YouTube channel to enjoy the video version. And while you're at it, click the bell to subscribe so you can get notified when a new episode comes out.Dreamers' Wealth of Wisdom: I figured if I'm going to build a life with a person, then, part of that life is going to include the resources that we have together. - Dr. Renée DarkoSo we were actually broke. And that really pushed us to be more intentional with our money—to actually start budgeting instead of doing this mental math in our heads. - Dr. Renée DarkoConnect with Anne-Lyse:Website InstagramInstagram (Personal) 

Joining Nii on this episode of Docs Outside the Box is James Dockery who brings over 40 years of diversified legal experience to this discussion on the benefits of hiring a lawyer to review and negotiate physician contracts. Dockery is a UNC School of Law graduate and is a labor and employment expert and former judge advocate in the US Air Force.   Things to expect in this episode:The difference between negotiating and reviewing a contractThe cost of hiring a lawyer to review or negotiate a contractMistakes physicians make when attempting to negotiate their own contactHow to vet a lawyerNegotiating more than just the salary, including bonusesGuest Contact Information:Email: jdockery@doclawgroup.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-dockery-2829986/WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!!!! TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO HEAR ON FUTURE EPISODES!!!!FILL OUT THE DOCS OUTSIDE THE BOX PODCAST SURVEY (in partnership w INCROWD)INCROWDMAKE EXTRA MONEY AS A RESIDENT OR ATTENDING - COMPLETE MEDICAL SURVEYS WITH INCROWDWATCH THIS EPISODE ON YOUTUBE! Join our communityText word PODCAST to 833-230-2860 Twitter: @drniidarkoInstagram: @drniidarkoEmail: team@drniidarko.com Podcasting Course: www.docswhopodcast.comMerch: https://docs-outside-the-box.creator-spring.com This episode is edited by: Your Podcast PalThis episode is sponsored by Provider Solutions & Development. Experts in holistic career coaching – check them out HERETwitter: @PSDConnectsFacebook: @PSDConnectsLinkedIN: Provider Solutions & Development

Dr. Nii returns with Eric McGlothen with Money Tip #2: How to Vet a Great CPA in this Docs Outside the Box special tax series. Eric is a CPA and CEO of Eric McGlothen, LLC. In this episode, Nii and Eric discuss how to find and build a relationship with a CPA, the obligations that both the client and the CPA must meet, and the reasonable expectations that must be met.Things to expect in this episode:Referrals, plus discerning whether a potential CPA is reactive or proactive The importance for clients to provide their CPA with as much information as possible CPAs and tax planningGuest Contact Information:Website: https://www.emac-cpa.com/Email: info@ericmcglothenllc.comTwitter: @emaccpaFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Eric-McGlothen-LLC-CPA/100063691114849/Phone: (404) 946-1855Youtube Show: Level Up with Eric McGlothenWE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!!!! FILL OUT THE DOCS OUTSIDE THE BOX PODCAST SURVEY (in partnership w INCROWD)INCROWDMAKE EXTRA MONEY AS A RESIDENT OR ATTENDING - COMPLETE MEDICAL SURVEYS WITH INCROWDWATCH THIS EPISODE ON YOUTUBE! Join our communityText word PODCAST to 833-230-2860 Twitter: @drniidarkoInstagram: @drniidarkoEmail: team@drniidarko.com Podcasting Course: www.docswhopodcast.comMerch: https://docs-outside-the-box.creator-spring.com This episode is edited by: Your Podcast PalThis episode is sponsored by:Locumstory. Learn how locum tenens helps doctors make more and have the lifestyle they deserve! Check them out HERE!Set For Life Insurance. What the Darkos use for great disability insurance at a low cost!! Check them out at www.setforlifeinsurance.com

Locum tenens is a family affair for Dr. Nii Darko and his physician wife. We talk about how he balances a two-physician household with two young kids and what motivated him to start the Docs Outside the Box podcast. Learn more about Dr. Darko at https://drniidarko.com/.

In this Docs Outside the Box episode, Nii and Renée take on two hot-button topics - abortion and gun violence. In the wake of the overturning of Roe v Wade and Uvalde, they explore the consequences for women who are denied abortions and the impact of gun violence on children and teens in our country. They also tackle the lesser known and understood issue of the disproportionate number of black residents that are dismissed from their medical programs and whether it is an admission or systemic problem. Nii and Renée unpack the studies that look at these issues.Things to expect in this episode:Nii and Renée's professional and personal experience and outlook on the overturning of Roe v WadeA discussion of the Turnaway Study that followed 1000 women, over a decade, who sought an abortion in 21 statesThe professional implications of the overturning of Roe v Wade for doctors to medically treat pregnant womenThe impact and effects of gun violence on the lives of children and teens, a look at the studies and policyIs the disproportionate number of Black residents dismissed from their programs an admissions or systemic problem?STAT ARTICLE: https://www.statnews.com/2022/06/20/black-doctors-forced-out-of-training-programs-at-far-higher-rates-than-white-residents/ SUGGESTED READING:The Turnaway Study: Ten Years, a Thousand Women, and the Consequences of Having - or Being Denied - an Abortion The Safety and Quality of Abortion Care in the United States - The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, MedicineGuns do more than kill A gun policy game-changerWE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!!!! TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO HEAR ON FUTURE EPISODES!!!!FILL OUT THE DOCS OUTSIDE THE BOX PODCAST SURVEY (in partnership w INCROWD)WATCH THIS EPISODE ON YOUTUBE!Join our communityText word PODCAST to 833-230-2860Twitter: @drniidarkoInstagram: @drniidarkoEmail: team@drniidarko.comPodcasting Course: www.docswhopodcast.comMerch: https://docs-outside-the-box.creator-spring.comThis episode is edited by: Your Podcast Pal

Navient got sued by multiple states for unscrupulous behavior that pushed borrowers to use forbearance instead of income-driven repayment plans. Things to expect in this episode:Nii talks about how much he's getting from the class-action lawsuit against NavientNii talks about how the multiple forbearances ballooned his loans from $240,000 to $330,000NPR reports Problems with Income-Driven Repayment PlanCrazy work schedules to pay off student loansFill out the Docs Outside the Box SurveyThe Batman brief reviewWE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!!!! TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO HEAR ON FUTURE EPISODES!!!!FILL OUT THE DOCS OUTSIDE THE BOX PODCAST SURVEY (in partnership w INCROWD)INCROWDMAKE EXTRA MONEY AS A RESIDENT OR ATTENDING - COMPLETE MEDICAL SURVEYS WITH INCROWDWATCH THIS EPISODE ON YOUTUBE!https://www.youtube.com/drniidarkoJoin our communityText word PODCAST to 833-230-2860 Twitter: @drniidarkoInstagram: @drniidarkoEmail: team@drniidarko.comPodcasting Course: www.docswhopodcast.comMerch: https://docs-outside-the-box.creator-spring.comFactor: I'm eating quick and easy, flavorful food with Factor while on locums. Click HERE to get $40 off the 1st Box you order!!!This episode is sponsored by:Set For Life Insurance. What the Darkos use for great disability insurance at a low cost!! Check them out at www.setforlifeinsurance.comLocumstory. Learn how locum tenens helps doctors make more and have the lifestyle they deserve!. Check them out HERE!Locumstory. Learn how locum tenens helps doctors make more and have the lifestyle they deserve!. Check them out at HERE!

Dr. Nii Darko is a Board-certified General Surgeon. He is the host of the podcast Docs Outside the Box, which highlights stories of doctors doing extraordinary things outside of the traditional practices of medicine. Being a doctor ain't an easy job, but as we talk with Dr. Darko in today's podcast, we'll understand why we shouldn't let our career limit us in doing things that we really want to do in life. Get on the train of growth mindset with us as we get that push to thrive. High Points:Podcast Money and Feedbacks: The Big Split in the Podcast IndustryPut Out Better Contents, Not PerfectDiscussing Wins: Commanding vs. Demanding RespectWhy Aren't There Lots of Doctors Doing Podcasts?Wrong Move: Canceling Out Marginalized Groups “Docs Outside the Box is a fusion of medicine, money, and pop culture. Dr. Nii Darko looks into the minds of cutting-edge and innovative doctors, professionals, influencers, and entrepreneurs who are earning, saving, and investing their way to lifestyles they've always wanted.” – Docs Outside the Box podcast Don't Forget to SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube channel (00:00:00) – Snippet & Intro(00:00:41) – Download Audio Hero Now(00:01:34) – Today's Guest is Dr. Nii Darko, Host of Docs Outside the Box(00:04:06) – Dr. Darko and Other Talented Doctors/Podcasters(00:08:45) – Podcast Money and Feedbacks: The Big Split in the Podcast Industry(00:15:42) – How Dr. Darko Connects with His Listeners(00:17:31) – The Black Guy Who Tips Podcast: What is a Feedback Episode?(00:19:37) – Put Out Better Contents, Not Perfect(00:25:05) – Discussing Wins: Commanding vs. Demanding Respect(00:35:39) – Why Aren't There Lots of Doctors Doing Podcasts?(00:40:58) – Wrong Move: Canceling Out Marginalized Groups(00:48:40) – Don't Think Too Hard; Put Your Voice Out There(00:51:29) – Underrated Podcast More People Should Know About(00:53:25) – This or That with Dr. Nii Darko(00:56:44) – Quick Commercial(00:57:11) – Connect with Dr. Darko(00:58:10) – Dr. Darko's Final Word Connect with Dr. Nii Darko:Website: https://drniidarko.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drniidarko/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/DrniidarkoInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/drniidarko/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrNiiDarko1/Twitter: https://twitter.com/drniidarkoPodcast: https://drniidarko.com/podcast/ ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Calling all speakers, coaches, and consultants looking to increase your revenue and your reach even if you don't have a lot of followers. Go to getpaidwithpodcasting.com Download Audio Hero now and have access to over 300,000 royalty free music and sound effects. Go to https://download.audiohero.com/#!explorer?_aff=jonathanjonesspeaks and use promo code “JJS30” for monthly 30% off or “JJS50” to get 50% off the annual subscription.

Dr. Nii Darko is a Board-certified General Surgeon. He is the host of the podcast Docs Outside the Box, which highlights stories of doctors doing extraordinary things outside of the traditional practices of medicine. Being a doctor ain't an easy job, but as we talk with Dr. Darko in today's podcast, we'll understand why we shouldn't let our career limit us in doing things that we really want to do in life. Get on the train of growth mindset with us as we get that push to thrive. High Points:Podcast Money and Feedbacks: The Big Split in the Podcast IndustryPut Out Better Contents, Not PerfectDiscussing Wins: Commanding vs. Demanding RespectWhy Aren't There Lots of Doctors Doing Podcasts?Wrong Move: Canceling Out Marginalized Groups “Docs Outside the Box is a fusion of medicine, money, and pop culture. Dr. Nii Darko looks into the minds of cutting-edge and innovative doctors, professionals, influencers, and entrepreneurs who are earning, saving, and investing their way to lifestyles they've always wanted.” – Docs Outside the Box podcast Don't Forget to SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube channel (00:00:00) – Snippet & Intro(00:00:41) – Download Audio Hero Now(00:01:34) – Today's Guest is Dr. Nii Darko, Host of Docs Outside the Box(00:04:06) – Dr. Darko and Other Talented Doctors/Podcasters(00:08:45) – Podcast Money and Feedbacks: The Big Split in the Podcast Industry(00:15:42) – How Dr. Darko Connects with His Listeners(00:17:31) – The Black Guy Who Tips Podcast: What is a Feedback Episode?(00:19:37) – Put Out Better Contents, Not Perfect(00:25:05) – Discussing Wins: Commanding vs. Demanding Respect(00:35:39) – Why Aren't There Lots of Doctors Doing Podcasts?(00:40:58) – Wrong Move: Canceling Out Marginalized Groups(00:48:40) – Don't Think Too Hard; Put Your Voice Out There(00:51:29) – Underrated Podcast More People Should Know About(00:53:25) – This or That with Dr. Nii Darko(00:56:44) – Quick Commercial(00:57:11) – Connect with Dr. Darko(00:58:10) – Dr. Darko's Final Word Connect with Dr. Nii Darko:Website: https://drniidarko.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drniidarko/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/DrniidarkoInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/drniidarko/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrNiiDarko1/Twitter: https://twitter.com/drniidarkoPodcast: https://drniidarko.com/podcast/ ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Calling all speakers, coaches, and consultants looking to increase your revenue and your reach even if you don't have a lot of followers. Go to getpaidwithpodcasting.com Download Audio Hero now and have access to over 300,000 royalty free music and sound effects. Go to https://download.audiohero.com/#!explorer?_aff=jonathanjonesspeaks and use promo code “JJS30” for monthly 30% off or “JJS50” to get 50% off the annual subscription.

You can fight it as much as you like, but doctor reviews are important! Look at it this way, if you can rate & review the local cafe, why shouldn't the person you're about to operate on have the ability to leave reviews also?! I'll save that debate for another day! For private practitioners, doctor reviews are normal. For the hospital-employed doctors, medical residents, and young attendings - doctor reviews play an important role in what bonuses you may get. Next time you look at your contract, there might be a provision where a portion of your salary will depend on how many positive reviews and satisfaction scores you get. Catch my drift now? Now that we have established the importance of patient satisfaction - how do you encourage your patients to leave positive reviews? This is where my next guest steps in. Avalon Hartman comes to talk about EmpathIQ -  software that makes it easy for your patients to leave a positive review on your behalf. It works with Google and other major patient review platforms. Your patient about to be discharged from the hospital and is singing your praises? Boom!! Hit them up with a specially made QR code where they can leave a review on their phone. All before they get discharged! It's that quick gals & guys!! We also talk about: What is reputation management for doctors What is a Google MyBusiness Page What to do when a patient leaves a bad review What a negative doctor review could mean to your finances  BONUS: For everyone who wants to use EmpathIQ - when you call and mention Docs Outside the Box….you'll get the 1st 2 Months FREE!!!!   Resources: Empathiq.io Avalon Hartman: avalon@empathiq.io WATCH THIS EPISODE ON YOUTUBE! https://www.youtube.com/drniidarko   JOIN MY COMMUNITY Text PODCAST to 833-230-2860   Twitter: @drniidarko Instagram: @drniidarko Email: team@drniidarko.com   Podcasting Course: www.docswhopodcast.com Merch: https://docs-outside-the-box.creator-spring.com

Dr. Nii Darko, aka THE Doc Outside the Box, joins the podcast to talk about how he and his wife paid off $600,000 of debt. In addition to being a debt slayer, Dr. Nii is a Board-certified Trauma Surgeon who is pushing the limits beyond medicine.Dr. Nii is the host of Docs Outside the Box podcast where he features ordinary doctors living extraordinary lives with a focus on money, mindset, and mission.  Dr. Darko and I discuss the challenges of  paying off large student loans, working as a 1099 contractor, how finances made his marriage stronger and how he has created a safe platform for doctors to discuss side hustles and retiring early. If you're ready to be inspired on your debt payoff journey, or you have large debt, this episode is for you.  In this episode we discuss: The ins and outs of how Dr. Darko and his wife paid off $600,000 Why many doctors making 6-figures often find themselves broke  How he inspires doctors to do something outside of practicing medicine  Falling for Whole Life Insurance + more Watch the video interview for this episode on youtube here: https://youtu.be/I6A7aaoLzkg  Other related blog posts/links mentioned in this episode: To Listen to the Learn to Trade As A Side Hustle To Reach Your Financial & Life Goals FREE Audio Training with Teri Ijeoma by clicking here. Join The Weekly Newsletter List Leave me a voicemail– Leave me a question on the Journey To Launch voicemail and have it answered on the podcast! Watch me on News12  Watch my latest segments on News12 YNAB –  Start managing your money and budgeting so that you can reach your financial dreams. Sign up for a free 34 days trial of YNAB, my go-to budgeting app by using my referral link. Connect with Nii Darko: Website Instagram: @DrNiiDarko Twitter: @DrNiiDarko Connect with me: Instagram: @Journeytolaunch Twitter: @JourneyToLaunch Facebook: @Journey To Launch Join the Private Facebook Group Join the Waitlist for My FI Course Get The Free Jumpstart Guide    

Let's talk about the tough question... As physicians, we are frequently burdened with massive amounts of debt in the form of school loans and other forms of debt. To many of us, that burden plays a significant role in the decisions we make. This week, the Lunch and Learn podcast brings you an amazing guest, Dr. Nii Darko who is a Board-certified Trauma Surgeon who is pushing the limits beyond medicine. Dr. Nii is the host of the Docs Outside the Box podcast where he features ordinary doctors living extraordinary lives with a focus on money, mindset, and mission. Dr. Nii is the bestselling author of 3,2,1…Podcast – The Beginner's Guide to Building Brand Authority Through Podcasting, and he helped other doctors find their own voices through his popular podcasting course, 10 Days to Podcasting. Dr. Nii has spent several years performing medical humanitarian work in Ghana with International Healthcare Volunteers (IHCV). He serves as a mentor for the Tour for Diversity in Medicine (T4D), an organization devoted to educating, empowering, and inspiring up-and-coming minority physicians. His newest venture is Equal Access Health, a locum tenens company that helps doctors achieve the lifestyle they deserve and have always wanted. In this new podcast episode, Dr. Nii will discuss the business side of things, including his company ventures and the mindset adjustment that was required to achieve the financial independence he desired. He'll also talk about why medicine wasn't enough for him, how money is a tool, and how debt became his marriage's biggest problem. Get ready to get some sound advice, like how small actions in our daily life can lead to bigger ones that help us build a habit. Also, that money affects health and that it's up to us to decide what and how we eat. This episode aims for you to learn more about: 1. How debt was stealing from us and our family's future 2. The steps we can take to pay off debt 3. How starting is better than sitting on the fence wondering or thinking about making a change Join me on today's podcast episode, "Damn that is a tough question," with our excellent guest Dr. Nii Darko. Sign up at www.listentodrberry.com  to join the mailing list. Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member.

In this episode we discuss physician debt and how it can contribute to physician burnout with Dr. Nii Darko. He is a Board-certified Trauma Surgeon who is pushing the limits beyond medicine and is the host of Docs Outside the Box podcast where he features ordinary doctors living extraordinary lives with a focus on money, mindset, and mission. Dr. Darko gets personal and shares numerous stories on how getting and staying out of debt helped improve the quality of his life. To learn more about him go to drniidarko.com Forget burn out. Instead let's burn bright together in the Women in White Coats Physician Wellness and Empowerment Program. This program was created specifically to help women doctors overcome feelings of burnout and overwhelm, rekindle their passion for medicine and create better work-life integration and more fulfilling relationships. We invite you to join us in a unique 3 month long journey back to yourself as we dive deep into the root of burnout and help you find more joy and fulfillment in all areas of your life. You'll even earn CME! Click here to learn more. Would you like to share your story as a woman doctor? If you're interested in being a part of the next book in our best selling book series "The Chronicles of Women in White Coats" go to Womeninwhitecoats.com/media-coaching to apply today. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/women-in-white-coats/message

In this episode, Dr. Nii Darko joins TimeOUT with the SportsDr to share his story of how he balances his life as a busy Trauma Surgeon with being a podcast host, entrepreneur and best selling author. He hosts Docs Outside the Box, an Apple Podcasts Top 100 in Careers – where he highlights stories of doctors doing extraordinary things outside of medicine to inspire other doctors to think outside the box. Through his successful locum tenens business, Equal Access Health, physicians are empowered to have the lifestyle they deserve. Topics discussed in this episode:  Paying off $662K in 3 years  How to start a Podcast? Life Coaching Overcoming Imposter Syndrome Trusting the Process If you're enjoying the podcast, please leave a 5⭐️ Rating at: RateThisPodcast.com/sportsdr Follow Me: Instagram: the.sports.dr  Facebook: Timeout with the SportsDr Email: thesportsdoctr@gmail.com Website: https://sportsdr.libsyn.com/ Follow Dr. Nii Darko: Instagram: drniidarko Website: https://www.drniidarko.com/

Nii & Renee want more listeners subscribing to the show; Nii talks about his podcasting course; Rihanna being a billionaire; Previous guest Hella Sidibe completed his transcontinental run; Farnoosh Torabi licenses her podcast to CNET; Think outside the box with practicing medicine; Nii & Renee discuss KevinMD article on Simone Biles   10 Steps to Podcasting Course Rihanna Billionaire Hella Sidibe (Episode 214) Farnoosh Torabi (Episode 53) If Simone Biles were a doctor she would be vilified, not praised National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 800-273-8255 SAMHSA National Helpline: 800-662-4357     Twitter: @drniidarko Instagram: @drniidarko Email: team@drniidarko.com Merch: https://docs-outside-the-box.creator-spring.com   Leave us a voicemail: www.drniidarko.com (Ask me a question) Tab           This episode is sponsored by: Provider Solutions & Development. Experts in holistic career coaching – check them out at www.psdrecruit.org/docsoutsidethebox Twitter: @PSDConnects Facebook: @PSDConnects LinkedIN: Provider Solutions & Development

Do you think outside the box? Today's guest, Dr. Nii Darko, explains how he chose a different path after medical school and became a freelance surgeon. Hear why that made sense and even how he and his wife have built their family around this idea.  We can often get stuck in thinking life only has one-lane roads, but if we slow down and look for those hidden turns, we can find a life built from the ground up unique to us and designed and wired for success. Seeing these turns isn't easy, but as our guest shares today, it can be as easy as listening to a podcast about people thinking outside the box. It is a big reason this podcast, Causepods, exists to share ideas and solutions that allow people doing good to make a more profound impact.  Key Topics: ·     What is your background in medicine (1:12) ·     How did the COVID-19 pandemic affect you overall (2:22) ·     How does someone decide to be a freelance surgeon (4:04) ·     What was the genesis moment for becoming a podcaster (9:50) ·     What things did you have to learn to become a podcaster (12:12) ·     Separating the pressure of being a surgeon and being a podcaster (14:06) ·     What are the positive impacts that have come out of the podcast (16:12) ·     What are the biggest takeaways from running the podcast (18:08) ·     What makes Student National Medical Association the charity of choice (19:28) Website: https://www.drniidarko.com/ (Link) Podcast Links: ·     https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/docs-outside-box-ordinary-doctors-doing-extraordinary/id1108749751 (Apple) ·     https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cDovL2RvY3NvdGIubGlic3luLmNvbS9yc3M (Google) ·     https://open.spotify.com/show/7lPD2QGH6cG8Z8uJQwP4n7 (Spotify) Charity: https://snma.org/ (Student National Medical Association ) Donation: https://snma.org/donations/ (Link) Social Links ·     https://www.linkedin.com/in/drniidarko/ (LinkedIn) ·     https://twitter.com/drniidarko?lang=en (Twitter) ·     https://www.facebook.com/DrNiiDarko1/ (Facebook) ·     https://www.instagram.com/drniidarko/?hl=en (Instagram) ·     https://www.youtube.com/c/DrNiiDarko (YouTube)  Thanks for Listening! Be sure to subscribe onhttps://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/causecasts/id1398644299?mt=2 ( Apple),https://www.google.com/podcasts?feed=aHR0cDovL2ZlZWRzLnBvZGlhbnQuY28vY2F1c2VjYXN0cy9yc3MueG1s ( Google),https://open.spotify.com/show/3hmQQrfFDPznEqEAEeRVm8 ( Spotify), https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/67ea3876-ad03-4d6f-814c-c5395544f5c6/Causepods?ref=dm_wcp_podcast_link_th (Amazon), or wherever you get your podcasts. And feel free to drop us a line at mathew@causepods.org. Follow Mathew on Social Media to stay up to date on Causepods – https://www.facebook.com/MathewPassy (Facebook) |https://twitter.com/MathewPassy ( Twitter) |https://www.instagram.com/mathewpassy/ ( Instagram) |https://www.linkedin.com/in/mathewpassy/ ( LinkedIn) For help, resources, and community support, please join thehttps://www.facebook.com/groups/causepods ( Causepods Facebook Group) if you are already producing podcasts for a cause or are thinking about launching one. And if you would like to be a guest on Causepods, please fill out this form and schedulehttps://bookme.name/thepodcastconsultant/lite/causecast-podcast-booking ( your chat here).

This week, Jamie Hopkins talks with Dr. Nii Darko, host of Docs Outside the Box Podcast, about the importance of paying off debt, issues facing the healthcare industry, and how to be intentional with your life.  You can find show notes and other information at CarsonGroup.com/Framework.

In this episode, Drs. Nii and Renée Darko (@drniidarko and drreneedarko) are both physicians and realized they were drowning in over half a million dollars of student loan debt and living paycheck to paycheck without much in savings and zero investments. They made a pact to pay off their student loan debt in 15 years but they were able to pay off a half-million dollars of debt in 3 years! More about @drniidarko and drreneedarko: When Drs. Nii and Renée Darko realized they were drowning in over half a million dollars of student loan debt and living paycheck to paycheck without much in savings and zero investments, they made a pact to pay off their student loan debt in 15 years. In three short years, not only were they free of student loan debt, but during their debt payoff, they cash flowed several rounds of infertility treatments and quit their W2 jobs to become entrepreneurs, starting 3 businesses. Nii hosts a podcast called Docs Outside the Box (www.docsotb.com); Renée started a coaching business called Pre-med Strategies, Inc. (www.premedstrategies.com); together, they run Equal Access Health (www.equalaccesshealth.net), a temp agency for doctors, and they recently entered the real estate investing. They chronicle their journey in a blog called Keeping Up with the Darkos (keepingupwiththedarkos.wordpress.com). They're less about keeping up appearances and more about having the peace and freedom to live life on their own terms.

Share this episode out today! Take a listen to this crossover episode between the Total Pre-med Makeover and Docs Outside the Box, with host and my husband, Dr. Nii Darko. We have a lot of fun on this episode, but we get into the upcoming Pre-med to Prepared Summit. The summit is a 3-day (June 4-6, 2021) online event that every pre-med needs to attend! The theme is mindset, which shouldn't surprise you with as much as I've talked about mindset in previous episodes. We have lots of sessions covering MCAT, mentoring, applications, and more! Be sure to listen for more details and then REGISTER NOW for FREE! www.premedtoprepared.com. See you at the summit!

In this episode, Board Certified Trauma Surgeon Dr. Nii Darko interviews ME.  Together we discuss:- Why I decided to start a podcast,- What is Osteopathic Medicine and Osteopathic Manipulation,- What is the difference between and M.D. and a D.O. - What is the difference between a D.O. and a chiropractor,- How Preventive Medicine and Therapeutic Lifestyle changes can help you live a healthier life, - What are the goals of the podcast,- How patients can find reliable information, become advocates for themselves and accomplish their health and wellness goals.***************Dr. Nii Darko is a Board-Certified Trauma Surgeon who is pushing the limits beyond medicine. He holds a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine D.O. from Kansas City University of Medicine & Biosciences and a M.B.A. in Health Care Leadership from Rockhurst University. He completed his General Surgery residency at Morehouse School of Medicine, during which he was featured on CNN's Grady's Anatomy special. He went on to complete a Trauma/Surgical Critical Care fellowship at the University of Miami. In addition, he is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons (FACS).Dr. Darko hosts Docs Outside the Box podcast featuring ordinary doctors living extraordinary lives and focusing on money, mindset, and mission. He is also the bestselling author of 3,2,1…Podcast – The Beginner's Guide to Building Brand Authority Through Podcasting, and he's helped other doctors find their own voices through his popular podcasting course, 10 Days to Podcasting. Dr. Nii has done medical humanitarian work in Ghana and serves as a mentor for the Tour for Diversity in Medicine. His newest venture is Equal Access Health, a locum tenens company that helps doctors achieve the lifestyle they deserve and have always wanted.For more from Dr. Darko check out:www.drniidarko.comand on FB and IG @drniinarko***************Thanks so much for listening!  If you enjoyed the show and want to hear more, please like, subscribe and share!You can always find more information on my website:www.drlexlifestylemedicine.comand....If you love the music like I do, you can find more at:www.therealmichaelvm.com/music*****************All my love & gratitude to:my guest: Dr. Nii Darko,my inspiration: my patients,my idea guy & confidence booster: Edwardmy intro crew: Izzy, Lance & Lucia,my tech & equipment guy: Pop,my music & sound guy: Mike VM,my mascot: Jules, my creative director & cheerleader: Emily Newman VM,my love, Michael.

Episode 53 -  My guest on the podcast today is Dr. Nii Darko.  Dr. Nii is a trauma surgeon and the host of the very popular podcast Docs Outside the Box.  He and his wife have an incredible story about their journey to financial freedom.  As the children of immigrants, the Darko family had some real struggles, but they made deliberate choices to rise above their circumstances.  I think what was most revealing about their story was how their character shaped their choices.  If you want financial independence, and if you want to no longer have to make decisions based on how it will affect your ability to pay off your student loans, you need to listen to this inspiring conversation.  As Dr. Nii will tell you, it’s not about what you’re willing to do.  It’s about what you’re willing to give up that will lead to your success or failure.  I think this conversation will motivate you to make some tough decisions so you can achieve the financial success that you want and deserve. Resources mentioned in the showFree Resource: How to Crush Your Student LoansJoin the Business and Personal Finance for Physicians and Dentists Facebook Group!Check out the Doctor Podcast Network!:  Click here and come check out the great podcasts that are a part of the network.  One-on-one personal finance and business coaching: Click here and email me to set up a free consultation today!Check out the additional free resources available at The Scope of Practice!Business management resourcesPersonal finance resourcesPodcasting resourcesRecommended online coursesRecommended books

This incredible episode features Dr. Nii Darko, a Trauma Surgeon, entrepreneur and veteran podcaster. He is the host and creator of "Docs Outside The Box", a podcast that tells stories of ordinary physicians doing extraordinary things. After 4 years, this podcast is quickly approaching 1 million downloads. We talk about the Three M's he provides with his podcast: Money, Mindset and Mission. Dr. Darko talks about his day-to-day life as a trauma surgeon practicing in a locums tenem model. He also sheds some light on the opportunity this type of practice offers. He seeks to empower physicians to avoid the daily grind and live fulfilled lives. Dr. Darko is a prime example of why representation matters. He was heavily influenced as a college student by a trauma surgeon who invited him to shadow at the hospital. This was an extra-special episode for me, because Dr. Darko inspired me to start The Black Doctors Podcast. This episode is a homecoming, of sorts. Do you know anyone interested in becoming a surgeon? Are you looking to step outside of your comfort zone and do more? Have you considered working locums tenems and being your own boss? This episode is for you. TBDP is a volunteer passion project with the goal of inspiring all who listen. In-house music and audio production, so any ideas for improvements or suggestions for future guests are welcome. Thank you so much for listening. If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave a comment or rating. If you are thinking about starting your own podcast, check out my 30 Minutes To Podcast masterclass on my website www.StevenBradley,MD.com --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/blackdoctorspodcast/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/blackdoctorspodcast/support

Dr. Renee Volny Darko shares tips for med school applications during COVID-19, financial advice for med students, and the importance of having a growth mindset. [01:48] Why OB-GYN [05:23] Tips for Applying to Medical School during COVID-19 [10:42] Virtual Interview Tips [12:35] Medical School Application Date Changes Due to COVID-19 [14:20] Financial Tips for New Medical Students [18:44] The Importance of a Growth Mindset Erkeda DeRouen chats with Dr. Renee Volny Darko, an obstetrician-gynecologist (OB-GYN). Dr. Volny Darko graduated from Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences College of Osteopathic Medicine, did her residency at Robert Wood Johnson in New Brunswick, New Jersey, and then did a health policy leadership fellowship at the Morehouse School of Medicine under Dr. David Satcher. She is a practicing physician, has spent some time in academia, and has had several entrepreneurial pursuits. She has a passion for helping pre-meds from underrepresented backgrounds to get into medical school. Why OBGYN? OB-GYN was initially at the bottom of Dr. Volny Darko ’s list of specialty choices. However, after her OB-GYN clinical rotation — which was her last clinical rotation at medical school — she realized that she loved it. She reminds medical students to keep an open mind as you do your clinical rotations, knowing that you might be surprised by the rotations that you enjoy. It is okay to be uncertain about which specialty to choose. Applying to Medical School During COVID-19 Dr. Volny Darko shares three key tips for applying to medical school during COVID-19: Be flexible. You need to know that the process, deadlines, and requirements of your medical school application might shift. Pre-med students tend to be Type A, but neither medicine nor life is highly predictable, so you must be willing to adjust. Flexibility does not mean being lax. Despite the unprecedented nature of the pandemic, you must still submit your best possible medical school application. You need to continue to study for your MCATs, and to remember that the application criteria will not be so relaxed. Participate in their regular activities. For example, if you were going to attend a conference, perhaps attend a virtual conference. Take the initiative to better yourself and to engage with the medical community. Because of the pandemic, some medical school interviews might be switched to virtual interviews. Dr. Volny Darko encourages students to learn how to appear on screen, and how to appear professional. For example, remember to show your shoulders and pretend as if this were an in-person interview — avoid having your cat in the background, for example. Application dates for various medical schools may also be shifted around, depending on the number of COVID-19 cases in different states, or in the nation as a whole. Students should keep themselves informed of the updates. Financial Tips for New Medical Students Medical students should practice living below your means, as this habit will carry into your residency and attending years. To live below your means is to spend much less than the amount that you earn. It is not about accumulating lots of money, but rather, it is about freeing your future self to pursue anything that you want to pursue. For example, Dr. Volny Darko and her husband — host of the podcast Docs Outside the Box — paid off their students loans very quickly, by working both permanent and locum positions, leaving them with the freedom to travel and/or to stay home with their children without worrying about money. The Importance of a Growth Mindset Having a growth mindset means believing that your intelligence is not fixed, and can be increased. Dr. Volny Darko cites a study by psychologist Carol Dweck, which showed that pre-med hopefuls with a fixed mindset did not improve their grade in a chemistry class, whilst students with a growth mindset did. Stop saying that someone else is just “smart” because this gives you a pass to not work as hard. Be comfortable saying, “I do not know that YET” instead of “I do not know that.” Check out Dr. Renee Volny Darko’s LinkedIn and Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Sign up for a Free Coaching session with Chase DiMarco, sponsored by Prospective Doctor! You can also join the Med Mnemonist Mastermind FB Group today and learn more about study methods, memory techniques, and MORE! Do check out Read This Before Medical School.

Hello Friends, We're excited to interview our podcast coach and mentor Dr. Nii.  He made 3 friends TALK possible and so we had to interview The Doc for our final episode of season 1. Join the 3 friends TALK wrap party tonight at 8 pm CST www.facebook.com/3friendsTALK Dr. Nii Darko is a Board-certified General Surgeon who is pushing past the limits of the status quo. He hosts Docs Outside the Box, an Apple Podcasts Top 100 in Careers – where he highlights stories of doctors doing extraordinary things outside of medicine to inspire other doctors to think outside the box. Through his successful locum tenens business, Equal Access Health, physicians are empowered to have the lifestyle they deserve. Connect with Dr. Nii: www.facebook.com/drniidarko www.instagram.com/drniidarko https://www.drniidarko.com Connect with 3 friends TALK: www.instagram.com/3friendTALK www.3friendsTALK    

Nii Darko received his medical degree from Kansas City University of Medicine & Biosciences, and an M.B.A. in Health Care Leadership from Rockhurst University. He completed his General Surgery residency at Morehouse School of Medicine and a Trauma/Critical Care fellowship at the University of Miami. Nii is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons. Nii hosts Docs Outside the Box, an Apple Podcasts Top 100 podcast. There he highlights stories of doctors doing extraordinary things outside of medicine.  He also runs his locum tenens business, Equal Access Health, where he empowers physicians to achieve the lifestyle they deserve. Docs Outside the Box has become a very popular podcast, inspiring many physicians to pursue their dreams. It has also inspired other physicians to produce their own podcasts. Listening to his podcast was one of the reasons that I started this podcast. Nii has decided to slow down his clinical activities and focus more on his online businesses. He is passionate about helping physicians earn more in their locum tenens jobs. And he wants to expand his coaching and teaching. You really have to love what you do and be passionate about it. - Dr. Nii Darko He would also like to see more collaboration between physician podcasters. And he loves to show the pre-meds and medical students that there are other ways to apply your medical education than just traditional clinical work.  Check out our show notes at https://nonclinicalphysicians.com/inspirational-podcaster for all of the links mentioned in today's episode. Check out the Clinicians Career Cooperative here. Find out more about joining the Nonclinical Career Academy here. Get a FREE GUIDE to 10 Nonclinical Careers at nonclinicalphysicians.com/freeguide.

Nii Darko of Docs Outside the Box podcast joins me to discuss mindset shifts and following your passions to find career fulfillment. He also talks us through how he and his wife eliminated major student loan debt in three years. Hope you enjoy the episode and check out drniidarko.com to learn more about this week's guest! https://www.doctorsunbound.com/podcast/mindset-shifts-doc-outside-the-box/

There’s a common misconception that there’s only one path you can take in the medical field: graduate from med school, finish residency, get a job at a hospital, and save lives until the end. While plenty who have chosen this path are contented, there are others that do not share the same enthusiasm. Don’t worry if you’re part of the latter group! There is a vast world outside of medicine for you to explore while continuing to practice your profession. In this episode of Prosperous Doc, trauma surgeon Dr. Nii Darko and host Shane Tenny explore the possibility of achieving a flexible medical career and becoming a 1099 employee. (7:17) Dr. Nii shares his personal experience with locum tenens and the pros and cons of this type of employment. Not only does this option expose you to different hospital systems, cultures, and doctors, it helps you understand your self-worth in terms of wages for your services. (12:19) Additionally, he believes that doctors stand to gain considerable knowledge from professionals in other industries, one of the founding ideals of the Docs Outside the Box (https://www.drniidarko.com/podcast/) podcast. (22:11) He also provides insight into physician contracts and how to retain control over contract negotiations, even as a young doctor. Two things to keep in mind, have a clear understanding of the contract terms and ensure you build in an exit plan. (17:15) For Dr. Nii, there’s no such thing as balance. It’s all about trying to be the best person you can be and being kind to those around you. (26:50) Wellness is also about having control, being intentional about decisions that will affect your life. (32:44) Financial Wellness TipThis episode’s financial wellness tip encourages physicians to think about refinancing student loans (https://www.sdtplanning.com/blog/learn-how-refinancing-student-loans-work-with-this-comprehensive-guide). According to Will Koster, you have control over the terms of the loan and whether you choose a variable or fixed interest rate, among other options. However, before you make any decision, first assess your situation. Make sure that items such as your minimum monthly payment will fit your current financial state and will not become cumbersome in the future. Prosperous Doc podcast by Spaugh Dameron Tenny highlights real-life stories from doctors and dentists to encourage and inspire listeners through discussions of professional successes and failures in addition to personal stories and financial wellness advice. Spaugh Dameron Tenny is a comprehensive financial planning firm serving doctors and dentists in Charlotte, NC. To find out more about Spaugh Dameron Tenny, visit our website at (https://twitter.com/Shane_Tenny). CRN202206-267362

In this special guest episode, Taylor shares an impactful and poignant message from Dr. Nii Darko of the Docs Outside the Box podcast. You can review the resources referenced here.    If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with friends, colleagues, and leave us and Docs Outside the Box a five star review. It's one of the best ways to support us! 

What’s good! On the surface, David Fajgenbaum appears to have it all. He’s married, has a child, is an Assistant Professor of Medicine at The University of Pennsylvania. You don’t have to dig too deep to learn the determination of this man. In medical school, David had death knocking on his door 5 times after being diagnosed with the extremely rare Castleman disease. Running out of treatment options, he took matters into his own hands by developing the Castleman Disease Collaborative Network, and also using an untested drug for his condition on himself which turned out to be the cure for his disease. So, sitting on the hot seat for Docs Outside the Box ain’t a thing to him! He’s on to talk about his amazing story of persistence, believing in yourself, and creating your own silver linings in life! He’s an author too! His book is Chasing My Cure: A Doctor’s Race To Turn Hope into Action

Imagine owing $660,000 in student loan debt and eliminating it all in only three years. In this week’s episode Dr. Nii Darko, trauma surgeon, author, and podcaster talks about his past financial struggles and how him and his wife overcame that in a short time. Also speaking about life as a trauma surgeon, a working parent, and a podcaster Dr. Nii Darko teaches us so much! This is a must listen episode!Also be sure to check out Dr. Nii Darko’s amazing podcast “Docs Outside the Box”. Especially tune into Episode 112 which was mentioned in this podcast’s episode.

Dr. Nii Darko, son of Ghanian immigrants, was inspired to pursue a medical career by TV shows like Doogie Howser and Trapper John, M.D.  But his life as a physician felt lacking in comparison to the Hollywood version. He found himself chasing degrees and feeling disappointed by the lack of autonomy and sense of fulfillment that he had hoped for. To get out of a rut, he did locum tenens work, which opened his mind to a world of possibilities. He met fellow doctors who were practicing medicine in ways he didn’t realize were possible. Wanting to learn more, he was inspired to start a podcast to interview these fascinating doctors, broadcasting their stories to spread the word to other physicians that you don’t have to be stuck in a box.      We all have scripts in our head from our parents, our profession, our culture, colleagues, and ourselves. Today’s episode is a challenge to let yourself think outside the box of the conventional so that you can write your own script and have a greater impact and deeper fulfillment in your work and life. Come be inspired by someone who has done it! In today’s episode you’ll learn: About Dr. Darko’s background as child of a first-generation immigrant Who inspired Dr. Darko to pursue a career in medicine About Dr. Darko’s varied career path Why he started the Docs Outside the Box podcast How he and his wife ditched almost $700,000 in school debt in just three years About Dr. Darko’s newly released Ten Days to Podcasting course LINKS FROM TODAY’S EPISODE Docs Outside the Box Dr. Darko’s website Find Dr. Darko on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube

We’re on to Day 2 of the Docs Outside the Box Virtual Summit. Yesterday, we heard from Dr. Carmen Brown on how leaving the US to practice overseas both revitalized her career and her mental well- being. Today we’re shifting to creating wealth for yourself but not through your job. A lot of people who have detached from their 9 to 5 refer back to the book called Rich Dad, Poor Dad as the catalyst. This book was written by Robert Kiyosaki in 1997 and told the story of his 2 dads – his real father (poor dad) and the father of his best friend (rich dad) – and the ways both men shaped his thoughts on money and investing  My next guest, Dr. Peter Kim has been doing the same for some time now. He’s he runs the famous blog Passive Income MD, and Curbside Real Estate, which is a concierge service for physicians looking to buy real estate. He’s here to help me parse through a recent interview that real estate mogul Grant Cardone did on VladTV, which is a popular YouTube channel focused on the news in Hip Hop. In this video interview, Grant talked about his childhood, how he started in real estate and also how he quickly multiplied his holdings. It’s a very polarizing interview, look below for the embedded video to watch.   Embedded video:   Resources: The 10x Rule 4% Rule

Dr. Nii Interviews me and helps me share my journey of starting to think outside the box in Medicine.  Dr. Nii Darko is a Board-certified General Surgeon who is pushing past the limits of the status quo. He hosts Docs Outside the Box, an Apple Podcasts Top 100 in Careers – where he highlights stories of doctors doing extraordinary things outside of medicine to inspire other doctors to think outside the box. Through his successful locum tenens business, Equal Access Health, physicians are empowered to have the lifestyle they deserve. Alongside his wife, he does yearly medical humanitarian work to the underserved in Ghana. Dr. Nii Darko holds a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) from Kansas City University of Medicine & Biosciences and a M.B.A. in Health Care Leadership from Rockhurst University. He completed his General Surgery residency at Morehouse School of Medicine. He then went on to complete a Trauma/Surgical Critical Care fellowship at the University of Miami. Dr. Nii Darko is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons.   Follow his podcast Doc's Outside The Box (https://www.drniidarko.com/podcast/) and see his website at https://www.drniidarko.com

You’ve heard of him from his podcast, Docs Outside the Box and have grown to love his stories over the time his podcast has been on air, especially the one about Nii and his wife (also a doc) accumulating a mountain of debt. Coming from a blue collar background, they both navigated how to go about chasing FI while rising out of the money-grave. For more information, visit the show notes at https://financialresidency.com/chasing-financial-independence

Dr. Nii Darko is a Board-certified General Surgeon who is pushing past the limits of the status quo. He hosts Docs Outside the Box, an Apple Podcasts Top 100 in Careers – where he highlights stories of doctors doing extraordinary things outside of medicine to inspire other doctors to think outside the box. Through his successful locum tenens business, Equal Access Health, physicians are empowered to have the lifestyle they deserve. Alongside his wife, he does yearly medical humanitarian work to the underserved in Ghana. Dr. Nii Darko holds a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) from Kansas City University of Medicine & Biosciences and a M.B.A. in Health Care Leadership from Rockhurst University. He completed his General Surgery residency at Morehouse School of Medicine. He then went on to complete a Trauma/Surgical Critical Care fellowship at the University of Miami. Dr. Nii Darko is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons.

Let's talk with the IMG Coach Dr. Nina Lum... On this week's episode of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry we have Dr. Nina Lum, is a board-certified Family Medicine Physician who currently works as a Hospitalist and the Chief Quality Officer at CHI St. Joseph Hospital. Dr. Lum is a co-author of the best selling medical anthology “The Chronicles of Women in White Coats” and recently the visionary, co-creator and co-author of the Amazon bestseller “Beyond Challenges: Survival Stories of African Immigrant Physicians”. On this week's episode, we talk about her work on theencouragingdoc.com and how her work as the IMG Coach came about. We also will be taking a deep dive on what motivates her to help so many find success on the path to medicine as an international medical graduate. Text LUNCHLEARNPOD to 44222 to join the mailing list. Remember to subscribe to the podcast and share the episode with a friend or family member. Listen on Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, Spotify Sponsors: Lunch and Learn Community Online Store (code Empower10) Pierre Medical Consulting (If you are looking to expand your social reach and make your process automated then Pierre Medical Consulting is for you) Dr. Pierre's Resources – These are some of the tools I use to become successful using social media My Amazon Store – Check out all of the book recommendations you heard in the episode Links/Resources: www.theencouragingdoc.com Beyond Challenges Book Instagram Social Links: Join the lunch and learn community – https://www.drberrypierre.com/joinlunchlearnpod Follow the podcast on Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/lunchlearnpod Follow the podcast on twitter – http://www.twitter.com/lunchlearnpod – use the hashtag #LunchLearnPod if you have any questions, comments or requests for the podcast For More Episodes of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry Podcasts https://www.drberrypierre.com/lunchlearnpodcast/ If you are looking to help the show out Leave a Five Star Review on Apple Podcast because your ratings and reviews are what is going to make this show so much better Share a screenshot of the podcast episode on all of your favorite social media outlets & tag me or add the hashtag.#lunchlearnpod Download Episode 133 Episode 133 Transcript... Introduction Dr. Berry: Hello and welcome to another episode of the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry. I'm your host, Dr. Berry Pierre, your favorite Board Certified Internist. Founder of drberrypierre.com, as well the CEO of Pierre Medical Consulting. Helping you empower yourself for better health with the number one podcast for patient advocacy, education and affirmation. This week we bring you another amazing guests on the podcast. We have Dr. Nina Lum who is a hospitalist and Chief Quality Officer at chai CHI Saint Joseph Hospital in London, Kentucky. Board Certified Family Medicine Physician. She's also co-author of the bestselling medical anthology, The Chronicles of Women in White Coats as well as the co-creator and co-author of the Amazon bestselling book Beyond Challenges: Survival Stories of African Immigrant Physicians. She blogs on theencouragingdoc.com. She writes, she coaches for international medical students and graduates on how to have successful blueprints for their unique pathway into this field, crazy field we call medicine. She is a credo. Also an online course coaching platform for IMGs, notice IMG roadmap, at imgroadmap.com and she's a featured health and wellness speaker. And guys, this is an amazing episode with a person I've been following along. Actually had the chance to jump on her IMG roadmap series to talk to them with IMGs and other medical graduates and people who are getting ready for a residency about successful tips on the ERS application as well as interviews. And I have her on the show today really to give us an interesting perspective on international medical graduates, their path, their struggles, and why, especially in this day and age where we're seeing just the shortage of physicians out there and of people who want to become physicians. Why that, there may be a solution on our horizon, but unfortunately it is a lot of roadblocks in the weight. We’re going to talk about some of those roadblocks. She gonna talk about her experience with creating her second Amazon bestselling book Beyond Challenges: Survival Stories of African Immigrant Physicians. What motivated her to drop a second book and what to expect from her from the rest of the year. So guys, get ready of course for another amazing episode. If you have not done so, already make sure you hit that subscribe button wherever you're listening to. If it's on YouTube, if it's on Apple podcast, Google play, Stitcher radio, Spotify, wherever you listen to remember to hit the spot. Remember hit the subscribe button so you'll always be in tune with what's going on here on the Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry and leave us a five star review, especially from Apple podcasts users and make sure you tell 10 friends about this amazing episode. Let's get ready for another one here with Dr. Berry Episode Dr. Berry: Alright Lunch and Learn community, I want to thank you for joining us for another amazing podcast and I have an amazing guests who have definitely been excited and earmarked to get a chance to talk to you guys for many different fronts. For those who know Lunch and Learn community, especially on my listeners. I actually had the honor of being a guest on her video show that sponsored and talked about just the tips and tricks of getting into residency. Definitely was excited about that. So again, Dr. Lum, thank you for joining today's podcast on Lunch and Learn with Dr. Berry. Dr. Nina Lum: Thank you so much for having me. It's an honor actually to be on your podcast. I enjoy it. Dr. Berry: So I have an introduction, but I have people who already know, they like to skip and get to the meat of the episode. I think they'd like to skip a commercial. I'd do a little mini commercials. Tell us a little bit about yourself that I may have missed in a bio or they would have known outside of what we've got in your bio. Dr. Nina Lum: I'm Nina Lum. I am originally from Cameroon. I currently practice hospital medicine in Kentucky. My background is in family medicine. I'm also in hospital administration as a chief quality officer at a community hospital here in Kentucky. More recently, I guess what's more exciting is that I have my second book out, the book collaboration, titled Beyond Challenges. And so that makes me a second time bestselling author, which is pretty surreal. And I also spent some time blogging. I'm at theencouragingdoc.com. A lot of my content is focused on for medical graduates like myself because not only being an international student when I moved to the States, but I also most of the Caribbean for medical school. So that makes me as sort of a foreign and international graduate. And it's a soft spot in my heart and I want to share with other people just tips and tricks that I learned along the way. I do enjoy traveling, shopping. I do enjoy learning about personal finance and applying that in my life and seeing where that takes me. So that's me in a nutshell. Dr. Berry: I love it. And we're definitely going to deep dive in all of your business. I just want to put out there right now because I want to know and for those especially Lunch and Learn community, I always get excited talking to them. Sometimes I think I'm more excited than my Lunch and Learn community, just talking to some of the amazing guests who are doing just still amazing things and things that, yes, you're a physician, but just outside of being a physician, Docs Outside the Box. Shout out to Dr. Darko, a good friend of mine as well too. I just love highlighting everything that you do and I want to tell Lunch and Learn community full disclosure, I've been following you for a while. And I knew you as I seen people were sharing it, people commenting and people are like, oh, this IMG coach. That's how you were dubbed when someone said I should follow you, the IMG coach. If you are an IMG and you're trying to get to where you're at. That's the person you need to follow. And as a program director of an internal medicine residency program and understanding, and I'm pretty sure we probably get a similar, the same types of questions over and over again. I was definitely enamored, not only by what you do as far as coaching, interview and consulting and everything else. But really I could, as a physician, it's very easy to spot compassion. And that was something that I realized right off the bat, this was something that you love doing. It wasn't something that I'm just going to do it because I got the ability to do it and people gonna pay me to do it. I'd do it because I actually love doing it. So let's talk a little bit about just where that compassion came from and what made you want to start even doing it? Because again, you could have been a physician hospitalist quality because you gotta just did that and been perfectly fine. Right? (Yeah). But you're stepping outside of yourself and say, you know what, I'm going to do extra work because not only did I get through the door, but I want to hold it open for others behind me. Dr. Nina Lum: Yeah. A strong point. And I just want to let the Lunch and Learn community know that the interview that you did with me, I am pretty confident has it got the most hits on my blog for several months. Dr. Berry: Wow. Ok. I loved it. Lunch and Learn community I didn't even pay her to do it. Dr. Nina Lum: No tips involved. But seriously just being able to give them that perspective from your position of authority as someone that's on the other side and in more ways the target audience for these IMG. That was invaluable information. The comments, the reviews I got, the feedback. A lot of people came out and said that was the best interview in a long time. Because it was so packed with good information and I know people that actually went back and worked in ERS applications a little bit differently after interview. So just want to put that out there. (Thank you very much). You indirectly impacted my community as well. So we appreciate you for that. Dr. Berry: Thank you very much for that. Like I say again, it was something that I almost, its crazy Lunch and Learn community I felt obligated. I had to do it because just because I saw just how much she loved doing it and I felt like, you know what, let me try to give it my all because I want to put as much energy and effort that she's doing to help her community. And also again, really, really thank you for the kind words. Dr. Nina Lum: Yeah, you're welcome. So back to your question was about the passion. I think, the shoe hurts where, oh they say, you feel the pain where it fits or whatever, do you know that adage. So that's sort of my story. It's like I know where it hurt when I was a student and right before applying into residency. And so I never, at that point in time, I didn't even think about ever doing this because I never told anybody anything. I just kept it to myself. I kept my struggles with myself. I'm one of those weird people who never had a true mentor, which is something that right now I'm like, what was I thinking? And that's why I extend myself so much to other people. But I just did not know that there was so many other people out there except for those that were in my school who we were all struggling together, that we're dealing with the same challenges that I was facing. And I feel like mine was a little bit different again to most IMGs. Most IMGs are actually US citizens that moved to the Caribbean for school temporarily and then then moved back home. Well, I was a little bit different from that because I was, I'm not a US citizen. I'm a citizen of Cameroon, lived there my whole entire life. Studies there out of my undergrad. Moved to the Caribbean really for medical education and then from there transition state. So it was like being in the States was new for me for one. And then second, I didn't understand the immigration system at all. So I didn't understand that that came with its own challenges. And then you put me again in the US system trying to compete to get into residency and not really understanding the process. I don't know how I did it all, but I didn't have any delays in getting into residency specifically for me, but it very well could have been the case. Dr. Berry: And that's all confident Lunch and Learn community because I don't know if you guys understand just the level of barriers. I hate to call them barriers, but really they are, that are placed in front of many who are trying to get into this profession and have the passion and love, but it's so many steps that they forced them to take just to get here. So I really want you guys to really take a deep dive and understand she had to do all of that to get to where she's at. And while you're doing, it's almost like a blurry, like, oh my God, I can't believe I have to do all of that when look back at it. Dr. Nina Lum: And I think also, it's important to point out that for a lot of my colleagues who, like yourself and people that are from here and maybe trained here and didn't have to deal with the other side of those things, it's like, it's almost oblivious. You don't believe that it happens until you know somebody personally that's been through it. So it's one of those things where I just want to point that out that sometimes a lot of times I talk to my coworkers, they don't really understand the process, but they've seen me walk through it over the last few years and they're like, oh my God, I can't believe you had to do X, Y and Z, just to practice medicine here. The rest of us it's usually just pass your boards, apply, and get in. But then when you add the layers of visas and different things that come with that financial constraints, not being able to team any kind of financial aid for school and such, those things do add up and they have a lot of stress on the students, especially the IMGs. So anyhow, based on my personal struggles with primarily just the maneuvering to be sub-process and then various financial hurdles that I had to with that process. And even just the complexity of not understanding ERS when I went through it, my personal statement was whack. Dr. Berry: You ever look back again. Dr. Nina Lum: I always joke about that. I don't know who will read this thing. I thought it was good. I didn't have anybody proofread it. I just wrote it and submitted it. My ERS application, I didn't even think to include certain things that would actually work that I've done. When it comes to educational posters, publication, presentation, I didn't even count. I didn't count my own work as solid enough to go on that portion of the application. So lots of emissions, loss and mistakes. Gracefully got a few interviews, whether on the interview trail, learned on the interview trail too because my press interview was crazy. And then by the time I got to the second one, it got better and such. But that just being said, its lessons I learned the hard way. I felt like once I became an attending actually, and had no intention of sharing this ever. But once I became an attending and I was working in rural Kentucky and I just had some more time on my hands doing the seven on, seven off. And I thought, I've always how to blog but never really opened up about the truth behind who I was on that blog. And I started to glow more about the struggle and that seemed to resonate with a lot more people. And I started getting emails or messages asking for more information or advice and tips. And I thought, everybody's on Instagram these days. I used that platform to speak a little bit more about the struggle side and the more I opened up the more I realize there were more people that identified with that pain point and that just really helped me get a message out to them. Dr. Berry: And what I love is because your story, especially as a physician isn't unique in that we'll go through a struggle and just in our level of training, we're not necessarily taught to publicize it and we're taught to internalize that we're the only ones going through that struggle. When you started blogging, you were like, oh wow, people are actually like gravitating to it. Is because a lot of us are sitting in the back like, oh, well I'm going through the same thing, but like one, I don't want to be like, I'm the only one doing it. Or like, oh, it's just me and like I need to kind of fix myself. So I love just that aspect of understanding that yes, it's not unique to keep it to yourself because that's probably been one of our biggest issues. I guess I like to say as a physician that we don't tell the people behind this like, hey, this was hard, right? I tell people all the time, I've failed multiple levels. There's not a level that I didn't fail at. But I just kept going. But like me telling you, I felt hopefully gives you a glimmer of light. So if you do trip, you understand it isn’t an end in the world. Dr. Nina Lum: Correct. I think in a sense we're almost preaching a different kind of healing when we share these stories. It's not necessarily that bedside healing, but it's actually, I think maybe in carries some stronger value because if you're able to get one more physician who was well-meaning, intelligent, and able enough to practice, that person's going to touch a lot more lives than you alone could as a physician. I think teaching other people how to cope when we do these things. And by sharing our stories with teaching other people how to, in many ways deal with the diverse challenges that are bound to come. But then more importantly, we're sort of replicating ourselves in a sense of they'll still continue to spread the message. Dr. Berry: So as you're blogging and you're realizing that you're picking up steam and now people are reaching out to you and say, hey you know, I have that question too. Or hey, I have a question could you answer. Was that something in your element were you used to being more and more public, more out there, or are you even as we speak more of the reserve type, like you'd rather just chill with your own but because of the platform that you've built, you're forced to be out there a little bit more? Dr. Nina Lum: So I will definitely say, people that knew me when I was a younger person would say I was very reserved, initially. But I think part of the self-development that has occurred in the last few years, which I think some of it has to do with medical training, it just pushes you out of your comfort zone period. But beyond that I have sort of just really transformed into an extroverted human being, but I still believed that it was a great component to me that's introverted in the sense that, I'm actually right on when it comes to certain things like talking about this IMG struggle right now. I can talk about it all day. But certainly there are other parts of my life that I'm probably still very introverted in. So I think because of the need, I've learned to adapt to meeting the need. But it's been a great process for me, so it doesn't make me uncomfortable necessarily, but I can see where if this was another area of my life or probably would be uncomfortable with it. You see what I'm saying? Dr. Berry: I totally, totally agree. I think I run in that similar ilk, especially when I tell people like, oh yeah, I got a blog and a podcast and do video, but I might try to keep to myself, they almost can't believe like, oh ok, I'm very sure. Dr. Nina Lum: Yeah. Right. I think people expect it to just be Dr. Berry that we see on the internet and they don't realize that maybe Dr. Berry has several interests in and there's different parts of Dr. Berry that we don't see on. And so when we see one part, we tend to think that's the person all the time which isn't always true. Dr. Berry: So as you're gaining the interest and gaining some of the fanfare, and I guess recognizing that you have something that people want. How was that transition like? Was it a simple one especially for these past couple of years especially when you say like, yeah, I have no problem coaching you or I have no problem, what was that transition? Dr. Nina Lum: I think it started first within me, the transition I would say. So I had to figure out how to coach people. And these days you can go, there's so many courses you can take on coaching right from the comfort of your own room. For me, I decided to read up more about it. I realized the best way to do it is to first look within myself. And so I started reading a lot more personal self-development books and that really helped me resonate with sort of a gifts that I think I've always had which is I believe personally, and I think my family will probably attest to this, that I do have a gift in helping people identify their purpose and their goals. And so I just help people streamline things that they want and make it more attainable for them. Maybe that's an actionable steps that they can take. And so that's something I've always done for my friends and my family, but I never thought of it as something that was a gift or something that I could use on a larger scale platform like what I'm doing now with coaching people that are international students or graduates from medical schools. And so I think it's just been more of that fine tuning process, which I'm still in a growth process anyhow. So I believe that it's just been more of a growth process. When you figured out, okay, maybe I have a gift here or a talent here, the best thing you can do is sharpen it. Make it better. Talk to people that are better than you what you're doing. Talk to other coaches, read material written by coaches that you admire. Watch the videos that you can find. There's tons of videos on coaching, everyone in internet, this online courses you can take. And so those things just help develop, gives the other people have seen naturally in you. So that's been really my transformation has been taking what I've always heard compliments about. Like, hey, you're really good at helping people figure stuff out. Or hey, you're really good with creating new ideas. You're like an idea queen or something. So I've heard those kinds of comments from people that know me on a really personal basis. And so I just took that and sort of ran with it and said, hey, how can I make this better for the people? How can I become an expert at it or maybe more professional with my approach? And a lot of that has come with just more of what I would call a personal development plan. Dr. Berry: Can you talk about maybe, especially during this transition, some of the highlights and even low lights as you've gained traction in what you've been doing? Dr. Nina Lum: There are a few things as far as highlights. The highlights are really the people that I get to impact. So, right now I have people that have coached that are currently in training, some are looking into fellowship applications this year. So it makes me feel very fulfilled in that is when I see people that actually worked with, is actually few that have lived in my house with me. Maybe they came by to observership and I housed them and walk them through that process, viewed the application and it had a person's statement and walk them through the interview process and all that. And now they're looking into the third year of residency and applying for other things. And I'm like, oh my gosh, you're my first experiment so to speak. And so that's my highlight is, is those doctors, male, female, different countries and just like, wow. This is actually something that you can do Nina. So it's been a good encouraging force we need to watch. Low lights, I would say have to deal with, sometimes it gets exhausting just honestly, because when you give a lot of yourself, it was about self-care and sometimes self-care is being still and just minding on business. But when you give a lot of yourself out to people, you actually spend a lot of emotional energy and that is something that you cannot, nobody can award that to you. You just have to recover from it. You recuperate and get back up and sort of fill your tank and so what I like to call it. And then you can help more people because if your glasses empty, you can't pour onto another person's cup. So that's sort of been, maybe the little lights is those moments where I get low on fuel and I had to step back and recharge. And that may mean, I don't coach for a season or I only keep with the people that I have and not take any new people in. Or it may just mean that I call my folk fewer times and I usually would schedule coaching calls with them and said, well, sometimes they may just mean that I take a vacation for a week and unplug and come back. So it just varies, it just varies sometimes. But I would say that's the biggest, I would say the low light. Another thing can be maybe just comparing yourself with other people that are maybe doing different kinds of coaching programs and feeling like maybe you're not that far advance. And that's just something that comes with what I've realized every just every great thing you're going to feel a certain type of way that you just have to move beyond your feelings and look at the impact that you actually have on individualize. Dr. Berry: Very true. And what I love about it is that be open because it's such an active process. It's active process when coaching right? When it's active process, when you're having to withdraw as well. And I'll be honest with you, Lunch and Learn community, I do send a lot of people towards their way, because if I get it so much and maybe I feel like they had imposter syndrome too. I'm like, well, you know what, as a former medical grant, I got this perfect person for you. I know this is the person, so I do send a lot of people. So I got asked, but that's me now. I haven't ever remember, oh I have to be mindful. She is only one person. I gotta be mindful that we're not draining you too much because you have such a gift. Like I said, because when we did our interview, I saw the comments and I was like, wow, they are really like, one, how enamored they were and how intended they were. You could just tell like, oh, they were like thank you. They're not just like, just having a conversation that would just glad I was able to get. Dr. Nina Lum: I had people taking notes and coming back and weeks after with notes saying, remember the interview you did with Dr. Pierre, you said such and such and such. And he said such and such and such. Do you think I should do X? And I was like, wait, I don't remember talking about that. So you have people taking notes. I mean, it's a serious deal, but I just want to put this out there. If anybody's listening and they feel like they wanted to reach out to me. I don't want it to sound like, they don't need to be worried about burdening me or anything like that. They can always just, I mean, I respond to emails usually in those periods where unplug. You get an email stating I'm taking a break for X five days and I'll get back with you whenever I get back. But that's usually how it works. So there's some close with communication there. Dr. Berry: Nice. Okay. And remember Lunch and Learn community, we're going to make sure, and whoever's listening, we're gonna make sure that you have all of our kinds of information to bombard her, to follow her, to make sure you stay up with her because again, she is definitely want, like I said, I'm all over. I'm watching, I'm watching her stories. I'm watching her. I'm watching because I want to see not only how she doing it, but again, if there's something where I can improve on myself and just the position I am, I definitely will take nuggets as well. So you talked about just a time bestselling author but two-time bestselling author. Obviously I want to get into beyond talented, but talk about the first time when you decided like, hey, you know what, I'm going to write something. What was that like? Especially people write books. Was that something that was like, yeah, I'm gonna write a book one day and the opportunity came, or you would just with all of the life changes that were happening, it just felt right? Dr. Nina Lum: So the first time was when I partnered with a group of other female physicians and we wrote The Chronicles of Women in White Coats, which is ever since moved into a great movement. And there's been a wellness retreat, a blog and so many things birth out of it that have continued to encourage women in medicine and across the country. But then more recently, this was something that I was a part of the organizing team of and sort of co-leader in the project. And that really was something that was near and dear to my heart because this one was really focused on the struggles that immigrants space and particularly immigrant physicians. I'm just detailing accounts of their lives from different facets of general life, love the practice of medicine and how that has maybe made us better, or the challenges that we encountered along the way have made us much better for or thankful for who we are today. And so that is the project that was just recently released this. Oh wow this month we launched, this month, actually October 4 and within the first day of releasing when Amazon made the best seller list, and I actually almost passed out when I saw that we were right below the book written by the neurosurgeon, When Breath Becomes Air, we were breaking underneath of him and I was like, oh my God, I took a screenshot of it. Because I could not believe that. And for several days after we stayed on the number one new releases, medical biographies, so that was a pretty good win for us, just because our stories are different but they're the same as everybody else's. So, even though I may feel like, oh my gosh, this is the book about immigrant docs. I'm not an immigrant. I may not relate with them. You'll be surprised because even though it feels like the origin of a story is vary from yours, but the struggles are going to be underlying, very similar and really boils down to what virtue that this person gained from that experience that I can maybe reflect on. And that's really been a joyous experience I would say. Dr. Berry: And it's been amazing and Lunch and Learn community obviously I want to give Dr. Lum community an opportunity to get a free book on us. We're definitely gonna make sure were saying out in the air we're going to sponsor so she can give a book away on us because I think you need to read this. But like I said again, I've been a secret spy on everything you do. And I think even I as a person who always wanted to do academic medicine. That was always my passion. I remember writing when I was a medical student. I was either a medical student, maybe a first year resident. It talking about like, oh, I can't wait to be a Program Director because that was just something that I've always wanted to do. (Awesome). And still understanding and learning as I grow in in this role that I've been on three years now. Just a different side of it as osteopathic physician, we didn't typically deal with international medical graduates. So I'm learning all of these things. I'm like, wow, you guys have to deal with all of that. So that's why and when I say that, especially for the medical students who maybe are going to school here and they think like, no, we don't go through that same struggle. And you'd be surprised. The questions I get, the DMS I get, emails I get of going through that same like hurdles and trouble and how do I get over this? Because I get those same questions for students who go here too. So I 100% agree that everyone should read this. One, because it definitely opens up your heart and your eyes. But especially your heart to say like, oh, okay. I definitely need to make sure I'm more mindful of there's the struggle that everyone has to go through and then it makes it. I'll say it online. I'll say it on live right here. I respected more because I know your hurdle was a little bit harder that in someone even like me who went to school here, who's from here, once osteopathic medical. So I understand that even my hurdle wasn't the type of hurdle or that you typically have to deal with. I'm definitely a fan of that book and really that premise, that you women got together and say like, let's write our story because, even though it's, you said 28 does that, how many, what that? Dr. Nina Lum: We have 15. Dr. Berry: So 15 different stories. But it was, it's still one collective theme. Like, hey, we struggled but we got to where we needed to be. Dr. Nina Lum: Right. And that's the message you're trying to put across. As you know, I usually say this jokingly, but and a lot of times when you moved to America from another country, you don't have the same opportunity as a person where this is their homeland. And so when we choose to share our stories, it's also a way to say that despite the fact that we maybe did not have the opportunity to get some added advantage, we still were able to overcome X and Y challenges in our lives to get to a goal. Just like you said, you always wanting to be a program director, thinking, oh my God, here you are walking in goal today. So a lot of times we have all these goals we set for ourselves, but maybe along the way you get a detour or encounter some kind of roadblock remembering that even people that may be could have been statistically considered less fortunate than you are still able to get their goals. If anything that you can certainly get yours and so that's really the message of encouragement or empowerment or putting out there is irrespective of what origins you have or irrespective of your disadvantages and if you have advantages to take advantage of them. And so that that way our stories are able to resonate with more than just immigrants. But even just people that are non-immigrants or people to whom this is home. To not only share that story for awareness, but also to remind them that, hey, yes, you could still also achieve a lot of the other things you want to do for yourself given that you have certain advantages. Dr. Berry: So like I always asked, you come together and you write a phenomenal story, a collection of stories like this, what is next? When we talk about just getting the message out there and we already know what you're doing on the personal front, what's next for you? Dr. Nina Lum: Oh my gosh, I have so many plans Dr. Pierre. I don't even know sometimes how I go to sleep at night with all these plans in my head. But I have a dream of creating some more structure around international medical graduates and their pre-residency process. The biggest thing that I've noticed, I guess if I could create a study, this would be my retrospective analysis of I've worked with. The foundation is lack of knowledge. It's just what it is and it's not a lack of medical knowledge. Because I should have these IMG sense of score way higher on some of their boards. And maybe even students that have taught as part of my job here in the States. I know in the past, the first three years on a residency, I was a community based preceptor for and osteopathic school out of tenancy. So I do know that scores can vary, but these IMGs they tend to really knocked up all of the park when it comes to some, not all of course. So that being said, medical knowledge I've noticed maybe is not so much of an issue, even though when it is an issue, that's a usually more difficult hurdle to overcome because you need to have the competitive score. But that put aside, just understanding of the process has been an area where I've seen the biggest gap. And so one of the things I've done is creating an online course geared to with this, but I'm looking at a more structured and casual approach, if that makes any sense. So maybe something like what you're doing, I don't know yet. Maybe something like a podcast or an annual meeting or that could really equip people one time. Here's all the information you need, beyond just maybe a static online course, which I do enjoy and I do have and people use it. But beyond just that course, I would like something more dynamic, where there's more interaction and more real time. So whatever that is, I'm yet to discover. I'm yet to find out. Who knows, maybe someday it would be it, my dream will be the educational commission for medical graduates if I can get to work with them in some capacity in the future. That's definitely would be a big, big thing for me that ever happened. So I think for now that's really what I'm looking at is a more standardized platform that would equip IMGs with necessary information, evidence-based information that would really help them be well-armed on the front and instead of reaching out to me when they fail to match one time. Then that just makes it, it's a snowball effect. But they can get that information earlier on. And really I like to emphasize this. My message is not for people to go to foreign medical schools. That's not my message. My message is for people who already found themselves enrolled in those schools to improve their options and their chances of making their dream of being a board certified physicians in States. So it's really not a message of telling people to go to foreign schools because I would not do it over again if I have the choice. Dr. Berry: Is that just because of the hurdles that are placed? Dr. Nina Lum: Yes. The challenges that I faced, which I did not anticipate because I didn't know any better, I'd never lived in America before to understand the medical systems that extent, hindsight is 20/20. I can't see that far ahead. And so when you're just ignorant to societal standards. That being said, it's never my intention to say or premed student listening to this should go the premed and that's not the message. The message really is this, that if you already are in that predicament, here's what you need to be focused on because maybe the school may not equip you, especially when you start your clinical year. But exactly that piece of information. But then there's people like myself, we're developing with resources to help meet that need. Dr. Berry: I love it. And so interesting because that was the biggest driver for me. And I've said it before, when I talk about compassion, I don't use it loosely because when I see people who have such a drive, I just generally want to help them. I definitely want to see them succeed. I remember going to school at Nova Southeastern and I remember thinking like, okay, who's on the admissions committee? Because now that I'm at the door, I need to see what they saw in me and what do I need to do to tell someone behind me. And that's probably been secretly my drive to become a program director. Because I already know that my residency, alright, what are people on the other side looking at for potential resident applicants who to get into program. And I remember when I did my webinar, right? Because I have a webinar as well too. The ERS interview webinar. The reason why I did it was because I saw so many people and you're so right. Making the same mistakes over and over again. That I knew it was just that they just didn't know. It wasn't they weren't trying. It was just that they just did not know this process. And I figured like, hey, if I just yell out and scream like, hey, by the way, put down your poster presentation. It was like, hey, by the way, I knew if I just yell at the screen that someone would take it and say, oh, you know what, I did do a lot of poster presentations or I did a lot of oral presentations. Maybe I should put that in the scholarly activity so my ERS section doesn't look blank. I mean the amount of students who don't even know what goes in the ERS is still mind boggling to me. But like again, I was naive as well too. I didn't know until I got to the other side and I had actually put stuff into the ERS and realized that, oh wow, all this stuff I remember doing, I don't remember doing that. I didn't write it down. So I 100% agree, is never and especially because you're 100% right. It's not the scores are usually not the issue. I wish I could be like, oh yes, the scores that keep them out. It's no. There's so many systems in our medical society that again, and I've talked about this before ad nauseum that keep our foreign medical graduates, try to keep our foreign who graduates outside of the system. I'm an internal medicine. So you already know, I think as if I had to pick a specialty that does an amazing job at trying to keep people out. It's internal medicine. So I understand that there are systems in place that purposely make it harder for you. And that's why I love everything that you do. And that's why, again, like I said, whatever your dream, whenever your dream comes to fruition, if you ever need some support, please let me know. Because I know that there's barriers that we have to artificially break down to make it easier for those who are in that predicament to get over here and learn and be able to take care of patients. That's really the end of the day we're trying to take care of patients. They got these structures. They don't even let you do that. You have people here who do amazing, amazing work, clinical work, do amazing grades. But because of where they went to school, or maybe they had a hiccup. And like I said, full disclosure, there's not a level that I have not failed at all. So full disclosure and understand, I'm still a program director. I am 35 years, I always forget how old I am. I'm 35, 36, I think I'm 36, maybe 35, 36, but I'm still a program director. And I've had plenty of missteps and fails. So, and I've never believed that a misstep or fail anywhere during a medical school career should dictate whether you have a career at all. I am 100% champion of what you do and really how you do it. And I think that's why I was such so excited just to have this discussion because one, I think we're opening up a lot of people's ears who probably don't realize, a lot of these outside forces that effect our international medical graduates, to the point where they hide for them. We're DOs and MDs. That's all they know. They don't know our struggle and they need more people like you, like saying like, hey, look, look, read this book. This is our collection of struggles. Just so you realize like, hey, yeah, it wasn't all straight A's and high, it wasn't all that. So before I let you go, if you can, I know were about yourself care, right? But I do want people to make sure that they can follow you, you're always doing that. Again, Lunch and Learn community, let me brag on her a little bit. She is always doing a live. Now My ERS is an automated webinar. Reason why is because I'll be having a time to do that very often. You can go click it already. Press play. It's already prerecorded. It's done. My seat does it live multiple times. I know she just went through as a session where she was doing interviews. I'm not sure if you're still doing that. But I want people to follow. You just gonna just see how you're doing and see how they can stay within your community. Where are you at social wise, website wise, all of that stuff here? And remember Lunch and Learn community, whether you're driving, whatever you do, listen to it. We’ll make sure it is all in the show notes as well. Dr. Nina Lum: Thank you for that. I think Instagram, it's sort of my most active social platform and um, @drninalum. Previously I was known as the encouraging doc in Instagram and I'm still being encouraging doc. But my handle is @drninalum. And my blog is theencouragingdoc.com. So those are two places where people can find me on the internet. My online courses are on imgroadmap.com, which you can also find through my blog as well. Um, and I think those are the only places where I exist right now. Dr. Berry: Sure. What about the book? What about the book? Dr. Nina Lum: Oh yeah. I forgot. Okay. Yes. So you can get the book on my square site. It’s also included on my Instagram bio page. But it's also available on Amazon and this title Beyond Challenges, survival stories from African immigrant physicians on love life and the practice of medicine. Dr. Berry: Perfect. Remember Lunch and Learn community listeners and especially those in your community, we want to give away on behalf of us a 180 paperback books. So I don't know how, however best you feel, whether through your email list or your website. Whatever way you feel this, let us know. Because we want to sponsor one to give away because it is a message that I think people needs to be have in hand so you can understand like, okay, I really need to respect the grindness of some of these amazing physicians are doing down here. Dr. Nina Lum: Absolutely. I would love to do that. So we can probably figure out the rules to give away and maybe use one of our social platforms to further announce that. But I'm down. I can mail a book to that person directly whoever wins that give away. Dr. Berry: Let’s give them paper back. I know people are digital but let's give hard copy book. Dr. Nina Lum: Right. And that way it can get signed before you get it. Dr. Berry: Even better. See? We got to give the paper back and we've got to get that signed. Dr. Nina Lum: Absolutely. We'll love to do that. Dr. Berry: So again, thank you for joining the Lunch and Learn community. This has been an absolutely amazing episode and we just want to support you and thank you and give you all the well wishes on such an amazing journey. Like I said, to me you are the IMG coach. I'm going to keep sending people to you especially when I can't. I’m too busy. Especially as Program Director, this is interview season, so it's very busy. Dr. Nina Lum: Oh my God. I'm sure you're slammed. I can't imagine. That's one thing I can’t imagine how you doing. Dr. Berry: Oh yes. Crazy. It's crazy. You have a great day. Again, thank you for everything that you do. Dr. Nina Lum: Alright. Thank you so much. Thanks for having me. And to all the Lunch and Learn community folk, it was great spending some time with you today. Download the MP3 Audio file, listen to the episode however you like.

When your soul feels out of alignment with the work you’re doing, you’re more likely to feel stressed, anxious, and at odds. Not to mention the opportunity cost of working at a job that’s taking you drastically away from your life! Dr. Nii Darko is here to talk about how he made the hard decision to quit surgery, then go back to surgery, then quit again. Nii is the host of Docs Outside the Box Podcast where he talks to medical professionals about other aspects of their life than medicine. He’s a locum surgeon who realized that he didn’t want to spend his entire life at the hospital. His podcast was born out of a desire to spend more time with his family while still making a positive impact on the medical community. The true test for Nii came when he realized he was miserable working the equivalent of two full-time jobs. He didn’t trust himself enough to be able to provide for his growing family unless he was working as a surgeon, but the opportunity cost of this was a lot of time lost with his immediate and extended family. Nii was stuck in a fixed mindset when what he really needed was a growth mindset. Nii knows now the importance of listening to and following your heart. Even when your head wants you to do the most logical thing, your heart doesn’t often steer you wrong. And just because you think you don’t have it all figured out, so you have to go the safe route, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t listen to your heart. He learned the hard way what it felt like to live out of alignment with his values. Nii’s near chronic work at the hospital led him down a path he didn’t feel comfortable for happy in. He learned that he needed to balance his desire for money with his need for living his life to the fullest. Where have you spent the time that didn’t bring you joy when you could have been with your family? Do you listen to your heart? What’s worth it to you? In This Episode: What opportunity costs when you spend so much time working Why you should be confident betting on yourself What the difference between a fixed and a growth mindset is Why you have to listen to and follow your heart What happens when you don’t have it all figured out Why you need to fight for the things that are worth it What it’s like to be living out of alignment with your values How to balance your need for money with your need for life   Quotes: “What are you made of? Do you really believe in yourself as a brand? Can you bet on yourself?” (7:12) “It’s really important to notice how that mindset of how what you normally do on a regular basis can still just grab hold of you. Mindset is still something you have to practice on a daily basis.” (12:17) “You have to understand what your pain points are. And once you understand what your pain points are, you have to understand and make a decision of how quickly do you want to get out of pain.” (15:57)   READY TO MAKE QUIT HAPPEN? Then you’re in luck! Because my online course, Make Quit Happen, is available to start now! It’s a six-week program in which each week we tackle a different step in the strategic quitting process so that at the end of the course you know WHAT you need to quit, you have overcome any quitting-related FEARS, and you’ve got HOW to make the quit happen all planned out! Sign up Sign Up Here!!   Links Get 10% off your order of Remarkable Wellness adaptogenic mushrooms with code QUIT10! Start Your Podcast in Just 10 Days! Find Dr. Nii Darko Online  Follow Dr. Nii Darko on Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn   Check out the full episode post here Keep up with everything Quit Happens here Follow Lynn Marie on Twitter | Facebook | LinkedIn | Instagram Podcast production support by the fine folks at Counterweight Creative

What’s good everyone!! When I started Docs Outside the Box, I wanted to expose listeners to doctors thriving in non-traditional career paths. Just listening to episodes, might not be enough. I am learning that mindset plays a big part in our ability to take action, and also have positive energy in our lives. The fixed mindset keeps us from removing ourselves from toxic work environments, starting a podcast, or even taking a chance on a side-hustle we might be passionate about. I want to start introducing topics around mindset and habit – building into the regular schedule of this show. Nate Klemp, PhD, is an expert in this field and jumps on this show to talk about his NY Times Best-Selling book, Start Here: Master the Lifelong Habit of Wellbeing. This book is about learning that the same way we train our body for fitness, is the same way you can train your brain for wellness! The book is based on the Life Cross Training System that is currently being used by healthcare systems to help physicians battle burnout and obtain peak performance.  Things you’ll learn on this episode: Dangers of the “grind it out” mentality in health care The benefits of meditation What is gratitude How to manage attention and tension   Follow Nate Klemp: LinkedIn LIFE XT on LinkedIn Twitter   Don’t forget to join the community of DOTB Nation at: docsotbnation.com Check out our great sponsors: Physician CEO Set For Life Insurance

**Originally aired on Jan. 31, 2018** What would you do if you woke up with $662,000 of student loan debt? Yes, you heard that right, $662,000 in just student loan debt. Well, that’s what happened to Drs. Renée and Nii Darko. After meeting in medical school and completing rigorous surgical residencies, Renée and Nii woke up to see their total debt balance had ballooned to the high six figures after years of deferment and forbearance. Stressed, confused, and not making any progress on actually paying down their principal, the Darko family decided to get serious. They cut out their pricey insurance policies, took on a significant amount of extra shifts at hospitals all over the country, and reprioritized everything. And by prioritize, I mean they only paid $200/month in groceries for 2.5 years! The result of all this hard work and adhering to that strict budget was that they paid off all their debt in only 3 years! Today, I’m talking to the couple about how they did it and the challenges they encountered along the way (like the three failed IVF rounds that they paid for in cash). You’ll also hear about how paying off their debt has given these two physicians financial independence, enabling them to pursue their passions and business pursuits, like Dr. Nii’s website and a podcast called Docs Outside the Box. To visit the couple’s blog, head to www.keepingupwiththedarkos.wordpress.com. Renée runs Pre-med Strategies, a pre-med consultation business to help students overcome the challenges of getting into medical school. You can visit the website here: www.premedstrategies.com. To learn more about Dr. Nii Darko, please visit his website, Docs Outside the Box, at www.docsOTB.com or find him on twitter @DocsOTB. Equal Access Health is their locum tenens business, which you can learn more about here: www.equalaccesshealth.net.

What’s good everyone! Dr. Renee is joining me on this episode. I decided to shake things up a bit and discuss something controversial. Damon “Dame” Dash is an American entrepreneur, record executive, film producer and is best known for co-founding Roc-A-Fella records. For a significant time, he served as Jay-Z’s manager and business partner. Several years ago, Dame Dash came on the popular radio talk show The Breakfast Club on Power 105.1 to discuss a new movie. To anyone who isn’t familiar with the talk show, it’s not your typical morning show and if you’re a guest, you definitely can’t prepare for the questions you will face on the show. Let’s just say it turned into a heated talk about employment versus entrepreneurship and other things you should listen to in your home and not at work. On this episode, Dr. Renee and I break down this conversation for you from a doctor’s perspective. There are mad nuggets that Dame drops about employment that we think you all can learn from and we go through each one by one. His thoughts are controversial, but this is Docs Outside the Box - and that’s what we do! Twitter The Ask Dr. Renee Show   Resources Mentioned: Dame Dash Full Interview at The Breakfast Club Power 105.1

Dr. Wendell Cole provides advice to study smarter, save time, and have a healthy social life during medical school. We all need as much help as we can get when it comes to board exam tips, time management hacks, and how to get into the residency of our choice. Today, Dr. Wendell Cole, author of The Medical School Survival Kit, will give us the sage advice that allowed him to study smarter, save time, and have a healthy social life during medical school. Dr. Cole is an orthopedic surgeon at Tulane, has been on a host of podcast episodes including InsideTheBoards and Docs Outside the Box, and hosts his own podcast, Convos with Cole. Dr. Cole I’m delighted to have you on the show today. Intro 2:00 “Just Do It”: The Secret to Accomplishment During Medical School & the 80/20 Rule 5:20 The Purpose Behind The Medical School Survival Kit & Setting up your Study Schedule 11:40 Eliminate Distractions when Studying to Improve Efficiency 15:20 Discussions on How to Use Spaced Repetition 18:20 Using Questions for Priming and Self-Assessment 22:30 Common Student Obstacles and How to Overcome: Scheduling and Approaching Board-style Questions 24:40 Walk Down Memory Lane Special thanks to this episodes sponsor, CommonBond.

It’s been three years since Docs Outside the Box debuted on the podcast scene. It went very fast and I have learned a lot during this time. Check out Episode 100 for the lessons learned during this journey. On this episode, we have former anonymous physician personal finance blogger - The Physician Philosopher. Like so many of his blogging counterparts, Dr. Jimmy Turner initially started out anonymous, but as of this year, he revealed his secret identity and hasn’t looked back since. I brought him on the show to discuss his philosophy towards personal finance. I’ve enjoyed his approach, which focuses on the WHY behind our personal finance decisions. We often learn more from our mistakes than our wins, and Dr. Jimmy is not different. It seems he’s very comfortable discussing how his past mistakes has set him up for big wins now and in the future. Resources: 3 Ways Financial independence Causes Harm Physician Financial Interview Series Living an Intentional Life: The Three Kinder Questions Book: The Physician Philosopher's Guide to Personal Finance: The 20% of Personal Finance Doctors Need to Know to Get 80% of the Results

Welcome to my second episode of Black Ophs with me as your host Dr. Larry Eye MD.  In this episode, we have a special guest my Sensai Dragonfly Dr. Nii Darko Founder/CEO of "Docs Outside The Box".  In this episode, he will be asking those burning questions about who I am and what made me want to create a show like Black Ophs and other vital intel.  So sit back, relax, and listen to me as I draw from my inner Kenji to combat these grueling questions Sensai Darko has for me. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/larry-ferdinand/support

Today our expert guest is Dr. Nii Darko, a Board-certified General Surgeon who is pushing past the limits of the status quo. He hosts Docs Outside the Box, a podcast in which he highlights stories of doctors doing extraordinary things outside of medicine to inspire other doctors to think outside the box.   Since Dr. Darko was young, he single-mindedly pursued being a doctor. Role models like Doctor Huxtable and Doogie Howser showed him a vision of the future he wanted, so he went after it.   But after getting all the credentials and all the qualifications, after achieving his dream, Dr. Darko realized that he missed a lot: funerals, weddings, and ten years of his parents' lives. He knew he was going to be a successful surgeon – but he wasn't fulfilled.   The good news, however, is that Dr. Darko had this awakening in his 30s. When you have your head down and you're working in a demanding career, it's easy for decades to go by and then look back with regret.   So today, Dr. Darko is helping other doctors break out of this box, explore their other talents, and change the world. “And the best way I can help people see the light is not anything revolutionary, but just literally telling stories of other doctors who feel the same way or have gone through the same things.”   Doctors who do medical humanitarian work in war-torn places of the world, run their own businesses, contribute to medical journalism, and so many other extraordinary things – and sharing these stories to help others see the light will be Dr. Darko's legacy.   “Doctors can do more than just help one patient at a time, in a hospital or a clinic. We can literally affect society as a whole.”   The Biggest Helping: Today's Most Important Takeaway   “Just start. Whatever it is that you're really concerned about, whatever it is that you want to do, any dream that you want to do. Oftentimes, we let fear get in the way, or we let procrastination or insecurity get in the way of us dreaming or taking that first step.   “So what I say now is, whenever I get nervous about something, I acknowledge it and I just start. It doesn't matter. It doesn't have to be perfect... If there's something that you've always wanted to do, just do it!”   --   Thank you for joining us on The Daily Helping with Dr. Shuster. Subscribe to the show on iTunes, Stitcher, or Google Play to download more food for the brain, knowledge from the experts, and tools to win at life.   Resources: Learn more at https://www.drniidarko.com/ Docs Outside the Box: https://www.drniidarko.com/podcast/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrNiiDarko/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/drniidarko Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drniidarko/ The Daily Helping is produced by Podcast Masters

My guests on this podcast are Drs Nii and Renee Darko who paid back significant educational loans nearing nearly $670k over a 3 year period in order to take back control of their financial futures.  Nii is a trauma surgeon and Rene is a Ob/Gyn and they worked very hard to pay down this debt. We talk about how they acquired so much debt. What was the moment they realized that this debt was out of control and how they changed their life to pay down this debt. They also talk about their backgrounds in relation to finance and how that impacted their lives. We also talk about the decision to pay down debt vs investing (which is a common question and its a different answer for everyone) and now what their plans are after finishing the debt paydown. They also have other ventures which they are now able to spend more time on. Nii hosts the popular Docs Outside the Box podcast, and Rene runs a premed advisory service called Premed Strategies and Coaching where she helps advise aspiring medical students. They also run a locums agency called Equal Access Health and a blog called Keeping up with the Darkos. I hope the Darkos have inspired to you take a look at your finances and also pursue alternative ventures that maybe outside of medicine. More episodes of this podcast are available at www.doctormoneymatters.com and Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher, etc. All episodes are also now on YouTube (Audio only) and Facebook. You can follow me on: twitter @drmoneymatters Instagram @doctormoneymatters Facebook @doctormoneymatters Please consider joining the Doctor Money Matters Facebook group. Please share this podcast with your colleagues and join our email list. Thanks for listening and please leave us positive reviews and continue to share this podcast with your colleagues.

Dr. Nii Darko is a Board-certified General Surgeon who is pushing past the limits of the status quo. He hosts Docs Outside the Box, an Apple Podcasts Top 100 in Careers – where he highlights stories of doctors doing extraordinary things outside of medicine to inspire other doctors to think outside the box. Through his successful locum tenens business, Equal Access Health, physicians are empowered to have the lifestyle they deserve. He recently became a best-selling author with his book, 3,2,1…Podcast, that helps you build brand authority through podcasting. Alongside his wife, he does yearly medical humanitarian work to the underserved in Ghana. Dr. Nii Darko holds a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) from Kansas City University of Medicine & Biosciences and a M.B.A. in Health Care Leadership from Rockhurst University. He completed his General Surgery residency at Morehouse School of Medicine. He then went on to complete a Trauma/Surgical Critical Care fellowship at the University of Miami. Dr. Nii Darko is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons. Visit his website www.drniidarko.com for more information on how Dr. Nii is making the world a better place.

What can doctors do outside their medical profession?Dr. Nii Darko is a Board-certified General Surgeon who is pushing past the limits of the status quo. He hosts Docs Outside the Box, an Apple Podcasts Top 100 in Careers – where he highlights stories of doctors doing extraordinary things outside of medicine to inspire other doctors to think outside the box. Through his successful locum tenens business, Equal Access Health, physicians are empowered to have the lifestyle they deserve. He recently became a best-selling author with his book, 3,2,1…Podcast, that helps you build brand authority through podcasting.Alongside his wife, he does yearly medical humanitarian work to the underserved in Ghana. Dr. Nii Darko holds a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) from Kansas City University of Medicine & Biosciences and a M.B.A. in Health Care Leadership from Rockhurst University. He completed his General Surgery residency at Morehouse School of Medicine. He then went on to complete a Trauma/Surgical Critical Care fellowship at the University of Miami. Dr. Nii Darko is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons.Visit his website www.drniidarko.com for more information on how Dr. Nii is making the world a better place.SUBSCRIBEYou can subscribe to The Travel Wins Podcast on Apple Podcasts, SoundCloud, YouTube, iHeart Radio, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Spreaker, Podnews, Castbox, Overcast, Breaker, Pocket Casts, Radio Public, and Spotify.

Dr. Nii Darko, surgeon, entrepreneur, and podcaster talks about how he faces fear head on and emerges victoriously.  He shares about his experiences as a resident doctor, attending trauma surgeon and as an entrepreneur. Listen to his compelling narrative and his answers to what fearless freedom means to him. Dr. Nii Darko is the host of the Docs Outside the Box podcast. http://www.docsotb.com/ https://www.facebook.com/DrNiiDarko/  

I’m in the hot seat, being interviewed by Dr. Nii Darko, General and Trauma Surgeon, host of Docs Outside the Box Podcast, and, yes, my husband. We talk a bit more in detail about my childhood and total pre-med makeover story and outline 3 tips for “not-so-perfect” pre-meds to be successful. Also, find out why I dedicated this episode to my high school chemistry teacher, Dr. Harold Afiriyie. Be sure to subscribe to Docs Outside the Box Podcast. 

On this journey into facing fear, more and more of our personal narrative will be revealed. In this episode, Dr. G hands over the microphone to Dr. Nii Darko who peels away at some of her narrative's layers. Listen to hear more about Dr. G and her why for going on a journey with you to face fears and emerge victoriously. Dr. Charmaine Gregory is on social media at: Twitter: @CharmsFitDoc IG: @ffwcharmaine LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charmaine-gregory-md https://ferventlyfitwithcharmaine.com   Dr. Nii Darko is a surgeon, entrepreneur, and podcaster. His podcast is Docs Outside the Box (http://www.docsotb.com/) Dr. Nii Darko mentored Dr. G through his 10 days to Podcasting course. 

LISTEN & SUBSCRIBE ON: APPLE PODCASTS | GOOGLE PLAY | STITCHER | SPOTIFY On this episode of DOTB, I’m talking to Heidi Moawad. A neurologist, medical writer, editor and author of the book Careers Beyond Clinical Medicine. She writes medical articles for Medscape and she also teaches undergraduate courses and writing courses that focus on scientific writing. The path to following what you love to do is no walk in the park. Depending on how dedicated and committed you are, you can build your skills and get to the point where people are reaching out to you for your expertise. Know what you really want and don’t be afraid to do what you love. You'll be inspired as you listen to this episode of Docs Outside the Box. Things you’ll learn in this episode: What led her to the digital media and behind the scenes path Successful stories about doctors who are doing cool things outside clinical medicine Advice for someone wanting to jump on the path outside medical practice What made her write her first book Careers Beyond Clinical Medicine Personalities she looks up to for inspiration and motivation Personal habit that helped her become more successful and a doc outside the box How she answers #imnotjustadoc       Resources: Careers Beyond Clinical Medicine Awakenings by Oliver Sacks   Check out our Sponsors: Physician-CEO: physician-ceo.com/dotb/ Set for Life Insurance: www.setforlifeinsurance.com

Trauma surgeon and host of "Docs Outside the Box, Dr. Nii Darko explains how he shifted from success in traditional medicine to a more fulfilling professional lifestyle on his own terms.

LISTEN & SUBSCRIBE ON: APPLE PODCASTS | GOOGLE PLAY | STITCHER | SPOTIFY On this episode of DOTB we have Dr. Bonnie Koo from Missbonniemd.com. I featured her blog as one of my Top 5 favorite physician personal finance blogs to make you a doc outside the box. Caught up with her at FinCon 18 and talked about her going from being pre-med one day to living and making six figures in London the next. Although living her best life financially, she still had the urge to be a doctor. After medical school, Dr. Bonnie Koo did not let the huge student loan debt stop her from taking control of her life. She created her own personal finance blog called missbonniemd.com and also hosts Friends Talk Finance with Dr. Carrie Reynolds from Hippocratic Hustle Podcast. Things you’ll learn in this episode: How she didn’t fall into the cycle of living pay check to pay check The fascinating story behind her student loan debt payoff Why personal finances are so different for women compared to men Why she writes about Blended families, prenups and divorce How she answers #imnotjustadoc   Resources: White Coat Investor Book                                                      Never Split the Difference                                                      Docs Outside the Box Physician Podcast Directory   Learn More About Dr. Koo: Miss Bonnie MD Website Check out our Sponsors: Physician-CEO: physician-ceo.com/dotb/ Set for Life Insurance: www.setforlifeinsurance.com

This October we are doing a series of podcasts featuring Dave being interviewed on other podcasts.  This is the interview where I was featured on Docs Outside the Box Nation. We discuss how you can learn to manage taxes more efficiently. Don't dismiss this podcast – you'll going to learn a lot from this interview. This is a very important subject especially if you plan on living outside the box, which is quite different than a W2 situation. In this podcast you will: Discover Dave's personal story as to why he works with doctors and started his podcast. Compare and contrast the W2 vs 1099, is there a risk to being an independent contractor? Learn about the public service loan forgiveness program and how it can benefit your student loan debt. Learn the difference between an LLC and an S Corp. Discover how tax deductions help business owners and the common tax deductions that he sees physicians miss all the time. For all the show notes, transcription and more, check out the podcast website at http://doctorfreedompodcast.com/

In this episode I talk with Nii Darko from Docs Outside the Box. Docs Outside the Box podcast brings stories of ordinary doctors doing extraordinary things to inspire other docs to think outside the box. We discuss some of these stories but also delve into his finances and how he and his wife paid off $600,000+ in student loan debt and are building the life they want. If you found this podcast useful visit our blog at http://whitecoatinvestor.com/ for more personal finance and investing information. Find an engaging and helpful community in our forum at http://whitecoatinvestor.com/forums/ Did you know the average professional saves over $20,000 when refinancing with Laurel Road? Laurel Road has helped thousands of professionals with graduate and undergraduate degrees across the country refinance federal and private school loans – over $3 billion to date. In addition to offering a $300 bonus for WCI readers who refinance student loans with Laurel Road, those in residency or fellowship can pay $100 per month throughout and up to 6 months after training. For more information and to submit an application, simply visit www.laurelroad.com/wcipc. L-A-U-R-E-L-R-O-A-D dot com, slash W-C-I-P-C. Laurel Road is a Division of Darian Rowayton Bank, FDIC insured and established in 2006, and is an equal opportunity lender.

Dr. Nii Darko is a trauma surgeon living in Pennsylvania and also the creator of the wildly popular Docs Outside the Box Podcast. In his podcast, Nii interviews ordinary doctors doing extraordinary things.  Nii's guests have broken the typecast of doctors as just being doctors. He has interviewed physicians that are also media moguls, activists and trend setters. He has also recently written a book and manages a locums company. In between all of this, he and his amazing OB/GYN wife, Renee, paid off over 662,000 dollars in student loans! In this episode, you will learn: How he found freedom from traditional medicine through his podcast. Why he feels it is important to give diverse doctors a voice on his show. How he got into the Locums Life and how that has changed everything for him. How he started the podcast and got the original idea to do it for physicians. Where he finds time to be a podcaster in the busy life of a trauma surgeon. What the hardest thing about being a podcaster is. Who his favorite podcast guest is so far. How he got the idea to write his book for podcasters in the making. How he tackled a huge amount of student loan debt between him and his wife. Links we discussed in the show: Check out the Docs Outside the Box Podcast. Don't miss out on Nii's new book 3, 2, 1... Podcast! Hear Nii on Dave Dennison's Doctor Freedom Podcast. Contact Nii by email at nii@docsotb.com, or find him on Instagram, and Twitter. Quotes from Nii Darko, MD: “It's ok to just say, “I'm not just a doc.” “I just wanted to tell other people's stories and I wanted to tell it my way.” “I love taking care of patients, I love what I do on a daily basis, but I love myself just as much.” “I think the hardest thing about podcasting is realizing the show is not about me, the show is about the audience.” “Loans were just basically the pain point for all the different things in our lives.” “There is a difference between success and fulfillment.” Special thanks to this week's sponsor: The White Coat Investor's new course Fire Your Financial Advisor! and PearsonRavitz for all of your physician disability and life insurance needs. Thank you for listening to the Hippocratic Hustle! I know that time is your most valuable resource so I really appreciate you spending some of it with me. If you enjoyed today's show, please share it! If you'd like to help me improve and grow the podcast, send your suggestions to: Carrie@HippocraticHustle.com Lastly, don't forget to subscribe to the podcast, so you won't miss an episode!

Happy 4th of July to everyone! Happy Birthday to our country and to our podcast too! As the podcast turns one year old, I would like to sincerely thank each of you for being loyal listeners. This is our 41st episode and we have just reached over 50,000 downloads! That is incredible! To keep in touch, and never miss out on an episode, don't forget to subscribe to our email newsletter as well! I will send you direct links to our top 3 episodes right away! Our 41st episode is super fun. We have some exciting Life Updates from Carrie and Miss Bonnie MD since it has been a while since we got together. In this episode, you will learn: Baby Jack is now in daycare and he and Bonnie are both battling non-stop colds. How doctors seem to be the only profession where you still have to go to work when you're really sick. Carrie will meet baby Jack in person for the first time in Philadelphia when she goes to the Podcast Movement Conference in July. Bonnie is trying to start meal prepping to save time during the week and Carrie had some great suggestions she tried after she had her daughter. Carrie and Bonnie are now bullet journalers! Hear all about how they got started. Carrie is leaving her full time position to pursue a locum tenens career to free up her life to do her podcast and other side gigs more efficiently. Carrie hired a Virtual Assistant to help her stay on track with everything. Thank you to this week's show sponsor: The White Coat Investor's Brand New Course Fire Your Financial Advisor! Only until July 7th, use promo code INDEPENDENCE for 15% off this fabulous course.   Links to things we discussed in the show: Our top episode so far is about the important topic of disability insurance. Check it out here: Ep 08 Disability Insurance with Stephanie Pearson, MD. Check out more about Carrie's suggestion for meal prepping at Once a Month Meals. She did this after she had her daughter along with Megan Oxley, MD. You can hear Megan's Podcast episode about her Ketamine Clinic Look up all the fun things you can do to create your own Bullet Journal. Learn more about the locums tenens life with Cheri Wiggins, MD here: Ep 32: Living a Locums Life with Cheri Wiggins, MD. Hear how Carrie negotiated her locums contract to increase her salary on Nii Darko, MD's Doc's Outside the Box Podcast Special Thanks to our Long Time Show Supporters: Cheri Wiggins Nisha Mehta, MD Physician on Fire Passive Income MD Nii Darko, MD and his Docs Outside the Box Podcast Miss Bonnie MD  Huge Thanks our Show Sponsors: Stephanie Pearson, MD from Pearson Ravitz Insurance. Lawrence Keller from Physician Financial Services. Peter Kim, MD from Curbside Real Estate. Johanna Fox Turner at Fox Wealth Management. Travis Hornsby at Student Loan Planner.com. Jon Appino from Contract Diagnostics. Thank you for listening to the Hippocratic Hustle! I know that time is your most valuable resource so I really appreciate you spending some of it with me. If you enjoyed today's show, please share it! If you'd like to help me improve and grow the podcast, send your suggestions to: Carrie@HippocraticHustle.com Lastly, don't forget to subscribe to the podcast, so you won't miss an episode, and please take a moment to leave an honest review and rating on iTunes as well. Ratings and reviews are so helpful to our show and we love to hear your feedback!

On this episode of “The Doctor's Life” podcast, Dr. Dianne speaks with fellow physician turned podcaster Dr. Nii Darko, DO for an engaging conversation centered around the seemingly disconnected worlds of medicine and podcasting. A board-certified general surgeon and host of the top 100 Apple podcast “Docs Outside the Box”, Dr. Darko joins the conversation to talk about his experiences both as a physician and a podcaster. A best-selling author & New York native, Dr. Darko was first inspired to enter the medical field from tv figures he watched growing up who embodied the roles of doctor and family-man, ideals that resonated with what he was aspiring for in his own life. And so, after entering medical school he began a lifelong career in the field he has now dedicated his life to while finding unique and engaging ways to bridge the gap into creativity through the non-traditional medium of podcasting. During their discussion the docs discuss many things, including Nii's initial entrance into podcasting. As he explains it was after graduating from medical school and while looking for an appointment that fit his long-term goals, he began meeting people who were doing interesting things outside of traditional medicine, who were using their medical training for things outside of typical medical practices. This inspired him to see that a doctor's training and experiences could be utilized outside of the run-of-the-mill methodologies he was used to. Seeing the need for a voice of authority to speak to these opportunities in his own career discipline, the “Docs Outside the Box” podcast was started in April 2016 and it's message has gained tremendous popularity while engaging a field of people that have been traditionally overlooked in podcasting.  Aside from the personal history of the start of the “Docs Outside the Box” podcast the docs also speak more broadly about why they have entered the world of podcasting and the personal values they have gained through it. While they affirm they have both grown in their public speaking and networking capabilities because of podcasting, they acknowledge the road has not always been easy. The two discuss what it often takes to start a podcast-mainly reaching out to peers and those you already know, to have them speak about their own experiences. They also speak to the (more than a few) potholes, road bumps and cringeworthy moments they've come across in the journey and how to grow through them. With the tremendous traction gained in podcasting, especially in the medical community, the docs also speak to how they have bonded with other like-minded professionals through networking opportunities and resources like industry-focused FaceBook pages like the Physician Podcasting Network. As the conversation climaxes the two also get very practical, discussing their process of recording, editing, hosting and posting their podcasts, as well the premise of Nii's Amazon best-selling book 3-2-1 Podcast where he discusses some basic elements of podcasting in hopes of encouraging other would-be podcasters to take on this exciting yet unique challenge! While the conversation centers around podcasting in the medical community, the realities offered transcend career-paths as they note that podcasting is merely an opportunity for people to tell their own story and help other people learn and grow from their own experiences while rallying people around common interests. Learn more about Dr Darko: http://www.docsotb.com/about-dr-nii-darko/ Learn more about the “Docs Outside the Box” podcast: http://www.docsotb.com/category/podcast/ Follow Dr. Darko on social media: @docsotb Email him: nii@docsotb.com Follow him on FaceBook:

LISTEN & SUBSCRIBE ON: APPLE PODCASTS | GOOGLE PLAY | STITCHER | SPOTIFY DOTB Nation! I know I left you all hanging for 2 weeks. There are a lot of changes going on in the background for Docs Outside the Box. I always encourage listeners to submit questions to me. It’s much easier to answer these questions through the podcast and that’s what I did for this episode. A valued listener submitted the following question: Hi Dr Darko, love these podcast. Such amazing information for residents since this is all information that you have to learn on your own. So greatfull. I wanted to your opinion. I am a 3rd year neurology resident and thinking ahead as I prepare to lay down my loans and start working. What do you think about the public service loan forgiveness plan over the 10 year period? Also I know you guys cancelled your disability insurance and down graded with better prices with set for life insurance. As a resident would it be wise to forego disability insurance until the absolute end of fellowship or should I purchase now as a resident? Thanks again. Much appreciated. Physician on Fire and Jamie Fleischner (Set for Life Insurance) helped answer this resident’s question. Take a listen!   Check out our Sponsors: Physician-CEO: physician-ceo.com/dotb/ Set for Life Insurance: www.setforlifeinsurance.com The post AskDarkov3 appeared first on DOCS OUTSIDE THE BOX.

Welcome to another episode of Freedom Formula for Physician's Podcast.  I'm excited to have a repeat guest, Nii Darko, from Doc's Outside The Box, on today's episode.  He's sharing the excitement of paying off not only his student debt, but his wife's also.  Combined they shared $662,000 of debt.  He shares about how he and his wife early on were paying more into their cash value plans than into their student loans, and that the frustration of that lead them to say "enough is enough".   In this podcast you will: Discover why if you're married, working with your spouse as a team to combine and slay your "debt dragon" together is the best strategy  Learn how surrendering their cash value life insurance helped Nii and his wife pay off a significant amount of their debt Uncover a great method to paying off your debts by categorizing Discover the sacrifices Nii and his wife made to pay down their debts Hear Nii's thoughts on how he feels the medical field is changing Resources mentioned in this podcast: Doc's Outside The Box Podcast- Nii Darko Equal Access Health Text DOCBOOK to 44422 for exclusive offers on my latest book, The Young Physician's Guide to Money & Life  with over $100 of bonuses.  If you have questions or want to share your story, I'd love to hear from you. Contact me at dave@doctorfreedompodcast.com or on my website www.doctorfreedompodcast.com. Thank you for joining us for Freedom Formula for Physician's Podcast-a podcast dedicated to help you slash you debt, slash your taxes, and live a liberated lifestyle.

 LISTEN & SUBSCRIBE ON: APPLE PODCASTS | GOOGLE PLAY | STITCHER | SPOTIFY It's very important to have people from various backgrounds tell their stories on Docs Outside the Box. Whether it's a voice from the suburbs or cities, the docs that I have on the show offer perspectives we ALL can learn from. There's a lot of thought that goes into the process of figuring out who will be a good fit for the show. I'm really proud that my guests give great advice for you to live outside the box. And that continues with my next guest…. My next guest is Dr. Aletha Maybank and she brings a very unique perspective on how we measure, determine and improve the health of a community. She works at one of the largest and oldest public health agencies in the world. Dr. Maybank is Deputy Commissioner at the NYC DOH & Mental Hygiene and is also the Director of the Center of Health Equity. We talk about her early career as a hospitalist and how knowing what she did NOT want to do set her on a mission where she has trailblazed her own path to career fulfillment and happiness. Things to pick up in this interview: The difference between clinical medicine and public health She's impressive, but she shares a relatable moment of imposter syndrome The difference between leadership and management Intentional about what she doesn't want How she answers #imnotjustadoc   Resources mentioned in this episode: Malcolm Gladwell – Outliers Center for Health Equity Stars of New York – Dance   Learn more about Dr. Aletha Maybank: Story Collider Essence Magazine  – 15 Black Women Who Are Paving the Way In STEM and Breaking Barriers   Follow Dr. Maybank: @DrAlethaMaybank    Check out our sponsor Set for Life Insurance: www.setforlifeinsurance.com   The post Champion for the Health of NYC appeared first on DOCS OUTSIDE THE BOX.

LISTEN & SUBSCRIBE ON: APPLE PODCASTS | GOOGLE PLAY | STITCHER | SPOTIFY   DOTB Nation! Recently, I flew to Los Angeles to interview an upcoming guest for the show. In LA, I stayed with an old friend of mine – Kwesi Asamoah. We met in college and have been friends ever since. That's almost 20 years folks! Besides giving me a place to stay, he helped me with equipment checks and recording portions of the interview on camera. There's more to Kwesi than just a great friend. Not only does he love all things related to the NBA, he also enjoys world travel and surfing. He's not all fun and games though, Kwesi is formally trained as both an engineer and architect – yeah he's pretty smarty-art (Chris Rock reference). Last year, Kwesi added architect outside the box to his repertoire when he chucked the deuces to his old employed life and started working as an independent contractor. He hasn't looked back since. He joined me for my first Docs Outside the Box meetup at WurstKuche restaurant in Venice a couple of weeks ago. We got there pretty early and I decided to interview him about what pushed him to live outside the box. He came correct and kept it 100%. I'm telling you docs…we can learn a lot from those who aren't in the medical field. I bet those sitting on the fence can learn a lot from this interview. Things to pick up in this interview: What pushed him into bouncing from his employed position The quote from a co-worker that gave him the confidence to embrace life as an independent contractor How we bonded in college over Beer Pong/Why he hates the New York Knicks His tips to make sure you don't stumble when starting as an independent contractor How he answers #imnotjustanengineer/architect   Recommendations by Kwesi Asamoah: The Artist's Way Tim Ferris Podcast   Contact Kwesi Asamoah at:  Kwesi.asamoah@gmail.com   Music: VeniceBeach/Gwiz/soundcloud.com/gwizdb/   Join the Docs Outside the Box Nation on FB: docsotbnation.com   Check out our sponsor Set for Life Insurance The post He's the architect of his own future appeared first on DOCS OUTSIDE THE BOX.

"Docs Outside the Box podcast brings stories of ordinary doctors doing extraordinary things to inspire other docs to think outside the box. My guests are living proof that doctors can break free from the exam room." It's time to learn from the Docs Outside The Box creator, Dr. Nii Darko! Dr. Darko is a Trauma surgeon and fellow podcaster on the Docs Outside The Box podcast.    Our interview is packed with great information, motivation, and you will leave this interview wanting to create something of your own.He discusses topics in his podcast that include politics, finances, building a business, and more.   In this conversation we discuss   1. Why Nii started Trauma Surgery 2. How he and his wife eliminated 662,000 dollars of debt in three years 3. How podcasting has created fulfillment in his life.  4. And much more!    Links: http://www.docsotb.com/ https://keepingupwiththedarkos.wordpress.com/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/DocsOutsidetheBox/ - Docs Outside The Box Nation Intro episode w/ Dr. Carmen Brown: http://www.docsotb.com/001-docs-outside-the-box-introduction-dr-carmen-brown/    Our ask of you this week: Please share The Happy Doc Podcast via social media! Let your friends know through Facebook, Twitter, Instagram. Let them know through word of mouth! Oh and please, do yourself a favor, and take a listen to the Docs Outside The Box podcast. 

  LISTEN & SUBSCRIBE ON: APPLE PODCASTS | GOOGLE PLAY | STITCHER | SPOTIFY Dr. Kyle Horton is on the show this week. Her specialty is Internal Medicine and like our previous guest, the 2016 general election served as a tipping point for her. We're going to talk about her candidacy for the 7th District seat in North Carolina. I had a great time chopping it up with her. We get a glimpse into her family background and why as a physician she feels she is at an advantage to be successful in Congress. Things you'll get from this episode: Why she thinks she has a shot to win this election The crisis of veteran suicide Why she decided to stop clinical practice Her thoughts on net neutrality You won't believe what's her favorite TV show How she answers #imnotjustadoc   Learn more about Kyle Horton, MD and her candidacy: drkyleforcongress.com/ Twitter: @DrKyle4congress   Docs Outside the Box Nation FB group: docsotbnation.com   Check out our sponsor Set for Life Insurance   The post The Rx for success in Congress – Kyle Horton, MD appeared first on DOCS OUTSIDE THE BOX.

LISTEN & SUBSCRIBE ON: APPLE PODCASTS | GOOGLE PLAY | STITCHER Docs Outside the Box Nation!! On this episode, I get to talk to Dr. Jason Westin, who is running for Congress in the 7th Congressional District in Texas. I'm a big fan of public service as well as the ability to rally groups under a unified goal. That being said, have you seen the approval rating of Congress lately?!?! Westin thinks he has the answer to this and believes being a physician gives him a unique advantage to reach across the aisle. Based on the views on his viral launch video, he's off to a fast start! And watch out! It looks like he's not the only physician running for office. Fueled by the 2016 elections, there are numerous physicians throughout the United States running for office. Let's see if they'll all consider coming on the show? Things you'll get from this episode: How he juggles a busy practice with running for Congress What his colleagues think of his congressional run The effects of money on our current political atmosphere Why he's optimistic that he can win in a district that hasn't elected a Democrat in close to 50 years His thoughts on net neutrality How he answers #imnotjustadoc   Learn more about Jason Westin, MD and his candidacy: westinforcongress.com Twitter: @DrWestinForTX07   Docs Outside the Box Nation FB group: docsotbnation.com   Check out our sponsor Set for Life Insurance The post I'm a doctor not a politician with Jason Westin, MD appeared first on DOCS OUTSIDE THE BOX.

This month we have a lot going on. Chris Curran interviews me about the awesome new IkigaiMedEd course we are having this year. Plus, we talk to Dr. Nii Darko about "Docs Outside the Box." Bonus features include a discussion of things that conference organizers can do to make conferences memorable and an introduction to a new segment on the podcast, The Meduprenuer Lab. Great stuff!

What would you do if you woke up with $662,000 of student loan debt? Yes, you heard that right, $662,000 in just student loan debt. Well, that’s what happened to Drs. Renée and Nii Darko. After meeting in medical school and completing rigorous surgical residencies, Renée and Nii woke up to see their total debt balance had ballooned to the high six figures after years of deferment and forbearance. Stressed, confused, and not making any progress on actually paying down their principal, the Darko family decided to get serious. They cut out their pricey insurance policies, took on a significant amount of extra shifts at hospitals all over the country, and reprioritized everything. And by prioritize, I mean they only paid $200/month in groceries for 2.5 years! The result of all this hard work and adhering to that strict budget was that they paid off all their debt in only 3 years! Today, I’m talking to the couple about how they did it and the challenges they encountered along the way (like the three failed IVF rounds that they paid for in cash.) You’ll also hear about how paying off their debt has given these two physicians financial independence, enabling them to pursue their passions and business pursuits, like Dr. Nii’s website and a podcast called Docs Outside the Box. To visit the couple’s blog, head to www.keepingupwiththedarkos.wordpress.com. Renée runs Pre-med Strategies, a pre-med consultation business to help students overcome the challenges of getting into medical school. You can visit the website here: www.premedstrategies.com. To learn more about Dr. Nii Darko, please visit his website, Docs Outside the Box, at www.docsOTB.com or find him on twitter @DocsOTB. Equal Access Health is their locum tenens business, which you can learn more about here: www.equalaccesshealth.net. To learn more visit www.somoneypodcast.com.

 LISTEN & SUBSCRIBE ON: APPLE PODCASTS | GOOGLE PLAY | STITCHER DOTB Nation! This past December, my wife and I finally slayed $662K in student loan debt! It was a long three year process of taking extra shifts, reducing our living expenses, and living on beans and rice (maybe even Ramen Noodles).  We got a ton of emails, Facebook messages, and Direct Messages on Twitter about how the hell we accomplished this. I strongly believe in giving you all ACTIONABLE tips on every episode. This one ain't different. On this episode, I'm joined by my better half –  Dr. Renee Volny-Darko. We get real as we talk the highs and lows of going 0 to 100 with our student loan payback!! Things you'll pick up in this episode: Individual debt vs Married debt Our struggle with whole life insurance Developing a healthy emergency fund Budgeting Running the numbers Importance of small wins with debt The regret we had about some of the sacrifices we made Check out the new Facebook group for Docs Outside the Box – Docs Outside the Box Nation (www.docsotbnation.com) If you are/want to be a Doc Outside the Box – this group is for you!! 7 Financial Lessons from The Doc Outside the Box – A Physician Fireside Chat with Dr. Nii Darko  The post 043 – How we slayed $662K of student loan debt in 3 years appeared first on DOCS OUTSIDE THE BOX.

 LISTEN & SUBSCRIBE ON: APPLE PODCASTS | GOOGLE PLAY | STITCHER Happy New Year Docs Outside the Box Nation!! Thanks for joining me on not just any episode of Docs Outside the Box. This is my first episode recorded face-to-face with my guest. It was a great opportunity to challenge myself and take the show to a higher level. Today's guest is Dr. Brian Williams, the on-call Trauma Surgeon at Parkland Hospital on July 7th, 2016 – the night when a lone gunman went on a shooting rampage against police in Dallas, Texas. Dr. Williams and his surgical team are no strangers to multiple gunshot victims and quickly went into action to save as many lives as possible. Trauma surgeons train their entire careers for a night like this. This situation was quite different, not for the medical care, but for the obvious social and racial undertones. The recent deaths of two black men killed by police officers streaming through cellphones and living rooms throughout the nation and now a black gunman shooting police officers – created both a unique and precarious situation. Oh, and did I forget to mention that Dr. Brian Williams was at the time the only African American trauma surgeon on staff. It's a lot – breathe! Dr. Williams' comments four days later at a news conference further thrust him into the national spotlight when he discussed the dichotomy of treating police officers while at the same time having a fear of them as an African American male. A little over a year from these events, Dr. Brian Williams gave a shocker when he announced on his blog that he was resigning from his position at Parkland Hospital. Without another job in play, he described it as going from “Dr. Williams to Mr. Mom.” Without any regret, he is living in his purpose and outside the box as a surgeon, speaker, and now social activist. Things you'll learn in this episode: Why he calls July 7th, 2016 the worst night of his career His thoughts prior to coming to the news conference on July 11th, 2016 Why a year later he left his dream job How he has transitioned into a public speaker and social activist The story of how Dr. Williams and I met and the positive effects of mentorship How he answers #imnotjustadoc   Learn more about Dr. Brian Williams: Brianwilliamsmd.com Follow him on Twitter: @Bhwilliamsmd Music: G wiz – Nostagia –  soundcloud.com/gwizdb   Check out our sponsor Set for Life Insurance The post 042 – From international fame to unemployment appeared first on DOCS OUTSIDE THE BOX.

My next guest is Dave Denniston who is a Chartered Financial Analyst that works with physicians. He also is a fellow podcaster and hosts the Freedom Formula for Physicians Podcast. I am definitely a fan of the podcast and this is due to his knowledge, consistency, and genuineness. The show covers a wide range of relevant topics to docs including student loan debt, burnout, and reducing tax burden. I brought him on the show to talk about how the Docs Outside the Box Nation can learn to manage taxes more efficiently. Don't dismiss this podcast – you'll going to learn a lot from this interview. This is a very important subject especially if you plan on living outside the box, which is quite different than a W2 situation. Dave is also an author of four books that you can find on Amazon.com right now: Freedom Formula for Physicians: A prescription for First-Class Financial Health For Doctors Insurance Guide for Doctors 5 Steps to Get Out of Debt for Physicians Workbook 17 Myths Uncovered About Financial Freedom for Doctors: It's Not What You Make, It's What You Keep Things you'll learn in this episode: Dave shares his touching personal story as to why he works with doctors Compare and contrast W2 vs 1099 Is there a risk to being an independent contract and the public service loan forgiveness program What's the difference between a LLC and a S corporation How tax deductions help business owners Common tax deductions that he sees physicians miss all the time   Disclaimer: ***Please see your Tax CPA before taking this advice***   Links talked about during the show: 7 Financial Lessons from The Doc Outside the Box https://empireflippers.com/podcasts/ http://webequityshow.com/ https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/empire-podcast-buying-selling-websites-investing-in/id476852137?mt=2 https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/web-equity-show-justin-cooke/id1022624233?mt=2   If you enjoy the show please be sure to review this podcast episode on Apple Podcasts – I would so appreciate it….plus I read all the reviews on the show! Please subscribe for future great episodes!!! Apple Podcasts| GooglePlayMusic | Stitcher Check out our sponsor Set for Life Insurance: www.setforlifeinsurance.com The post 033 – That 1099 vs W2 Life with Dave Denniston appeared first on DOCS OUTSIDE THE BOX.

Session 28 Dr. Nii Darko is a community-based Trauma Surgeon. He's also an Osteopathic physician. Listen to his journey and what you should be thinking about. Dr. Darko has also been on The Premed Years podcast back in Session 196 and he is the host of the podcast called Docs Outside the Box. [01:05] An Early Interest in Trauma Surgery Practicing for almost five years now, Dr. Darko knew he wanted to be in two points of his life. As a seventeen-year-old, Nii had the opportunity to shadow a trauma surgeon in Newark, New Jersey, with his first exposure to trauma case was a person who got shot where they evaluated the patient and seeing a whole chorus of nurses and different medical staff helping the person. The trauma surgeon he was shadowing was at one corner of the room conducting the stuff, which to him seemed like an orchestra or rather a concerted type of chaos. The patient was taken into the operating room and when the doctor came out, he talked with the family. The doctor comes out of this operating room as a big superhero and saves the day. From then, he got hooked. Fast-forward to residency around ten to twelve years later, Nii noticed that general surgeons were doing everything including trauma and found himself moving towards operating on the unknown which to him was the fun part about trauma. You don't know exactly what's injured so you have to use all of these different detective-type qualities to figure out exactly what's going on. So Nii felt trauma surgery was the best mix for him in terms of taking care of patients who need things like appendix or the gall bladder and at the same time use his superman qualities in high-adrenaline and highly stressful situations. [04:40] Traits that Lead to a Good Trauma Surgeon Nii cites patience as a very big trait considering that oftentimes, with trauma, you don't know what's going on  and a lot of things are going on at the same time. Another important quality is leadership. You need to understand that it's a very highly stressful situation. You have the ability to take a step back, be patient and at the same time, have the qualities where you direct people respectfully. Nii stresses the fact that no man is an island, particularly in medicine and although you'll be making decisions on your own, you are leading a team and if you can lead them effectively, it's always going to end up, for the most part, with good results for the patients. Nii initially wanted to be obstetrician being greatly inspired by Bill Cosby of the Cosby Show who played the part of an obstetrician who was a positive African-American doctor figure. In fact in medical school, Nii was the first year representative for the OB/GYN club and he quickly realized afterwards that it wasn't for him. Orthopedic surgery was also in the running for a very short period of time for him but everything fell by the wayside when he did a rural general surgery rotation in the middle of Kansas and then knew from then on that general surgery was for him. [06:58] A Typical Day and Types of Patients Nii gets into the hospital by seven in the morning and a sign out period occurs where they talk about all the patients on the list, anything major that occurred the night before and then they talk about the plan for the next 12-24 hours. From 8 am to 7 pm, Nii handles different duties whether it be patient evaluation at the trauma bay or someone on the general floor. By 7pm, they do the sign out process again and whoever is on at night handles any situation that needs to occur at night and then do it all over again. Nii typically treats patients from all walks of life, children and elderly patients as well patients in their late teens and 20's. As a trauma surgeon, majority of patients he sees are patients in their teens to mid-late 20's and 30's, which he describes as the "invincible years" where people think they're invincible so they do more of the reckless stuff. Additionally, he sees a huge boom of geriatric patients consisting of the baby boomer generation who as they get older are more prone to falls and different types of mechanisms, making them the second largest patient population he deals with. 70% of his job consists of true trauma cases such as car accident, gunshot wounds, stab wounds, and critical care while 30% goes to general surgery. Only about 10-15% of his patients that come through the trauma bay get taken to the operating room for various operations such as removing a spleen or fixing a liver laceration or a washout of an exposed bone. A very small percentage of patients get taken to the operating room which is a significant shift from trauma surgery that our generation knows from most TV shows in the 70's and 80's. Because of how advanced technology now is, those days are way behind us. Now, you can study someone and take a look in their, say abdomen or chest, and have more information before you take them to the operating room. [12:08] Calls, Work-Life Balance, and Burnout In terms of taking calls, Nii works in a two-week-on-two-week-off type model which is basically a shift work where he and another surgeon alternate call for two weeks and he gets another two weeks off. No administrative work, no hospital work, no patients. So Nii works hard in Central Pennsylvania for two weeks and then he's able to get home for a week to see family. This makes it attractive for people who really care about being able to travel or being able to do things with their families that they may not be able to do in a regular type of job. But that said, Nii describes his two weeks on as tough. You can do it but it's not for everybody. However, Nii finds those two weeks off as very valuable. When his patients come back during the two weeks he's off, they have this agreement among all surgeon where it's no longer his patient but their patient. Hence, other doctors take care of him or treat him during his time off. Nii sees this as the wave of the future. It may not be necessarily two week in a row and two weeks off but more and more specialties are taking on this type of work model with varying number of days on and off and where they're working as a team. Considering the amount of work or the amount of patients one person has to see and to be able to have the lifestyle with the new generations coming up, millennials and GenX, he sees lifestyle as coming into center stage and as a result, this type of schedule is becoming a lot more attractive. Nevertheless, Nii still feels he has enough time for family since he's working very hard for two weeks and prior to this year, he was in a situation where he spent 24 hours in the hospital and another 24 hours afterward is for backup in case he's needed to come in. he ends up convincing the OR to give you time to operate early in the day which doesn't happen much due to elective cases filling in. So you may be spending an additional five to six hours in the hospital. Again, Nii stresses how tough those two weeks are and oftentimes, you may still not be able to see loved ones during that time, but during the two weeks off, you may still catch up. But it's not for everyone. Nii has still missed a lot of important life events and he honestly says there are times he's questioning if this is all worth it but in order to be human, you have to have that type of thought process at one point. Nii is not complaining but this is real talk. This is bringing to light something people have not talked about before and it may have been manifested in bad behaviors in the operating room. So it's important to have this type of discussions now. [17:35] Residency, Fellowship, and Competitiveness Nii did five years of general surgery residency which includes training in a whole bunch of various areas of surgery such as general surgery, surgical oncology, ENT, neurosurgery, a little bit of orthopedic surgery, but less focused on general surgery. Afterwards, he was allowed to practice general surgery and decided to do a one-year fellowship where he did additional training at University of Florida's Ryder Trauma Center. He got as much experience in trauma as he could as well as critical care experience. After his training, he became board-eligible to practice trauma surgery and critical care surgery as well as general surgery. Nii describes trauma surgery as not a very competitive residency for a host of reasons. For one, a lot of people are little bit nervous about the hours you work with trauma. Second, it's very stressful. Third, a lot of programs offer trauma so it's not as competitive as in the realms of vascular surgery or any other type of subspecialty such as laparoscopic surgery or bariatric surgery. For the most part, people may think of trauma surgery as not being too competitive but it's very hard to get into the top trauma centers like the University of Miami, Grey Memorial Hospital, USC in California, or Shock Trauma in Maryland, these hospitals. [19:55] How to Be a Competitive Applicant From a medical student's perspective, Nii cites the the key things for becoming a very competitive applicant to general surgery. First, set the groundwork by being an excellently trained general surgeon. Show your interest in general surgery whether it be going to conferences or shadowing a general surgeon. You're going to be doing a general surgery rotation so you may want to do an additional rotation as a third or fourth year doing a sub-internship in general surgery or trauma surgery. Get excellent letter of recommendation and do well on your board exams. Once you become a general surgery resident, make sure to have an open mind. Make sure you're giving every rotation that you're doing enough attention and being as open as possible to basically learn as much possible. Be open to the idea that maybe you thought you wanted to do trauma surgery but you're actually really interested in surgical oncology or what have you. At this point, which usually happens during your second or third year, start getting yourself involved in research or doing some additional trauma surgery rotations if you like or get yourself involved in co-authoring a chapter in a textbook if you're at a large institution that does that. As for Nii, University of Miami has opportunities for not only medical students but also for general surgery residents to attach themselves to one or two general surgeons who are making probably a 25-30-chapter textbooks. There are plenty of opportunities to get yourself ready but focus on getting into a general surgery residency and as a resident, start putting your hands in different ways to show your commitment to trauma surgery. [22:40] Tips for Choosing Your Program Nii says he wouldn't have done anything differently with how he chose his program. The way he did it as a fourth year surgery resident at Grey Memorial Hospital where there was a lot of trauma done, there were multiple trauma surgeons who train at various places and they've come to work at that hospital. What he did was querying all of those surgeons, going to various people and asking them about their program and why they think it would be good for him to train there. Aside from getting advice from them, he went online and looked up more about those different programs and even calling up the program directors where some of them accommodated him. Nii wants people to understand that medicine is an extremely small world but as you start to get into more sub-specialties like trauma surgery, it's a very, very small world. For instance, their chairperson knew the trauma director at Miami and they ended up getting introduced in that way so he got to talk to him and told him about the program. So he applied and ended up working for him. Additionally, when you apply you get the opportunity to interview at these places if given the interview, which is an opportunity for you to showcase how well you speak and think or how you are in person, outside, separate from a piece of paper. Also take it as an opportunity to interview them. Ask them in how well they train their residents or fellows and in doing well on their board exams, how much experience do they get operating in x or y, how much time do they get off. [25:00] His Hustle to Allopathic Residency as a DO Nii is a DO but he went to an allopathic residency program for general surgery. Based on the NRMP Match Data for 2017 for Surgery programs, out of 1,276 positions filled, only 64 were filled by osteopathic students. When asked about how it was for an osteopath to get into an allopathic residency, Nii explains how much he hustled which means grabbing an opportunity and not waiting for someone to give you an opportunity. He knew he wanted to do general surgery and was open to doing a general surgery residency at an osteopathic program. He went through the rounds of interview at all these different DO programs and at the same time he decided to interview at all different places. He got a phone call from three or four general osteopathic surgery programs that they have matched outside of the match, which was part of their culture. They at times will just agree to take in a certain person before the match. So Nii had no other places available to him to get into a DO general surgery residency. But since he got to interview also at allopathic programs, he still had that chance within that allopathic realm. He ended up doing a last-minute sub-internship at Morehouse School of Medicine in the Medical Intensive Care Unit (MICU). When he got there, he made it very clear that he was doing the MICU rotation because he tried to get into the SICU (Surgical Intensive Care Unit) rotation but it wasn't available. He actually got lucky he had a very good pulmonology critical care physician and he honestly told him that he enjoyed intensive care unit but at the same time he was really interested in being a surgeon but he took the opportunity since it was the only thing available to him. Then every now and then he would request to round with the trauma surgeons and then he eventually maneuvered that into seeing what they do in the trauma. He basically got his foot on the door and hustle his way into making sure they know him. As a result, he got accepted into their program. It wasn't until his second year that he had the opportunity to talk to the chairperson who accepted him because they saw his ability considering they have never ever taken an osteopathic medical student before. By the time he graduated from the program, he was the best resident that has ever come through that program. Nii's advice is to make sure that if any osteopathic medical students are ever interested in their program, you have to take them more seriously. Think that we're all going through the same trials and tribulations and stress. Nii thought they may think that because he's a DO, he's different but he went above and beyond and he crushed it. Back then, they didn't treat him any differently or did anything to make him feel that way, but it was the thoughts he had at that time. His advice to medical osteopathic students out there is if you want to get it then go get it. And if you have to get into a general surgery in the allopathic world, then go and be as aggressive as possible and take the opportunities that may be presented to you. Kick the door open and don't wait for someone to give you an opportunity otherwise you're going to be on the outside looking in. [31:40] Subspecialties, Other Specialists, and Special Opportunities As a trauma surgeon, your subspecialty is called Trauma Critical Care. You can go and get some additional education like other specialties can like take additional courses in ultrasound. This is very useful if you're trying to figure out if someone is bleeding in their abdomen or has blood anywhere else. Using it is cheap, quick, and it doesn't require moving the patient to a CT scan where their pressure can drop or end up dying of a collapsed lung. You can get additional training in mostly anything. It won't get you additional certification but Nii explains it's always good to have that additional training in your back pocket because you never know when you're going to use it. Moreover, if you want to get any type of additional training that would get you certified in something else, you may have to do an additional fellowship aside from trauma surgery such as laparoscopic surgery or plastic surgery. In trauma, Nii always works with an orthopedic surgeon for broken bones, neurosurgeons for head and spinal cord injuries, plastic surgeons and oral and maxillofacial surgeons for broken bones in the face or missing teeth, broken nose and broken sockets. Other specialties they work a lot with include cardiothoracic surgeons. Other special opportunities outside of clinical medicine for trauma surgeons can be EMS. For example, if EMS is called to a scene and a patient is found down, if there's enough training, and EMT may bring that patient to the ER and allow the ER to work that patient up. But if the patient has a bunch of bruises on the head or anything on the rest of the body that may suggest they've fallen, if a trauma surgeon did the education and ER comes together, they may be able to educate EMS as to what to do first. You can also create your own type of experience. You can do a podcast like Nii where he interviews ordinary doctors do extraordinary things. And as with any other specialty, the world is your oyster. Nii further says that as a doctor, whatever you do, you just have so many opportunities to do anything you want. There are so many ways that you can branch off and go into. [36:38] What He Wished He Knew Going Into Trauma Surgery Nii trained in Atlanta, Georgia and from his experience, he found trauma surgery as a burden in their hospital since majority of trauma patients at their facility were indigent populations. Other services are expensive  so if a patient with polytrauma comes through and they don't have insurance, it could be a huge expense for the hospital since a lot of that care has to oftentimes be written off. This normally occurs in areas where you have patients who don't have a lot of insurance or indigent populations. When Nii ended up becoming a trauma surgeon and going into areas where people have car insurance or people have other health insurances to pay for this, he didn't know that trauma surgeon could be as lucrative for a hospital as well as for the providers. And at the hospital he's currently at, trauma surgery is not a burden and instead is the biggest money maker for the hospital just because there are so many tenets of care. He wished he had known this before because he used to often get physicians who tried to turn him away from trauma surgery whereas in his current situation, trauma surgery is not seen as a burden and the administration can't get enough of trauma surgeons and want more of them. [39:00] Most and Least Liked Things About Trauma Surgery The thing Nii likes the most about trauma surgery is being the jack of all trades. He enjoys stressful situations and being trained in all different areas knowing you've got to stay calm. You get to orchestrate a lot of people and run a team and you're seeing someone literally from the door as they come in and all the way to when they're discharged and you're in charge of all facets of the care. He finds this very fascinating reason that the went to trauma surgery in the first place. On the flip side, the thing he liked the least is also the stress that comes with it that there's a lot to handle. In other specialties, you get to triage it to another person but you don't have this option in trauma surgery. There is constant stress which can eventually wear you down considering that Nii is still in his late 30's and he already feels the stress of that so he knows he can't continue like this into his 50's since it's not sustainable. But Nii loves this too so it's like an addiction. [40:45] Major Changes in Trauma Surgery Nii explains that trauma in the 80's and 90's was known to be not as operative as other specialties. There were even times when a lot of trauma surgeons lost the operative skills they've acquired during residency so a lot of trauma surgeons were not very good at operating. But a new field has come up called Emergency General Surgery or Acute Care Surgery, which Nii describes as a different thought process. For instance, if a trauma surgeon has to be in-house, he handles all the general surgery emergencies that occur in a hospital. This helps the general surgeons who have very busy elective services in the morning so they won't have to come in during the middle of the night to take out an appendix when at 7am they had a whipple surgery, which is one of the most intricate surgeries you can do in the abdomen that takes roughly about five to seven hours. So the general surgeon is no longer tired because he doesn't have to come in the middle of the night while the trauma surgeon can still get his hands dirty. Technology-wise, it continues to push things further and further. The obvious things would be technology getting smaller and smaller that you can transport patients with, which Nii considers as a small thing compared to the combination of trauma surgery and general surgery. [44:00] Would He Be Doing It All Over Again? If he had to do it all over again, Nii actually doesn't know if he would do it all over again. His thought process has changed a lot from medical school and residency, from a gunner mentality to now more of enjoying what he does and at the same time, he is no longer defined by being a physician. There is more to Nii Darko than just being a doctor. And if he had thought process in medical school, he may not have decided to go into general surgery and he may have decided to do something else where he'd be really be able to take care of patients not only in the way he would want to take care of them but also at the same time have a lifestyle where he can get away and that when he's off, he is off. No work no matter where he goes. Sure he does work two weeks on and two weeks off, but this may not be the same in another facility. As opposed to Emergency Medicine, you work a certain amount of shifts a month and you're guaranteed some time off. So if he had to do it all over again, he may have chosen something different. [45:40] Final Words of Wisdom Nii's advice to premed and medical students and residents looking at trauma surgery is to relax and take a big deep breath. If you want to be a trauma surgeon, there are plenty of places and spots available for you to get into trauma surgery. From a premed standpoint, focus on getting into medical school and being the best student you can be. At the same time, take opportunities to shadow a general surgeon and contrast that with shadowing a trauma surgeon so you can see the differences in how they practice. From a medical student's perspective, this is the time for you to really do as well as you can with your boards and with your rotations. At the same time, start laying the foundation for your commitment to general surgery if this is where you're interested in. Finally, as a resident, keep an open mind and give all of your rotations an equal share of your attention. At the same time, if you know for a fact that it's what you really want to do, go and get it. Don't let anybody keep an opportunity from you and know that trauma surgery is extremely rewarding. Although very stressful,  Nii enjoys it everyday and at the same time you deal with people at their most vulnerable states and being able to take care of someone every step of the way, not many other specialties say they can do that so he is very grateful and humbled he has the opportunity to do this. Links: Docs Outside the Box Podcast The Premed Years Podcast Session 196 (interview with Dr. Nii Darko) NRMP Match Data for 2017 University of Florida's Ryder Trauma Center

On the 25th episode of Docs Outside the Box, you get to hear from Dr. Kevin Pho – creator of the popular website KevinMD! If you have never heard of KevinMD then you're definitely not living outside the box, because this website has been named the web's top social media influencer in health care. What started off in 2004 with humble beginnings in the early days of blogging has now turned into a site with over 3 million page views, and over 250k followers on Facebook and Twitter. Trust me, if you're a doctor and want to make a name for yourself writing or with social media – YOU WANT TO BE PUBLISHED ON THIS SITE!! Although the site has grown immensely, Dr. Pho has remained true to his mission – to provide a medium for front-line physicians and healthcare workers to speak honestly about our healthcare system. He's a well sought after public speaker traveling through the country speaking at high profile events. His website has been cited in numerous major media outlets such as: CNN, The New York Times, and Forbes. Dr. Pho received his medical degree from Boston University – School of Medicine and stayed at the same institution to complete his residency in Internal Medicine. I don't know how, but he still has time to practice clinically in Nashua, New Hampshire. Things to you'll learn in this episode: Who manages and curates his website How he handles posts or viewpoints on his site that he disagrees with His recommendations on how physicians can properly get started with social media His thoughts on the current state of affairs of popular TV physician medical journalists How saying ‘No' has been his biggest life-hack for productivity How he answers #imnotjustadoc Music: JMKM – 2020 Vision soundcloud.com/productiveculture/ If you like this episode please subscribe for future great episodes!!  iTunes | GooglePlayMusic | Stitcher The post 025 – This doctor has the Rx for your social media woes appeared first on DOCS OUTSIDE THE BOX.

Another solo episode. This one I discuss the top 3 themes I've observed throughout all of my Docs Outside the Box interviews. Make sure you share this one! Music: Venomous/Dope Rap Instrumental/KYU Tracks SUBSCRIBE: iTunes | GooglePlayMusic | Stitcher The post 023 – Top 3 themes of success from my guests appeared first on DOCS OUTSIDE THE BOX.

I'm bringing back an old friend to Docs Outside the Box – Dr. Drai. Dr. Drai was featured on episode 3 where we talked about his breaking point from a pure clinical practice. Dr. Drai continues to be sought after by media for his medical opinions, but now he's taking his physician coaching to a larger scale. He is hosting his first ever conference called Momentum in Medicine taking place in Atlanta, GA on April 20 – 22. According to Dr Drai, this is “a conference for medical professional to learn how to monetize their medical degrees and leverage their brand from medicine to mogul.” That's a lot to live up to,  but based on the speakers he has for this conference – looks like he's serious! Things you'll learn in this episode: What role meditation plays in his daily schedule Who is Momentum in Medicine for Which doctors won't benefit from this conference Why Dr. Drai thinks you need a coach for your career What to look for in a coach MUSIC: Jaytwo/Soundcloud.com/Jaytwomusic SUBSCRIBE: iTunes | GooglePlayMusic | Stitcher The post 019 – Dr Drai on building momentum with coaching appeared first on DOCS OUTSIDE THE BOX.