Leaving family med: How a serious cycling accident led one doctor to find a more fulfilling practice in women's health

For Dr. Michele Moss, practicing family medicine was her love and passion. But more than 20 years ago, a serious accident that temporarily left her unable to practice forced her to re-evaluate her career.“I had a near fatal bicycle accident and so I had to go on disability. I had major surgery and concussion and stuff. And it was while I was on disability and I got a call from the owner of the clinic,” the Calgary-based physician told the Medical Post.That phone call was to inform her that they were laying her off for taking too much time for each patient. “He said, ‘We're moving, but we're not taking you with us.’ And I said, ‘What are you talking about?’ And he said, ‘Well, you see too few patients per day and you spend way too much time with each patient and so you are not a good business proposition for us,’” Dr. Moss explained. Dr. Moss’s clinic had both walk-in patients and rostered family medicine patients. She had her own panel of 2,500 patients, but while other doctors at the clinics would see upwards of 70-to-90 patients per day, Dr. Moss would typically see around 20-to-25, preferring to not rush through with her patients.“It was at that time that I realized that family practitioners were actually not being valued. I was being let go for doing a good job.”During her medical education, Dr. Moss had spent some time training in obstetrics and gynecology and kept up with those skills in her family medicine practice. “There were a few things that I really had enjoyed in my family practice. And one of them was doing IUD insertions, talking to women about their contraceptive options and giving them clear advice on what the options were,” she said.When an opportunity opened up to do contraceptive work at a low-risk maternity clinic, she took it. The career pivot resulted in a significant financial hit at first, as she only had a small number of patients per day. But slowly, her patient base grew through word-of-mouth, as well as referrals from family doctors who don’t do IUD insertions themselves. She practiced there for 10 years before opening up her own clinic for IUDs and contraceptive counselling, where she continues to practice today.“When I was working full-time family practice, I didn't really have time for my own family,” she said. “It has now been 23 years, and I am still enjoying this.”Compared to her old job as a comprehensive family physician, Dr. Moss says her current line of work allows for a much better work-life balance.“Full-time family practice for me, was all encompassing. I never felt comfortable when somebody said, ‘I'm on the way to your clinic, I know you close at 5:30 or 6 p.m., but I need to see you,’” said Dr. Moss. “I never felt comfortable putting up the barriers and saying no. I never learned how to set boundaries.”“Comprehensive family practice, issues come up that can't wait. Whereas the patients that I see, it doesn't matter if they get their IUD in today or next week. It doesn't matter if they get their contraceptive counselling today or in three weeks’ time. But if somebody tells me they've got chest pain, it does matter if I see them today or next week,” she added.Last year, Alberta announced a new compensation model for family doctors that would see the average full-time family physician increase their income by around 25%, according to the Alberta Medical Association. Dr. Moss says she is disappointed that physicians like her who have a focused practice and don’t have a panel aren’t eligible for the funding bonus. “I feel that I am providing a service that a lot of other doctors aren't. And yet I'm getting dinged for not being a comprehensive care family doctor. I still feel I'm providing a really good service, I just don't feel I'm getting rewarded fairly,” she said.Still, despite the ups and downs, Dr. Moss says she has no regrets over entering family medicine and the path that her career took.“I would absolutely do it all again. I love the discipline. I love the patience. My only thing that I would do different is I would have put in boundaries so that I didn't get burnt out,” she said

Leaving family med: How a serious cycling accident led one doctor to find a more fulfilling practice in women's health

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