The Ins & Outs of Private Rheumatology Practice

Editor’s note: ACR on Air, the official podcast of the ACR, dives into topics important to the rheumatology community, such as the latest research, solutions for practice management issues, legislative policies, patient care and more. Twice a month, host Jonathan Hausmann, MD, a pediatric and adult rheumatologist in Boston, interviews healthcare professionals and clinicians on the rheumatology front lines. In a series for The Rheumatologist, we provide highlights from these relevant conversations. Listen to the podcast online, or download and subscribe to ACR on Air wherever you get your podcasts. Here we highlight episode 62, “Joining a Practice,” which aired on Sept. 12, 2023.

Whether you completed your rheumatology fellowship this year or decades ago, you may relate to feeling passionate and determined to start your career while also being unsure about what practice setting will work best for you. Although many rheumatologists consider careers in academia or a hospital setting, community practice remains an option. Some rheumatologists may be unsure what to expect from working in private practice.

In an episode of ACR on Air, Sunil Abraham, MD, a rheumatologist at Asheville Arthritis & Osteoporosis Center, North Carolina, shared his experience working in different rheumatology settings and why he ultimately chose private practice. He also shared details on the pros and cons of working in community practice and what it really means to be a partner in one.

A Family Model

Dr. Abraham’s father was a surgeon in a small town in upstate New York, and his exposure to that setting influenced how Dr. Abraham thought about his future. While completing his rheumatology fellowship at the University of Pittsburgh, he was exposed to academic rheumatology, but also spent time in the university’s community affiliates.

“That [experience] really showed me the other side of rheumatology, seeing patients in a completely different setting and pace,” he said.

With many family members in upstate New York and a wife who is also a physician, Dr. Abraham used the ACR directory to look up practices in the area he wanted to be in and reached out to them about working there. He found a private practice he wanted to join, one with the promise of a partnership.

“Like I said, I was influenced a lot by my dad—who was a community surgeon—but he was always in private practice. I saw the autonomy he was able to exercise, and I really appreciated that,” he said.