“It keeps me grounded in traditional things that I value, making a difference in the lives of people with arthritis,” says Dr. Klippel about the foundation.
Transitioning to an Executive Career
Doctors contemplating a career switch to executive management often seek counsel from Linney or others at the ACPE. They come from various backgrounds and specialties and frequently have already volunteered for management duties and discovered they enjoy it, says Linney.
Recruiters have told Linney recently of fierce competition for physician executive job openings. Annual salaries for doctors in executive roles range from $250,000 for entry-level positions, to $350,000 and higher for some CEO posts, she says. That’s typically an increase from a traditional clinical practice setting unless the doctor is a surgeon or in a high-paying specialty.
One reason physicians are hired for executive roles is that, from a management perspective, they can stand their ground with other physicians, says Linney, who has taught an ACPE course on managing physicians. “Anybody else can talk to a doctor and the doctor can say ‘You don’t understand. You do not know about patient care. You do not know what I’m dealing with here,’ she says. “Physician to physician, that cannot be said.”
The demanding job of an executive includes financial responsibility and accountability over much larger budgets than are typical in a medical practice. The ACPE offers courses for doctors turned executives to teach them about financial business applications, as well as graduate programs at various campuses across the United States.
“To be sure there are business managers and there are chief financial officers that will help you as an executive, it’s good to have some kind of a base of knowledge of how to handle that stuff (that) you don’t get taught in medical school,” advises Dr. Lahita, who took leadership courses to enhance his understanding of finances.
Challenges and Rewards
Drs. Lahita, Doyle, and Klippel say that the best way to handle the inevitable politics of an executive job is to lead by example, respect others’ opinions, and build trust and confidence as a leader.
“You have to be honest and transparent,” says Dr. Klippel. “You have to show that you have a vision and a dedication to working with others to achieve that vision.”
The position offers a great opportunity to study human behavior, says Dr. Lahita.
“I always keep in the back of my mind, that I’ve seen people at their lowest and people at their best,” says Dr. Lahita. “And the people at their best can always go to their lowest very quickly and the people at the lowest level can become very prominent and very successful quickly as well.”
