For those of you who have recently passed the MD/MS exam and want to get into private practice but are doing senior residency, you need to ask yourself some hard questions. Why are you doing an SRship? 1.You want to learn more Fair enough. But do you really need three years for that? Won’t six months or one year suffice? 2.You want to keep the option of getting into a faculty position open That is a weak reason. By now, you know both the pros and cons of the system. You are probably just delaying a decision by trying to ride two boats at the same time. 3.Because you got an SRship That is even worse. This is the default approach to a career. You should be doing what is aligned with your long term goals. As a young doctor, you should be spending your energy building your name and your practice. The comparative comfort that comes with an SR ship also comes at a cost. In private practice, the earlier you start, the better you become at handling the initial tough months. Do not assume that just because you trained at a big institute, patients will make a beeline for you. Building a practice takes time. You have to figure out how to build a team, how to handle finances, how to negotiate rent, and above all, how to get patients. Start early so that you get time to figure out all these aspects.
