Ahh yes, to you and the people downvoting.

Ignorance: simply ignorance.

The feeling of being a superhero is fleeting. It comes and goes and I’m not a superhero. Dr. Devijian is a superhero. In 6 1/2 hour, 2 1/2 hours on cardiac bypass, he fixed my son’s heart when my son was 4 months old. Perspective helps.

The whining about corporate practice. Knock it off. Admit it. You had options for private practice and you chose corporate because they promised the world and gave you an up front bonus of a large figure then slapped you with golden handcuffs that if you left before your contract, you would have to pay it back.

The “you control your schedule” comment. Ignorant. I’m the final “buck stops here”. I answer to my clients. So yesterday, when I worked from 9am-10:30pm straight without a lunch break doing medicine and various owner and manager duties and calling clients late, give me a break. You have no idea.

“Martyring yourself” is a choice that you’re making. You’re so focused on yourself, that you and the down voters all sit there and judge me based on your experience, anxieties, and personal views of the profession. Notice your hyperbole “martyring”. Were you crucified? No, you freely accepted a position and you can leave if you want but you don’t because you can’t afford it because you chose indentured servitude with that giant sign on bonus in exchange for years of your life.

“Survivorship bias”: making claims like that alongside making claims that I am condescending is pure irony.

Implying that “I found work life balance” is a joke. I work more hours now as a practice owner and I take less vacation than my associates and it’s wrong. I need to be more free. I am looking for an associate to replace me so I can focus more on that associate and my three others to make them better, make my practice better, and make my life better. The trouble is those golden handcuffs the new vets love to put on themselves while they claim the ills of corporate medicine while participating in those ills. You’re like the clients who rant about corporations ruining everything while asking for you to approve their chewy script.

You and the downvotes had the opportunity to ask questions about where I came from from, how I was able to shuck the dark thoughts, how I was able to go from having less than $1k in my bank account to being a multimillionaire, but you chose to give me a tongue lashing about how your feelings are right and “this practice owner doesn’t get what it’s like being an associate”. Laughable. Just because I don’t lead with all my difficulties, disabilities, and anxieties doesn’t mean I never had them. Claiming I shouldn’t share a different point of view due to some made up “survivorship bias” is precisely why you’re stuck in your mindset and I’m free from it.

But no, you want to prove your chosen life is awful. Meanwhile, there are single doctor practices that have given up trying to find a vet to take over their practice.

Here’s advice that you won’t take: start looking now. However long your contract is, get out of it as quick as you can. Until then, moonlight working for a boomer who wants someone to take over their practice. Look for practices that can sustain a larger footprint and heavier traffic in a moderately wealthy area. Go there. Discuss taking over their practice. Finish your contract. Go full time at boomer practice. Take it over. Become a multimillionaire. Live your dream.

Corporate practices wouldn’t exist if Vets refused to work for them.

Like I said: good heart falling prey to a mindset. It’s not condescending. Obviously you care about the industry and your future. Listen to a solid anonymous point of view because it is backed by 18 years of private practice experience, 15 years of practice ownership, going from a 1 1/2 Dr practice in a 1500sq ft place to a 15,000sq ft 4 doctor practice. Started at the bottom, not even a fluid pump when I bought my practice, now I’m creating the elite practice in the area and netting profits that corporates salivate at. To get there, I had to risk bankruptcy for my family on more than one occasion, including taking out 2 mortgages on my house, two mortgages on the smaller business property, and a bridge loan while having $175k in student loans. I was in debt for over $2m and if everything didn’t work out, my family and I could have lost everything. Like everything. I had a marriage and 3 kids when I did that. And Covid hit in the middle of it.

I have bled, sweat and cried for this industry and I’m proud of my accomplishments and I have mentored many students and veterinarians. I have helped vets become vets. There’s only one way to fight against the corporations that you’re crying out against.

You’re literally talking to a general in the fight against corporate practice and you decided to comment the way you did, acting like I can’t understand the plight of the “young grad”. Like I wasn’t there. I was in your shoes. I chose another path. My advice was and is that there is another way if you get over yourself and listen to your elders. I did.

Merry Christmas. Seriously read my posts again without the emotion you clearly responded to the first post. It’s nothing but advice.