You + Career ≠ Self Worth

First published March 19, 2017

It’s devastating to hear of yet another young doctor suicide in Australia.

As the papers report, the 4th known in 6 months; probably many more unreported.

That doesn’t include the statistics for other healthcare professionals in Australia, or of those who work within healthcare; and of course, those from non-healthcare professions, too.

We don’t know the victims personally, and we’re not going to pretend we know their story.

But we know our own stories.

The pressure of our careers and perfectionism in the age of Instagram is higher than ever, and we want to remind everyone:

Your career is not your value as a person.

We know it.

And we can give advice on how things can change in the healthcare profession.

Because, this may not surprise you, these exact same issues crop up in the startup world, too. 

The same exacting degree of impossible high standards. 

Being the top one percent of the cream of the crop. 

Feeling like you have to beat and compete with that top percent of the cream of the crop. 

Congratulating yourself for pushing through 100 hour work weeks or more without a break, week on week.

Being made to feel ashamed when you try to enjoy your Sunday off but have hours of lectures to catch up on.

Being told by senior bosses and advisors that “we’ve been there, we’ve done that, we’ve pushed through insane hours at the risk to our health and our relationships, too.”

The thing is, thirty years down the track, the seniors in various professions may have neglected to realise the impact that social media and digital devices have on all industries and their workers.

We’re constantly surrounded by information overload.

Our email inboxes keep filling.

Those Tweets keep flowing in.

Our patients demand the best, and we are doing our best within our limited neural networks. 

Peer pressure scorns you when you haven’t published enough papers.

Your brain and body work best when you have enough rest.

We have to accept that we can never know everything. 

We’re not perfect.

And despite the external factors set to validate “success,” we have to remember we’re able to set our own internal values. 

We’ve been in the undergraduate medical class where people sneered at Mindfulness and Resilience training.

We’ve been there when we were too scared to call in sick despite being sick with gastro, because we’re worried our colleagues will think we’re too “soft” or faking it.

We’ve seen colleagues return to work when they’re still having gastro, risking hospital outbreaks, because they are the only Registrar on call that weekend in a major city hospital, and their bosses don’t get paid for stepping in for them.

You feel pressured to return to work before you’re well, too.

Yet other colleagues make it difficult for the workplace to trust your cohort, because when they call in sick, they’re pictured at festive events the same day they were meant to work.

We’ve been told we’re worthless by Directors of Training, despite studying and working at the cost of seeing loved ones when they needed us.

We’ve cried through weekends off because they were never really “off” when you had to study, study, and study for fellowship.

We were told by Colleges and work paraphernalia to look after yourself and seek help.

When we tried to do more sport or see friends, we had the opportunity cost of less time for study group.

We were told we didn’t want it badly enough, and we knew that was bull.

Yet it’s never enough.

There’s always going to be someone who says you’re too “soft” or worse.

You have to learn to tune them out.

You have to know what’s important to yourself.

What happens if you do achieve that goal you’re seeking? Will it really make you happy? Or will it more likely unlock another list of far-reaching career accomplishments you’ll need to add to your LinkedIn?

You have to accept that the only thing you can be perfect at is being YOU. 

Being the one who your aunts and childhood friends call on your birthday.

The one who gets to hold your nephew.

The one who gets to laugh at your partner’s jokes.

The one who bakes the best cake in the family.

Who were you before you started your degree?

What interests did you enjoy along with medicine or your profession?

What did you do to relax?

If the answer’s “Nothing!” to all of that, you can still start something now.

Did you ever talk to anyone outside of work about your problems?

The strongest thing you can do is find someone.

Your problems are NEVER too small to share with someone who cares or is trained to help. 

Lifeline, Beyond Blue, a counsellor, psychologist, a GP, the Victorian Doctors’ Health Program– they’re all there to help you.

Most major workplaces including hospitals, manufacturing factories, corporations, and so forth- have an Employee Assistance Program or similar where staff can access free, confidential counselling sessions.

You can go to the other side of town or chat over the phone, and not let it be known to anyone in your workplace or fellowship college.

You may not click with that counsellor or listener immediately, but persist – or try someone else. It’s not personal. The counsellor relationship doesn’t have to be perfect immediately.

Try something new. The brain loves novelty. Attend an acting class. An illustration class. A free yoga session on the beach. Be anonymous. Challenge yourself to step out from what you know. That one-hour break at the new yoga session could be exactly what you need to feel reinspired.

Call a friend you haven’t seen since school. It’s amazing how similar our paths are, despite differences in uni degree (or lack of- and it’s incredible what lives people can build for themselves without a college or uni diploma!). The same stressors. The same feelings of lack of self-worth in any industry.

A key reason why we started this blog was to inspire others about healthcare and entrepreneurship. Because those skills and these stories of real people who have hit rock bottom before career success, can be used by you, too. 

It doesn’t matter if you’re medical or not.

At the crux of it, you’re doing whatever you do because you want to do good.

And doing good (and being well enough to do this) involves taking risks.

You’re thinking like an entrepreneur if you take a risk and decide to take time out from training.

You’re thinking like a startup founder by deciding to apply for a paid Biodesign Fellowship overseasinstead of following the PhD route the majority are taking.

You’re a risk-taker if you decide to apply for a Google prize through your PhD.

You’re creative by founding a cancer app combining clinicians’ and patients’ needs instead of waiting a few years to finish training before starting to make an impact.

And you’re a champion if you’re learning to deal with your fears. 

Both the medical and startup worlds must learn to be kind to their own. 

But while they’re learning how to do so (and it’s really not that hard to be nice), refuse to be a victim. 

You are in control of your actions.

Be yourself. Be passionate about being your best self, in medicine or any tribe you’re connected to.

And allow yourself to receive kindness from others.

You’re not alone.

Help can be found in Australia from many sources including Lifeline (13 11 44), BeyondBlue, Black Dog Institute, the Victorian Doctors’ Health Program, and your GP. Please comment below if you have more resources to share including outside Australia.
There is also a donation fund set up in honour of a recent doctor-suicide victim.
Thank you for reading this. 

Ask Yourself Why

First published January 12, 2017

Why are you doing this?

Why are you studying medicine?

Why are you working in healthcare?

Why are you wanting to change healthcare?

Why are you unhappy with the way things are right now?

If you’re stuck, no matter what journey you’re going through, it’s crucial to ask yourself your reasons for doing this.

I’ve realised that your “Why” is not just a short sentence that’s slipped into your pitch deck as neatly as your shirt is pressed.

Although by necessity you should keep your “Why” brief and memorable in your pitch deck or CV’s mission statement.

Your true “Why” encompasses more than that.

Your “Why” is a journey of growth, of exploration and maturity.

Your “Why” may change as your learnings  evolve over time.

You may have several “Whys” to contend with in your head. Some may remain the same, others will be shooting ahead at lightning speed.

That’s all okay.

I’ve been absolutely amazed at the conversations that have opened up from starting my blog, and new friendships. And I’ve realised that blogging has helped me connect with others in and out of healthcare figuring out their why.

I love helping others figuring out their why.

Your “why” can consist of both action or inaction at a point in time, and that’s okay.

You don’t have to shout out your reasons to the world. As long as you’re honest with yourself, you can start to move forward with purpose.

I was incredibly lucky to spend time travelling to one of the most culturally significant places in Australia, and catch up with family and friends over the festive season.

It was a hectic year. I learnt so much about healthcare, the startup world and about myself during that year.

I learnt what works for me, and what doesn’t.

I learnt to trust myself.

I learnt to speak up.

I learnt that my life is different from everybody else’s, and my decisions will reflect that, even if they don’t make sense to others.

And these are things that you will learn, or have learnt already, as you journey through your healthcare or startup adventure.

Leave a comment below, or contact me if you want to share what your why is at the moment, or what your why is for your journey through 2017.

Thanks for reading :) 

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays

First published December 23, 2016

Thanks for enjoying our articles and posts this year.

It has been amazing creating new conversations about medical innovation and entrepreneurship, and we’ve enjoyed meeting many of you at the various events we’ve reported on this year.

Have a happy and safe holiday season, and look forward to more in 2017.

Creative Spotlight: Dr Vyom Sharma, General Practitioner and Magician

Dr Vyom Sharma is an Australian GP (Family Medicine/Primary Care Physician) and professional magician. He and his friends Luke Hocking and Alex de la Rambelje perform internationally as The Gentlemen of Deceit. From playing phone tricks on Kelly Osbourne on Australia’s Got Talent, to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival; from the Melbourne International Comedy Festival to events in Taiwan, Vyom juggles his magic work with his passion for General Practice. A graduate of Monash University, Vyom also speaks at events, including previous Australian Medical Association student conventions.

We sat down with Vyom prior to his recent Melbourne and current Sydney shows with The Gentlemen of Deceit, to learn about his journey. Tickets for the Sydney Opera House shows are still available here.

“I started in my first year of medical school. A fellow med student, Rob, was good at sleight of hand, so I started learning from him. The first three years were a period of intense learning, and doing 5-10 minute spots on stage.

The Gentlemen of Deceit performing one of their tricks. L-R: Alex de la Rambelje, Vyom Sharma, Luke Hocking. Pic courtesy of Dr Vyom Sharma

The hardest thing was doing it by myself. Medicine is difficult, but others are there too, and generate camaraderie during the course.

Whereas with Creative pursuits, your own path is incredibly unique. However, Melbourne has a very tight-knit Magic community. 

I started working as a magician in restaurants. It was a good example of being thrown in the deep end! Years of rehearsal couldn’t have given me that experience. Then I got accepted into the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

You need the experience before doing the work.

We walked in as boys, and out as men. Then that led to my biggest challenge: producing my own standalone show, Seven Stories. I didn’t have a lot of time, so I took some bold, unconventional steps to get it ready.

Coming to magic late, you find you’re more willing to take risks, and I’m up for more challenges as a result.

There’s a solid chance of failure, but what matters is to fight your ego, and realise how badly you don’t want to fail.

Medicine is a very risk-averse profession. You’re looking at longterm goals while working your day-to-day. With Magic, there’s a very fine line between success and failure. There’s the risk of incredibly public humiliation in an instant.

Performing on stage helps you realise the disparity between how you view failure and what it actually feels like.

It’s very interesting to switch between one perspective of failure in Medicine and another in Performance. I think Medicine should teach that your decisions are only as good as the information you have available at the time. A lot of people in Medicine look back and regret. But we are far more in control (of our decisions and pathways) than we realise.

In Medicine, people tend to praise the success, not the attempt. 

It’s like success is an algorithm, not about putting yourself out there (and giving it a go). This is the benefit of having an outside pursuit. 

The Gentlemen of Deceit on Australia’s Got Talent. Pic courtesy of Dr Sharma

Being a magician has helped me be a better doctor. It helps with building rapport. And it’s hard to feel sorry for yourself at a show when you’re looking after someone in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) the next day.

I really enjoy listening to people.

And I enjoy being a GP. It’s a specialty which encompasses a bit of everything.”

The Gentlemen of Deceit are playing at the Sydney Opera House tonight (October 16th). Tickets are still available here. 

Career Articles Need To Include Options For People in Training – Launching Our Jobs Board

First published October 14, 2016

Pleased to announce that we’re launching our Jobs & Opportunities Board.

Was just reading an article in a prominent Australian medical journal, featuring a young Australian medical specialist who’s completed her training. She is now a mum and somehow fits in time to paint, cook and travel as well as practice in her chosen specialty.

It is a very nice article, and we enjoyed reading about this woman. But we feel like there’s a gap in career articles about medical doctors (and other professionals) who are in the midst of training.

Life happens.

How can you make a difference in your life, now?

How can you do something meaningful with medicine while you’re still in training?

How do others fit it all in? 

Our interviews with psychiatrist Dr Gregory Sam, GP Dr Nelson Lau, and medical physician Dr Lloyd Nashhelp to shed light on how they did it. We will also be featuring professionals at various stages of their careers, and students who are not waiting till tomorrow to create impact in healthcare today.

We’ll feature people at a wide range of ages, life stages, and career accomplishments.

And we’ll share opportunities for you to make a difference even before you finish your exams and other assessments and get awarded your letters, which may be many years down the track.

So if you have a job, volunteer opportunity or other option that might interest a worldwide network of readers, visit our Jobs page and Contact Us.

With Great Media Comes Great Responsibility

First published September 15, 2016

I was reminded of this as I got off the phone tonight. I’d chatted with two very inspiring individuals, both based in Melbourne, about the intersection of communications and healthcare.

Both shared my awe at the power of media delivering an impactful, inspiring and positive message in healthcare.

Both understood the responsibility of media to respect, educate, engage and entertain a given audience.

And both recognise the impact that a simple Tweet or video can bring to a patient, a loved one, a colleague, a stranger, and a potential new friend.

I was touched by the humility of both individuals; the passion behind their work; the time they both gave me to learn about their stories; and their lessons to share. When a simple message can be conveyed across various age groups, cultures, timezones and professions in the click of a button, and potentially touch millions of lives, it is wondrous that we don’t stop and marvel more at how far we’ve come from pigeon and paper. Just touching one life with an image or message has powerful, long-lasting consequences.

This is why healthcare needs to embrace social media and new media technologies. And why we, in healthcare and healthcare startups, must learn how to use it effectively.

Over the next few weeks, I’ll be sharing more stories, including those of the two above, in conjunction with the Mayo Clinic Healthcare and Social Media Summit, in Melbourne in November 2016. The Mayo also has a dedicated Social Media Network which offers courses in this area. I look forward to hearing your thoughts on this unique and evolving topic, and how you use social media in healthcare or with your healthcare startup. Hashtag #MayoinOz if you’re interested in attending the Summit or want to share your views.

Thoughts: Validating Medical Career Choices Through Impact

First published September 12, 2016

I was catching up with two medical friends yesterday over a traditional Melbourne brunch, and as you do over flat whites and mushroom burgers, we chatted about our careers and our dreams for the rest of the year and beyond.

One friend is launching an app, a new platform that could transform the future of hospital medicine, no hyperbole intended. Looking at the prototype, as a clinician, I was impressed. This person had taken the frustrations of staff across many hospitals, departments, training specialties (eg. Obstetrics and General Medicine junior doctors don’t often interact at work unless there’s a referral or they’re friends), locations, and years of operation, united those frustrations, and summarised them to create this product. I have met several others who have given up months and even years of college training time to devote themselves to their own solutions for higher-quality, high-efficiency healthcare, and the focus and determination they all demonstrate are incredibly inspiring. They don’t realise it, but they rejuvenate me, when I feel worried or anxious about my own work.

The other friend is getting their letters at the end of the year. He’d had startup aspirations for many years, but had shelved those aspirations to complete his training, and despite the long, arduous exams, he’d somehow managed to keep his other interests alive. He is still a fountain of ideas bubbling over today, and will no doubt do something incredible very soon.

Then there’s me. A very keen, slightly travel-weary but ever-inspired writer whose head simmers constantly with ideas on how to energise the medical system in Australia; how to learn from others’ experiences within and overseas; how to inspire students, junior and senior doctors and other healthcare professionals alike; how to connect with others who don’t normally interact day-to-day with our professions in hospital, bar multidisciplinary meetings;  and most of all, how to celebrate the uniqueness and creativity that every single one of us exhibits when we apply ourselves to a self-made project aimed at a greater impact. 

The three of us are happy because we’re each creating impact. The one who’s about to become a specialist, and who was the one who brought up this Impact concept, had to push aside his many ideas and that creative energy whilst knuckling down with training. The other friend and I had waited long enough- it’s an individual decision, and you know when you’re ready to take that leap.

I’m surrounded by inspiration and hope when talking to friends like these. People who can relate to thinking outside the box, and are driven by that internal fire for achieving greater impact than they could one-on-one with a patient, yet still value the sacredness of the clinician-patient interaction. (And when I say “clinician” or “healthcare professional,” I also mean physiotherapists- “physical therapists” in the States; occupational therapists; nurses; dietitians; dentists; and so forth.)

Yet, as I mentioned in my previous editorial, our conversations as healthcare workers are often restricted or self-censored as we fret over whether our projects will be recognised and validated by external medical training colleges; whether we are jeopardising our future careers by deviating from well-worn paths; and whether there will be anything external to show when we’ve given it that shot.

How can we become a more Impact-Driven profession? 

We have to show that education is also about life experience and applying that experience to a greater cause. The trials of forming and running a startup or social impact project are like a real-life, practical exam.

And you fail instantly by not trying. 

To make it easier for people transitioning from stable clinical job to startup or social impact project, the conversation has to start with you. We need to celebrate the individuality of healthcare professionals who value the interactions between clinician and patient (and their loved ones), and nourish that environment of creative thinking in medicine. And by creative, it can mean anything from brainstorming better patient flowcharts between hospital departments on a nursing unit whiteboard, to improvising novel bandages in a resource-poor setting when on a field trip or rescue mission with the Flying Doctors or other emergency services.

Or it can be through sharing stories, like me.

Would love to hear how you gain inspiration to continue your journeys when you feel discouraged, or how you rejuvenated yourself when you felt overwhelmed by opposition. feel free to share your comments below, tag us on Twitter @themedstartup, tag your photos on Instagram at @themedicalstartup, or send me an old-fashioned email via the Contactpage.

Enjoy your working day :) 

Congratulations to the Medical Interns of 2017!

First published July 11, 2016

 The Medical Startup would like to congratulate everyone for their efforts in applying for Australian medical internships in 2017!

It’s getting more and more competitive, and with tight spots, coveted positions in metropolitan hospitals, and more graduates than post-grad specialty college training positions down the track, it may seem like one hurdle after another.

But my advice?

Enjoy your journey!

It’s not where you start from. It’s what you make of it. 

Even if you got your lowest preference for a spot, make the most of it! Medicine is a journey, and you’d be amazed at the number of tight friendships you will make in your first year as a doctor, whether you’re in the bustle of metropolitan Melbourne, or in the canefields of Queensland for the year.

Do your best, be your best self, acknowledge that you can pick yourself up from a down day, and be aware that you’re not alone. Look towards your long-term goals, and realise that with care and strategy, you can get there, even if it seems impossible from your current standpoint.

Good luck from The Medical Startup!

Doctors Want To Be Innovative, But They Don’t Know How

First published June 20, 2016

Since embarking on this journey, I’ve been fortunate to explore innovation in medicine and learn what makes a medical entrepreneur, by talking to people first-hand outside of hospitals and clinical environments.

From working full-time in hospitals, I know first-hand what it’s like to want to create change, but not know how to. The constraints of protocols, hierarchies, specialty college milestones, and expectations of supervisors- not to mention full-time rosters- they all exist for safety and for high-quality medical training. I value my time in that world like nothing else. It made me into the doctor and person I am today.

Yet, I had to forcibly step away in order to figure out my odd journey.

Looking up at the possibilities. Gaudi built his vision, which millions enjoy today. Credit: The Medical Startup

Medicine is a long road, signposted by those milestones I mentioned earlier. You graduate from med school. You start Internship. You score your first Resident job in the field you want to enter. You gain entry into the specialty college of your choice. You survive your first day as a Registrar. You pass your college exams. You become an Advanced Trainee. Then you’re a Fellow.

Then, one day, you finish that, and you’re finally a Consultant. (What many in the public refer to as a “specialist” or, in the case of General Practitioners, Fellows of the RACGP– fully qualified and accredited family doctors.)

It is odd if you step away.

Will people point you out for daring to be different? – Grand Canyon. Photo: The Medical Startup

It is odd if you take a break. (Okay, maternity/paternity leave, marriage, other life events, they obviously do happen.) In the recent past, not even five years ago, it may have been more acceptable to take a break for a year. But with the ferocity of job competition amongst junior and senior doctors alike in Australia, the walls are closing in on flexibility.

And now, taking a step away from training; even for just a few months; even by remaining employed but putting off an exam for a year; even if you just need a 6 month “half-gap” of a year, because you’ve not had a proper study break since you were 5 years old – even if – sorry to hear –  a tragic life event has shaken your world – it can be seen as detrimental to a person’s chance of being rehired.

And when you’re surrounded by colleagues and well-meaning friends who don’t understand, and who actually say that those who take a break, even to work on a startup, are “unambitious” or “unmotivated” – is it any wonder, then, why doctors feel isolated and stay under the radar when they come up with an idea?

And, even if a hospital or clinic is supportive (and they usually are; unfortunately, it tends to be particular influential individuals who aren’t) – you have to go a step higher, and try explain to colleges that you’re still doing valuable work in healthcare, by working on your startup- it just doesn’t fit their definition of training.

And this is why doctors find it hard to Innovate.

Leaping through the clouds- daring to dream. Photo: The Medical Startup

How can you innovate when you are feeling weighed down by all these pressures?

How can you innovate where your environment is slow to respond to change, and, despite best intentions, has trouble understanding the few (or many) employees who want to do more, but can’t articulate their feelings?

How can you innovate when you risk being penalised or even kicked out of a specialty college that you’ve worked so hard to enter?

How can the medical profession realise that a step away doesn’t equate a permanent career change, and that it is vital for the future of healthcare for motivated health professionals to gain experience building something outside of their day-to-day work environments in order to bring optimal change for their patients and colleagues? 

Entrepreneurship doesn’t suit everyone. This is not a comment on forcing everybody to become entrepreneurial. It’s about creating the supportive ecosystem for those who are motivated and capable of change, to create that good change.

We should connect our different ways of thinking, and allow ourselves to shine. Credit: The Medical Startup

Many Australian hospitals have rotations in Clinical Redesign and Innovation, or other similarly-named Medical Resident positions. A junior doctor has the opportunity, usually for 10-12 weeks (the standard duration for hospital rotations) to work on innovating within the hospital system. They are usually assigned a senior Supervisor and observe, advise, discuss, formulate, and strategise solutions and carry out these solutions during these ten weeks.

Projects are varied. They can improve the efficiency of completing discharge letters sent to the GP when patients go home. They can improve the allocations of night shift duty. They can create more structured Handover meetings at the start of each shift, so the staff finishing can “hand over” outstanding tasks and patient updates to incoming team members. These roles give junior doctors the opportunity to innovate. However, very few of these roles exist, and to be honest, I am not sure of the demand for doctors who want to rotate in these roles over Cardiology, Nephrology or other critical specialties that count towards training and clinical care. (Feel free to let me know.)

I’ve been really fortunate (and also worked hard!) to attend events where I get to meet people in the health tech space; and others who are medical entrepreneurs in non-medical fields; and I find, that non-medical people are, very graciously, applauding those of us who innovate. Those of us who choose to step away. This whole post has been stimulated by yet another Twitter comment by a non-medical entity encouraging more doctors to innovate. It’s fantastic that the non-medical community are eager to see more doctors and health professionals innovate. If they only knew how hard it was, and how much doctors risk by choosing to innovate, they might understand why there are, perhaps, fewer Australian doctors in the entrepreneurial spotlight than in other fields.

Dreaming big at Yosemite National Park. Photo: The Medical Startup

I’m going to shine this spotlight on inspiring health professionals who are doing great things with their time, to help normalise this situation, and to celebrate their wins as well as their journeys. And I challenge you, too, to be inspired, to value your time, and give your best to the world, no matter what field you’re in.

Do you agree? How can healthcare ecosystems and communities in general improve inclusion for health professionals to innovate, in and out of their workspaces? What cultural issues need to be addressed and how can they be fixed? Or do you think things are fine as they are? Feel free to comment below, or send us an email via our Contact page. 

Part 3: Interview with Dr Gregory Sam, Psychiatrist and Director of Conduit Health

First published April 29, 2016

 We hope you’ve enjoyed Greg’s series on starting his telepsychiatry business and his journey to success! Here he talks about dealing with the process of failure, and rising from that, along with future plans for Conduit Health.

You can now view Parts 1 and 2 as well.

Dr Gregory Sam, Consultant Psychiatrist, Australia. Image courtesy of Dr Sam.

Can you talk more about your failure process? How did you deal with criticism and get through failure? (Greg had to resit his exams a few times before qualifying as a consultant.)

Firstly, it’s a humbling thing, and there are some good resources. You should find those consultants or colleagues who can give you meaning to your failure.A lot of people will say, “oh, you did this wrong or maybe you did this wrong.” I’m not saying there should be an external locus of blame, I’ve been through that too- “oh, the college is out of its mind failing me because everyone I know is telling me I’m ready to be a consultant, couldn’t really figure that out. But one thing I was told is, “look at this person who’s now a professor, I know during his training he failed 4-5 times,” so I guess there are some comforting things like that. But it’s also about yourself being able to apply that meaning to your failure. Otherwise you go through all this pain, and you can’t get some benefit from it. And that’s pointless, absolutely pointless except to hurt you.

Failure is just an opportunity disguised as pain. 

So I thought, “I won’t let it hurt me or fail me.” With my career, I did think, “should I be doing this?” but I felt resolved that before failing and before I was in that frame of mind, I knew this was what I wanted to do, and this shouldn’t change it. Just because some people failed or I didn’t pass an exam, I will pass eventually.

My reflection of my failure brought about so many positive opportunities.

Medical people tend to become very disillusioned when they fail. We’re not used to failing, we’re high achievers, and when we do fail, it’s a huge fall, and some people don’t recover from that. Those who fail need support, and I know myself because when I did fail, I spent endless nights on YouTube looking up motivational videos and how to get through failing and how to get meaning from that. I felt alone.

I had colleagues who also failed, so we formed a bond and pushed each other through. They’re not entrepreneurial per se, but we had some support in that we failed together.

I think people should apply some meaning about failure. It’s all too painful an experience to do for nothing. Even if you eventually don’t pass, it’s okay, as long as you did something meaningful. Even if I didn’t pass and dropped out of my training, I took meaning from it, and reflected on it.

In fact, Conduit Health is thanks to failing. Had I not failed, I’d have sailed through my training program, with this inside disgruntlement of “this is what I am”.

Conduit Health, Telepsychiatry Service. Photo courtesy of Dr Gregory Sam.

One of my bosses said, “I think this will make you a better psychiatrist, and this is because you now know what it’s like to fail. Previously you had no idea what it was like to fail. You excelled and  succeeded in everything. And now you can see that when your patients fail, you can feel a bit of that.”

The medical field, I think they kind of shun people who fail. And people who do fail, don’t talk about it, because they want to be seen as brilliant, successful, and never a failure. Whereas in business, the more I look, they talk about failure with pride. They go, “I started up ten companies, and all failed before I made Google.” They talk about failure with pride, and those who don’t talk about failure and don’t own it, they’re missing that opportunity to share with people. Everyone fails at something, in one way or another everyone fails at something. And people then tend to hide it and put it in a box and not share it with anyone.

We need to change the culture and say, “it’s okay to fail, lots of people fail, but what will you do with it?”. The famous words from Edison I think were, “It’s not that I’ve found the way to make a lightbulb, I’ve only found ten-thousand ways NOT to make a lightbulb.” 

It’s about mindset change.

It’s like, “ok, I failed four times.” It’s not to say, “I failed and I’m useless,” it’s, “I’ve failed and found four different ways to not pass an exam, and I just need to find that one way to pass it.”

Reflecting on my failures in the exams, what held me back wasn’t anything to do with my knowledge. A lot of people think it’s the knowledge (that makes them fail), not knowing enough. For me, it was the anxiety levels. I went into the exam thinking, “what do the examiners want to hear?” But the time that I passed, I gave that away, I said “I don’t care what the examiners think.”

I think there could be more constructive ways in which our colleges could address failure. One way I think is to talk about it more, and to show that it’s not life or death if we fail, we can get through this, and be more supportive, be able to talk about it. 

By having the courage to say “yes I failed my exams”;  other people find doctors as quite intimidating, they’re seen as being super successful and smart, and when you can bring yourself down a bit and be humble and say “I failed”- everybody fails at something, whether it’s their driving test or something, failure is something everyone has in common, so when I bring it up, a lot of people can suddenly relate to it.

In business, that’s super important, so people are not intimidated by you, they have something to relate to you, and it builds relationships. A lot of my GPs, mental health nurses and staff, they like me for being open about it, rather than hiding it away, rather than bringing across this facade that I’m super brilliant, never failed in my life, top notch.

How do you view competition in business? Doctors have that win mentality, how do you manage that in business?

I welcome competition in business. I feel that if somebody can – if somebody else comes forth, it’s always anxiety related, like, “I must be better than them.” But what I do is look at the competitor, and ask, “did they actually evaluate? Did they actually have new ideas about improving telepsychiatry, did I do that, and if I didn’t do that, why can’t I do that? If there are no competitors, you are at risk of becoming complacent, and competitors bring excitement. So I ask, is there value-add, or do I just have to do my job?It can become about less value, more competing on price point. But I know it’s hard for other companies in this space to compete on price point.

What are your other plans for 2016?

Trying to balance. It’s tempting to focus just on private practice, but Conduit would fall by the wayside. For me, what I’m trying to do is allocate time to Conduit Health and allocate other times for private practice . I’ll try organise more talks for GPs including interstate, hosting events.

I love going out to rural communities and seeing them, they really don’t have much psychiatry services. Same with their GPs, they don’t have much support and can get very isolated without someone coming from the metropolitan areas to offer help.

We’ve received the odd referral from the Great Barrier Reef, the Northern Territory, Tasmania, but I want to increase that. In business I think this is something we do- go back to fundamentals, think “why did I start the company, what did I want to achieve?”

The more isolated rural places, I’d rather focus on them. In the semi-metropolitan places, people travel 1-2 hours, whereas in the NT there’s no psychiatrist for a few hundred k’s.

The other thing will be statistics. Looking at 2015, we’ve been collecting data about how many patients we’re seeing, the outcomes, sending surveys to patients and GPs. Being able to publish them and say “this is where psychiatry services are at, this is what we’ve done.” Entrepreneurship is 24/7. It is on my mind 24/7. Even if you’re not doing something on it, it’s on my mind. My admin staff, everything, it’s on you. It’s like having a baby, it’s 24 hours, no escaping. Something people wanting to get into business need to be aware of. It can be like medicine, it can be all-consuming.

A few years from now, I’d really like to get government involved so that I can provide telepsychiatry services to public hospitals. Public services can be quite stretched, but for a private company like mine, that’s what we can offer.

What are lessons that medical professionals and people from other industries can learn about starting in business?

Guy Kawasaki’s lesson is, it’s not about how are we doing things now and how can we do things better; it’s about, “what is the next curve?” Conduit Health is jumping on the next curve. Not just about how to improve how doctors see patients face-to-face, sure there’s a lot of work to be done there, but if you want to jump on the next curve, (you’ve got to create) innovation.

Not too many doctors by nature are entrepreneurial. A large part of that is because we get comfortable doing our daily job. See patients, make a living. Innovation and startups are a huge risk. It’s out of our comfort zone. We stop seeing patients, and suddenly your startup becomes the neediest patient you’ve ever had. 

It’s important to get this out there. It’s people like you, me, people who dare. And hopefully this will help a lot of people find, “this has been inside me, this has been in the back of my mind, but I’m too scared to do anything about it.

Thankyou for your support of The Medical Startup and Greg’s interview. You can view Parts 1 and 2 of Greg’s interview by clicking here and here. 

If you wish to contact Greg for more enquiries about Conduit Health, or to sign up as a GP or psychiatrist for his service, please emailenquiries@conduithealth.com.au. Conduit Health is also on Facebook. 

Please note: In the medical world, “consultant” refers to a fully-qualified ie. board-certified specialist. “Registrar” is a doctor who’s a member of a training program and preparing to qualify for this certification. “Resident” is pre-registrar; “Intern” or “Houseman” is first-year out of medical training.