We have a conundrum. You only need to talk to a few healthcare providers, and they’ll tell you that they are concerned about the future. They’re worried about politics, they’re worried about lawsuits, they’re worried about reimbursement dropping off the map. And they hate how much time they waste in paperwork loops, phone call mazes, and meetings.

The current generation in training–us–are the ones who should be uneasy. We will face the same issues that today’s doctors, dentists, and pharmacists are concerned about, and it’ll be for our entire career instead of just the tail end. We also enter the workforce at a time when training takes longer than it ever has, loan debt is higher than ever, and our education covers a smaller percentage of what is known about health than it ever has before.

This would be an insurmountable problem if we had the same skillset and played with the same bag of tricks as the preceding generation. We would just have to accept that freedom in our careers is unattainable for most of us, and that being in healthcare can be comfortable but not lucrative.

Thankfully, that will not be our lives–our skillset is different and our toolkit is endless. If it weren’t, we would all end up overstressed, overweight, overworked, and underpaid. Think Milton in Office Space.

This blog is a gateway to those tools and how we can use them to our advantage. Here you will find a curated selection of resources to turn the healthcare problem on its head: ways to make money that works for you while you’re training, to create more time to stay in shape and pursue your hobbies, and further tips to impact your life inside and outside of the white coat.

Why get this information here?

1. Other people in your position have broken the code, and here is where we’ll find out how. The plan is to feature interviews with doctors, dentists, and pharmacists who have carved out time to become successful authors, brewers, master distillers, business people, and entrepreneurs. Their stories can inspire and inform us.

2. This is not bragging, but I have more experience in professional school and healthcare fields than any person should. I am a dentist, soon to be a physician, and currently work in a major medical center as well as in a private practice on the side. I’ve also served as an interpreter for medical missions and CPR classes for foreign healthcare providers. My immediate family includes a physician, a nurse, a genetic counselor, and a pharmacist. I’ve got this thing covered on all angles, so you don’t have to.

A lot of the information you’ll find online about personal finance, creating side businesses, consulting, and healthcare careers are from content farms. That’s why their pages are littered with ads and their posts all try to lead you to buy a product or service. I am in the same position as you, and I’ve researched and used anything I recommend. It’s a commensal relationship that I would classify as “mutually beneficial.” It also illustrates the value of small-to-mid size blog written by someone who faces the same day-to-day challenges as you, rather than someone trained to write headlines you will click on.

3. Tips and tricks I’ll share here led me to an education worth $400,000 with a student loan debt of $175,000–and I’m still in deferment. From quick, easy, remote hustles on the side to how to write essays for applications and scholarships, I’ll write what I know.

4. 5. As emerging pharmacists, dentists, and physicians, we are an in-demand group. Insurance companies, pharmaceutical companies, banks, investment firms, and biotech all want our attention. On the whole we haven’t made that as profitable for us as it is for them. That can change. I believe MiM can help.

5. Game of Thrones doesn’t return until Spring of 2019. We’ve got nothing better to do.

There are tremendous opportunities to diversify how we deliver care. Telemedicine, fee for service, concierge establishments, cash only practices, and unique arrangements with everyone from corporations to hotels can bridge the gap between us, our patients, our work, and our finances. Now is the time to explore those opportunities, and the MiM community is an ideal place

Most importantly…we need you here to improve the community, inject your ideas, and share what has worked and hasn’t worked. The best way for us to make the best of the healthcare world is working together with the best interests of us and our future patients in mind!