In this podcast episode, I speak with Dr. Stephanie Pearson, a disability expert and physician advocate. A work-related injury forced Stephanie to leave her specialty of obstetrics and gynecology. Next, she found her disability insurance carrier unwilling to cover her injury. This put her family at risk. Yet, she overcame these challenges, becoming a disability expert and physician advocate along the way.

Not every physician who is struggling to find a new career leaves medicine because of burnout, or a desire for something better.

Sometimes, we’re forced to leave our profession due to circumstances beyond our control. Then, we must decide: Can I overcome such events? Can I build a new career that brings me joy? Can I rediscover a career that inspires me like medicine did?

From Career Loss to Physician Advocate

Stephanie Pearson was a successful obstetrician/gynecologist who loved her practice. And, she had every intention of retiring after years of successful practice as an OB/Gyn.

However, an unfortunate injury, sustained while caring for a patient, ended her career.

To make matters worse, her disability insurance excluded work-related injuries from coverage. And, as the primary breadwinner, this put her family in a difficult position. And, there was no physician advocate to help her.

Stephanie explains in this interview how she responded to this challenge. Unable to return to her profession, she created a fulfilling new career for herself. And, she explains how she became a physician advocate in disability and life insurance.

Today, she’s made it her mission to educate and empower her peers about the importance of protecting their most valuable asset — the ability to earn an income. Respectful of physicians’ time and needs, she’s an expert on the basics and nuances of disability insurance for doctors. She now works full-time as a Physician Disability Insurance Broker and Physician Advocate.

Stephanie’s story is very inspiring. In addition to helping us understand how she overcame her setbacks, she provides practical advice for pursuing a career as a disability broker.

Educating Physicians

That’s an area that I didn’t know much about. But, Stephanie is committed to educating physicians and involving more of them in this field. She describes her journey excellently and shows us how we might pursue a similar nonclinical career.

In Closing

You can contact Stephanie Pearson at PearsonRavitz.

In my next episode, I present a conversation with Dian Ginsberg, the Director for Career Services at the American Association for Physician Leadership. She provides an excellent overview of the services provided by the AAPL and how it might help in your quest for a nonclinical career.

Here are the resources mentioned in this episode:

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