The Best Solution to Burnout Is an Interesting Side Gig – 121

Interview with Dr. Nisha Mehta

On this week’s episode of the PNC podcast, Dr. Nisha Mehta explains why engaging in an interesting side gig may be the best way to ensure a long and fulfilling medical career.

Dr. Mehta is a writer, speaker and physician advocate who focuses on issues related to life in medicine and the changing healthcare landscape. Her missions include:

• addressing the physician burnout epidemic through physician empowerment and cultural change in medicine, and
• increasing business and financial literacy of physicians in order to promote career longevity and satisfaction. 

Our Sponsor

We're proud to have the University of Tennessee Physician Executive MBA Program, offered by the Haslam College of Business, as the sponsor of this podcast.

The UT PEMBA is the longest-running, and most highly respected physician-only MBA in the country, with over 650 graduates. Unlike other programs, which typically run 1 – 1/2 to 2 years, this program only takes a year to complete. And Economist Magazine recently ranked Haslam #1 in the world for the Most Relevant Executive MBA.

University of Tennessee PEMBA students bring exceptional value to their organizations. While in the program, you'll participate in a company project, thereby contributing to your organization.

Graduates have taken leadership positions at major healthcare organizations. And they've become entrepreneurs and business owners.

By joining the University of Tennessee physician executive MBA, you will develop the business and management skills you need to advance your career. To find out more, contact Dr. Kate Atchley’s office by calling (865) 974-6526 or go to vitalpe.net/physicianmba.

Pursuing Your Passion

Dr. Mehta is a radiologist with subspecialty training in musculoskeletal and breast imaging. She received her undergraduate degree in neuroscience at Brown University, and her medical degree at the University of Pennsylvania. Then she completed her radiology residency at NYU followed by fellowship training at UNC-Chapel Hill.

Nisha is also the founder of the Facebook group Physician Side Gigs, with over 50,000 verified physician members. This group is an online community that aims to bring physicians together to discuss and promote business and financial skills. It also encourages physicians to think outside the box to create the life in medicine that they want.

In this episode, Nisha explains how she, unintentionally at first, expanded her career to include nonclinical work. Though she knew early in life that she wanted to be a physician, she always had a passion for writing. It was through that hobby that she stumbled onto an audience interested in the little-talked-about topics she was tackling.

A Changing Culture

Nisha found that the culture of clinical medicine discouraged the discussion of factors that affect professionals’ careers. But her audience proved that people like her wanted to approach subjects like:

• professional women's issues,
• the changing culture of medicine,
• the need for more flexibility in the workplace, and
• other stressors like student loans.

Interesting Side Gigs Prevent Burnout

Through Physician Side Gigs, she created a resource where she and other medical professionals could ask and answer questions surrounding those topics. And it enabled physicians to discuss their passion projects and alternative revenue streams.