Tempted to Quit? These Doctors Remade Their Careers Instead

“A lot of doctors feel stuck, and I definitely felt stuck for a really long time,” said Nicole Tully, MD, a family medicine physician who recently started her own concierge practice in Hoboken, New Jersey. Tully certainly isn’t alone. With high burnout rates and long hours, it’s no surprise that 20% of physicians indicated they would leave their practice within 2 years, according to a 2022 American Medical Association (AMA) survey.

If quitting is on your mind, you’re probably feeling frustrated or disillusioned with your current job — a far cry from the energy and drive to help patients that you likely felt when you started. It’s possible to turn things around, though. With an MD or DO degree, you have a wealth of options, from changing your hours at your current workplace to starting your own practice or moving into an adjacent industry.

Here’s how these doctors got unstuck and how you can do the same.

Who Owns Your Time?

Every profession has its downsides and medicine is no exception. But sometimes the cons eventually outweigh the pros, and you need to make a change. For many doctors, it comes down to time and who controls it, both at work and at home.

During her 16 years at a large New Jersey practice, Tully technically worked 30 hours per 4-day workweek. In reality, she spent twice as much time on the job, catching up on patient correspondence and reviewing test results in her “down time.” All those 60-70-hour weeks left no time for self-care. Though Tully is a self-described “creature of habit,” the mother of two knew her lifestyle was unsustainable.

A lack of autonomy and high patient volumes can also make doctors feel like cogs in a wheel. In addition to worrying about their own wellbeing, they often face scheduling constraints that can prevent them from offering quality care.

During her 8 years at two private practice groups and a university hospital, Sophia Wong, MD, an ophthalmologist with subspecialty training in retinal surgery, would see upwards of 60-80 patients daily. “There was an implicit push to see more patients and do more procedures, even when patients had to be double booked and even triple booked,” she said.

This meant rushed patient visits and running behind schedule in the clinic which, in her eyes, set the wrong tone for the physician-patient relationship.

“I had to cut patients off after 5-10 minutes because that was all the time we had,” she said. “And yet the whole purpose of the meeting was for me to help them. It felt like we, as an organization, didn’t respect their time and were adding to their stress.”

Treat the Symptoms

Just because you need a change doesn’t necessarily mean you have to quit your job. Start by trying to pinpoint the specific reasons for your discontent or frustration. Maybe there’s a way you can address them by speaking with your employer, offered Tully.

That’s easier said than done. Like many doctors, you might be nervous to ask for more time off or feel guilty that your workload will fall on your colleagues. You might predict (sometimes, rightly) that your employer will say no.

Because each workplace — whether a large hospital or a smaller practice — is unique, there’s no right way to approach this conversation. But you’ll likely reap better results if you adopt a positive, collaborative tone and come in prepared. Emphasize you want to offer the best patient care possible. Then offer ideas, like a few ways to tweak your work schedule and even suggestions for tech (like a digital scheduling tool) that could save your team time.

If you can’t change your current work structure, “sometimes a new setting, like switching from private practice to a concierge model or from a large hospital to a smaller outpatient clinic, can make all the difference without requiring a complete career overhaul,” said Sarah Williams, founder and principal at Recruit Healthcare.

Seek a Spark

If you feel you need to leave your job, do some self-reflection. Think about what motivated you to enter medicine in the first place. Work that aligns with your mission tends to significantly increase happiness, said Sheri Bredeson, CEO of Waymaker Global, a boutique retained executive search firm that specializes in the life sciences industry.

For Tully and Wong, it was spending more time with patients and helping them optimize their health. With that in mind, both decided to explore starting their own concierge practices.

For Therese Canares, MD, MBA, however, it meant building a business inspired by her clinical experience.

While an assistant professor in pediatric emergency medicine at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore, Canares noticed a pattern. For some families, especially those without insurance, finding an answer to why their child was sick meant coming to the emergency room. Until they got that answer, they waited and stressed and sometimes panicked. Often, the issue was a common infection like strep throat.

If patients could be diagnosed from the comfort of their own homes, they could avoid those hours of waiting and visits to germy hospitals, urgent cares, or doctor’s offices, Canares reflected. She’d been conducting research on artificial intelligence medical devices with Mathias Unberath, an associate professor in computer science at Johns Hopkins. Her clinical observations and their research inspired an idea for a diagnostic smartphone app. Feeling a “renewed sense of purpose,” Canares realized she could make a sizable impact by starting a company to develop and market this app. So she did.

Gather Data

Once you’ve come up with ideas, evaluate them. Speak to a recruiter who’s knowledgeable about your current and potential target jobs. Reach out to your professional peer network for inspiration and support. When Tully was investigating concierge medicine, she shadowed a Manhattan-based concierge endocrinologist for a day, which validated her decision to pursue that business model.

If you’re at the interviewing stage, ask questions about communication and management styles as well as typical schedules to ensure a workplace is the right fit, advises Bredeson. Keep the problems with your current job in mind and try to make sure they won’t also be an issue with potential new positions.

Keep It All Positive

When you notify your workplace of your impending departure, be professional, said Williams. “Give ample notice, prioritize patient continuity, and express gratitude for the opportunities you’ve had. Even if workplace culture was the issue, don’t dwell on the negatives when announcing your departure. Instead, frame it as a step toward a better professional and personal fit.”

Tully’s conversations at this point were so amicable, her former practice helped her with her new endeavor. Her employer ended up waiving her noncompete and sent a letter to her patients informing them of her contact information and imminent departure a few months before she left. By the time Tully opened her new practice in August 2024, she had received 200 phone calls and lined up a few dozen patients.

Canares, now an adjunct professor at Johns Hopkins, had a similarly positive experience. The institution supplied her with ample support and funding to develop her diagnostic app. She was able to conduct 2 years of research and license intellectual property from the university’s Technology Transfer group.

Even if you’re considering transitioning from practicing medicine altogether, it’s wise to maintain your medical license, said Bredeson. “It’s like keeping your passport valid. You may not use it tomorrow, but you always want to keep your options open.” 

A New Beginning

Tully has no regrets about launching her own practice. She has a deep connection with her 100 patients, all of whom have her cell phone number. “As a physician, access to me when my patients need me is the most important thing,” said Tully, who’s thrilled she can finally provide it. During a typical week, she sees 20 patients and spends an hour or more at each appointment. Because she has ample time to delve into cases, she’s able to address preventative care, something she never had time for before.

Tully also has room for a social life. She joined a pickleball league and choir and was able to fly to Houston to watch her high school-age son’s robotics team compete. When her mother had a heart attack recently, Tully needed to cancel three appointments, not 30. And when she did, her patients checked in to see how she was doing.

“This was the only option for me to provide better care and not burn out or leave medicine completely. I’m 50 and can see doing this for the next 20 years,” she said.

In Bethesda, Maryland, Wong has opened the doors of her concierge retina practice, Beacon Retina. She’s grateful she’ll have the opportunity to continue her clinical work while providing a high level of care. “I’ll be able to practice medicine in a way that feels right to me. It’s how I would want to be treated as a patient.”

Canares has also launched the CurieDx app in the Apple App Store. The company has conducted multiple clinical studies and is preparing for FDA submission and Series C funding. Canares admits that, as CEO, she probably works more now than she did before. But she said it’s “all-consuming in a good way. It’s a different flavor of adrenaline, based on hope, not fear.”

“People said I was crazy to stop working as a doctor,” she said. “But I don’t see it that way. I’m not leaving it behind. I’m bringing my knowledge, wisdom, and experience with me.” She also doesn’t rule out returning to clinical work. After all, being a physician is part of her identity. The difference? “Now, there’s room for all the parts of my identity to flourish,” she said.