Leading to a New Start

I wrote earlier as an intro to a different blog topic that my spouse had lost her job. Her entire clinic had closed, the second one in the last year in our town and one of thousands all around the nation. Back in 2010 when the Affordable Care Act passed over 60% of physicians worked in private practices. Fifteen years later that number is under 40% and falling according to latest estimates. I'm not surprised, not because I dislike the ACA. It fixed some serious issues in our healthcare system. But whenever we change something quickly and without much discussion from those in the know, i.e. doctors, there are likely to be side effects that happen that no one saw coming. This was one of those things. It is what it is.

Fortunately, though this clinic was by far the largest in our town and likely a 20 mile radius in every direction, there are still some left. When news broke, my wife and I talked it over and after refusing to retire, we decided we didn't want to move with one kid still in school for a few more years. We identified some other clinics in town and within easy commuting distance if need be that would likely offer her a job and as it turned out, we were wrong. There were over a half dozen clinics that were interested in signing her up. It doesn't hurt that she is the highest ranked physician in town. 

Unfortunately, my wife has never really had to negotiate for a job before. While in residency, word got out and she had a job lined up before she graduated in a nearby town where we now live. It was in a small private clinic that lasted about 2 years after the ACA passed and then was bought out by a larger company. It has since been sold, traded, spun off, combined over a half dozen times until it was closed here a couple months ago. Fortunately with all the offers and my guidance on the negotiations, she was able to get another job lined up and at the first of last week, and will be signing a contract shortly. Though it wasn't really a doubt that she would get offers, it is still a relief to have that chapter behind us.

Part of the negotiations though was to start after a long vacation. We had already planned a short vacation to the Philippines this summer but hadn't bought tickets. After finding out she would be unemployed shortly, and luckily before all this business in Iran drove up gas and thus ticket prices, we decided that it was an opportune time to take a longer trip this time around. So we bought round  trip tickets with departure and arrival flights nearly a month apart, encompassing most of June, to really spend some time at our other home away from home on the far side of the globe. 

All her potential suitors, especially the one that she signed with, were more than willing to work around that. Although she hasn't had to go into the office, she has still been on contract and doing work via her office computer at home until last week when she officially had her last day. So my wife now has the entire next month off which she will use to relax, really for the first time since she decided to go back to school and become a doctor instead of her previous path of physician researcher which was the year before our eldest was born who is now 20. That is a long time. After the month off we will go on nearly a month long vacation before she starts again.