Many physicians face challenges beyond clinical work. From leading teams to navigating the business side of medicine, the journey is rarely simple. At Lucens, we recognize that being a doctor means balancing multiple roles, finding purpose, and making a lasting impact.
"Ask The Mentors" offers real-world advice from those who’ve been there. Their responses are candid, practical, and grounded in the realities of the profession—designed to help you navigate your career with confidence.
This week, Lucens mentor Eric Mann MD answers two questions from our community: on finding mentors, and streamlining the operations of a private practice.
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Question 1:
Since leaving academia, I’ve really struggled to find the same kind of mentorship I had during residency. I don’t have attendings or peers around anymore, and I’m not sure how to find that guidance. How can I connect with mentors outside of that structured environment?
V.A., New Jersey
Going outside the world of academia, where you had attendings to help you and people a year or two ahead of you in residency as natural mentors, is tough. In the real world of medicine, whether in hospital settings or private practice, networking is extremely important.
Being part of communities is crucial, whether they're online or in person. Put yourself out there to meet people and talk to them. Here's one example: at pharmaceutical dinners, try talking with the older doctors at the table instead of just the younger, "more fun" ones. I always found something valuable to learn from these conversations. Remember, we come from this world of "see one, do one, teach one," and so many of these older doctors are looking to teach.
On top of that, their advice isn't something you find in textbooks—it's real-world knowledge that's incredibly helpful. These little pearls about navigating our world are so important. These mentors don't walk around with a big "M" on their chest. They're just regular people engaging in conversations, and you can learn so much from them.
When you appreciate the value they give, you start becoming a mentor yourself to others who follow behind you. It's self-rewarding and gives you such a sense of gratification to make a fellow colleague's world a little bit better.
Good luck!
Question 2:
I’m part of a small, independent practice, and we’re trying to streamline things, especially clinic flow and marketing, but we don’t want to overwhelm the team. It feels like a lot to handle. How do you approach this without burning out your staff?
K.N., Florida
These are really two different questions. First, about clinic flow, you should always be evaluating the patient journey. It's extremely important to give the best product to the patient. You have to think about the user of that product, which is the patient. So, everything in my office is patient-centric—from making an appointment, to filling out paperwork, to interactions with technicians and doctors, to post-visit care instructions, and the checkout process.
I try to put myself in their shoes and see what they would like and not like, and what makes the most sense. Break down the process into many steps and see how you can make each one better, and which steps may not even be relevant anymore, especially as your practice grows and evolves.
Also, put yourself in the shoes of each team member and see what they're doing across the patient journey. What makes sense, or what doesn't? Constantly re-evaluate and streamline—get rid of excess steps or eliminate repeated tasks. And then, speak to your teammates. Listen to them. When they complain about something, they may not always be right or wrong, but they're giving you information. You can decide what's best to use and how to alter it.
The second question is more about marketing and patient care. I think your best marketing success is your patients. One patient can easily tell 10 or 12 friends, especially nowadays with social media. It's common for there to be mom groups or other groups for different towns where they might ask, "Hey, do you know a good lung specialist?"
If you have good patient experiences, they will share your name with others and give you referrals. We capture these experiences using QR codes on cards that lead to Google reviews. When we have a happy patient, I'll often say to one of the staff checking them out, "Hey, she might be a good patient for a QR code." That's a bit of code, and they know what it means.
As extra incentive, I motivate my staff to find these happy patients and walk them through the process of leaving Google reviews, which might be tough for older patients.
I hope that helps.
The wisdom of our mentors is here to remind you that while the path is demanding, you have the power to shape your direction and rise to every challenge. Together, we learn, grow, and transform—for ourselves, and for the future of medicine.
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