Beyond Residency: The New Physician's Guide to the Practice of Medicine

Beyond Residency offers practical, no-nonsense advice about the business and economics of being a medical doctor. Used as a textbook in the Business of Medicine Course at East Carolina University's Brody School of Medicine, this edition is designed to work more broadly for other institutions teaching business of medicine courses and for new physicians starting out in practice.

Recalling his days in medical school, Marc Lyles, senior director of health care affairs for the Association of American Medical Colleges said, "Whenever we asked a business question we were always told, 'Don't worry about that. You need to learn the medical side before you worry about the business side.'" He states that between 2003 and 2007, the majority of students were satisfied with their medical and clinical training. However, less than half felt that enough time was devoted to the practice of medicine, especially to medical economics.

The Brody School of Medicine addresses that discrepancy, offering its Business of Medicine Course as a fourth-year elective and as a postgraduate class for students in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. Topics addressed include time value of money, contracts, RVUs, disability and life insurance, and investment plans such as traditional IRAs and Roth IRAs.

In 2015, the Business of Medicine Course received a positive score of 4.68/5 (94%) for its value to medical students, and Beyond Residency received a score of 3.89/4 (97%) for its effectiveness in teaching students the business of medicine.

Beyond Residency helps students to understand important yet under-explored areas that will impact them as practicing physicians.

William L. Doss, III, MD, MBA, is the lead author of Beyond Residency. He received his BS and MD degrees from the University of Michigan and Howard University College of Medicine, respectively, and his MBA from Auburn University. He completed his Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) residency at the Baylor College of Medicine. He currently serves as Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of PM&R at ECU's Brody School of Medicine and also serves as staff physiatrist at the Greenville Healthcare Center branch of the Durham VA Medical Center. He is board certified in Physiatry and Electrodiagnostic Medicine.

Clinton E. Faulk, MD, is Associate Professor at ECU's Brody School of Medicine in the Department of PM&R. He also serves as the PM&R Vice Chairman, PM&R Residency Program Director, Vidant Wound Healing Center Medical Director, and General Rehabilitation Inpatient Medical Director.

Carrie A. McShane, MD, earned her BA in Music from Saint Olaf College, her MD from Saint George's University, and is a PGY4 resident in the Department of PM&R at East Carolina University.

Matthew W. Wilson, MD, earned his BS degree in biology from the University of South Carolina Upstate in 2007. He received his MD from the Medical University of South Carolina in 2013. He is currently a senior resident at Vidant Medical Center and East Carolina University Brody School of Medicine in the Department of PM&R.