Wrapping up in Bradenton, FL was a smooth process because for the first time ever, I had 4 other providers I was transitioning my patients to. This allowed a warm handoff, so the patients weren’t as upset to get a new PCP when they realized I had provided their new PCP with their medical/personal background and nothing would really change. Thus, my schedule was pretty light my last 2 weeks. It was nice to still be there to answer questions about my previous patients if their new PCP had a question.
Some patients left me the nicest notes before I left. One of them told me she had never been honest about her health before with any PCP. And I was the first one she opened up to about her addiction. Another patient told me I was the best PCP she ever had and she needed everyone to know that.
My last week, the Doctor’s took me out for lunch at a Hibachi restaurant. It was fun and super yummy. On my last day, my job had a little party for me after work which included food, drinks, and karaoke. This clinic is pretty big – with over 40 employees. It was a good experience getting to know most of them. I didn’t feel like I was saying bye to everyone – more like “see you later”.
Unfortunately, on my last day, one of my patients passed away. He was on hospice so it wasn’t a surprise. It just sucked that is had to happen on my last day. I had been his PCP for 6 months and had known him a bit when I worked in Bradenton in 2020. He was so sick that some days he would come to the clinic daily because he refused to go to the hospital or rehab. I thought to myself I needed to call him on my last day to let him know I was leaving. He had told me in the past that he only stayed at that clinic because of me, so I didn’t want him to find out some other way. So it was disappointing to find out he passed away before I could talk to him one last time. It hit me hard, and I did need to take a moment to myself to grieve.
Good news is that the first quarter of this year we did really well as a clinic (patient outcomes). We actually did better than any previous quarter. This is great since I am getting almost a full bonus for that quarter ($4500). This is separate from the extension bonus I received. The permanent providers there get a quarterly performance bonus. Since I have been working with this company on and off over the past 6 years, I have negotiated getting the same bonus when I help out.
Each provider gets a different bonus though, depending on how well they perform with their patient panel that quarter. Although the bonus was listed in my contract, I still don’t really plan on receiving them. This is because bonus amounts can always be changed by the discretion of the company at any time. It is a nice surprise to receive one though, since the stock market is doing poorly, it is the perfect time to buy. I made sure to treat my team to lunch before I left since obviously I wouldn’t have been able to be as successful without them.
Until next time Bradenton!
