Is That Deductible? "Family Medicine Residents in Tulsa"

The Medical Strategic Network

For over 25 years, I have been actively supporting and serving with an international organization known as the Medical Strategic Network. This organization is dedicated to assisting healthcare providers of all backgrounds in learning how to deliver comprehensive care that addresses the needs of the whole person.

The group embraces the biopsychosocial-spiritual model of medical care, which informs their approach to providing comprehensive healthcare. As you know, our medical training primarily focuses on the biological elements, which can result in doctors having deficits in integrating the psychosocial and spiritual elements. You are often trained to outsource the care of these areas. However, MSN teaches doctors how to fully integrate these components, and specifically unpacks the spiritual elements.

I have been working with this organization since I discovered it after completing my residency training. Whole person care has always been my goal. So, when I discovered a group of doctors who were training others to provide this type of care, I was extremely pleased. Since attending my first conference, I have had the privilege of serving on the board of directors and working as a faculty member to deliver valuable content to participants across the country.

I was asked to join as a teaching faculty member to provide a weekend conference for the family medicine residents at In His Image residency in Tulsa. It is a required component of their educational curriculum, as their training model embraces a holistic approach to medical care. I find connecting with young doctors to be such a rewarding experience, so I have looked forward to doing this conference for a while.

Dealing With Death and Dying

Since my dad is in the nursing home receiving hospice care and nearing the end of his life, I always make sure to check in on him and my mom before I leave town. My wife and three of my children planned to make a quick visit after work on Thursday before I catch my early morning flight on Friday.

I had just enough time to quickly repair the shower head at our guest house before heading out to see my parents. While I was in the middle of repairing the shower, my wife called me in a frantic state, urging me to come home quickly due to an urgent matter. It turned out that our youngest daughter's beloved outdoor cat had suddenly passed away from an unknown illness. She had a strong bond with this cat, and the sudden and tragic loss was difficult for all of us. After placing my stethoscope on the cat and checking for any signs of cardiopulmonary activity, I officially declared the cat dead.

In a hurry, I asked my daughter if she wanted a burial ceremony, to which she agreed. I quickly made a box-casket, dug a hole in the designated location, and we gathered to mourn, reflect, and embrace each other as we said goodbye to our beloved "sugar".

Then, we all piled into my car for a quiet ride to the nursing home. Along the way, I made a quick stop to grab a chocolate shake for my dad (he absolutely loves shakes) and then we continued on our way to the visit.

We had a delightful time together with my parents. I read some scripture to them, sang a hymn together, and reflected on our memories of the 90s decade (we have been reviewing a different decade each week). After sharing some tears and saying a prayer together, we all headed back home.

Heading Out

I had scheduled an early morning flight out of the nearest airport in South Bend. However, on Thursday night, I received a notification from the airlines about a schedule change. Unfortunately, this change overlapped with my conference schedule, so I had to call the airlines and request a change. It was a bit of a hassle, but necessary.

I caught my flight and eventually made it to Tulsa. The director of the Medical Strategic Network picked me up at the airport in his rental car. Our plan was for me to travel with him throughout the weekend so I would not have to rent a car. We had enough time before the conference to visit Tulsa's historical site and museum, known as the "Black Wall Street." It was a skillfully painted picture and narrative depicting a dark period in our nation's history, highlighting the racial injustice that took place. It saddens me to acknowledge that such events occurred to our fellow citizens solely based on their skin color. However, I am happy to see that equality is now being advanced further in our country. But, as we all know, there is still more work to be done.

I had just enough time in my hotel room to complete my remote charting, respond to messages, and review lab reports from the clinic. Psychologically, I always feel a bit better when I can check these tasks off before the weekend begins.

The Training

On Friday and throughout the entire day on Saturday, we had the opportunity to meet with the first-year family medicine residency class and their spouses for training. I thoroughly enjoy spending time with these young doctors in training, as they exude vibrancy, eagerness to learn, and immense potential! We engaged in various learning methods, including didactic lectures, small group discussions, and one-on-one coaching/training. The culmination of our efforts was a field practicum at the local hospital on a Saturday afternoon. During this practicum, we had the opportunity to meet with patients who willingly participated in our training exercise. It is truly delightful to observe and support the development and growth of young doctors as they hone their whole-person care skills. This approach allows them to attach greater purpose and meaning to their medical care, while also gaining a deeper understanding of each patient. In the end, I firmly believe that this approach enhances the overall quality of healthcare provided. I am always amazed by the "untold story" behind patients' biological issues, which can be skillfully uncovered through thoughtful questioning. Ultimately, I believe patients appreciate being viewed holistically by medical professionals.

Unexpected Connection

On Saturday morning, my brother-in-law reached out to me and informed me that he was visiting my nephew(his son) in Kansas for the weekend. Andrew, who plays basketball and attends a small college in Kansas, turned out to be just a few hours away from Tulsa. We came up with a plan to have dinner and watch the Notre Dame football game together as they drove down from Kansas. It was delightful to spend time together, and I was happy to hear that Andrew was thriving at college this year. The previous year was more difficult for him, so knowing how well he was doing was very reassuring. During our time together, I had the opportunity to update and discuss my business ventures, planned retirement, and how they all intersected with our family's changing dynamic in preparation for my father's passing and my mother's transition to widowhood. We are a close-knit family, consisting of just my sister, our families, and myself. As a result, our lives are tightly interconnected in North-Central Indiana.

Sunday Re-entry

I walked from my hotel to the airport and successfully made it through security. However, I realized that my TSA PreCheck was not on my boarding pass. Therefore, I went to the ticket counter to request that it be added back on. After a lengthy process, I was frustratingly unable to use my new Global Entry number for TSA Precheck. Reluctantly, I had to go through the regular security check line. I'll have to figure this out later, especially before our big international trip next month.

I arrived home on Sunday afternoon and reconnected with my family.

While I was out, my wife took the initiative to visit a home for sale just a block away from our current residence. It was a private sale, cash-only, as the family was eager to sell due to the elderly occupant being moved to an adult living facility. The property was attractively priced, leading us to consider adding it as a real estate asset to one of our micro-corporations. I have scheduled a visit in a few days and am inclined to make an "as is" offer that would also include the furnishings.

Is That Deductible? It Depends

Now is the time to reflect on my activities and determine if there are any business purposes associated with them. In the end, I don't solely base my life and decisions on business purposes, but it's nice to incorporate them into the financial undercurrent.

• Shower head—I was able to clean out the showerhead filter at our guesthouse, and now it flows better. However, since it was an older and cheaper showerhead, I decided to order a new one on Amazon and expense it to our LLC, which owns the guesthouse. While I was at it, I ordered a couple of new security cameras for the guest house, as a couple of the older ones had become defective.

• Chocolate Shake-My Thursday night activities, including the chocolate shake, were a personal expense and not deductible. This also includes the "drive-thru dinner" from McDonald's for my family on our way home.

• The Tulsa Medical Strategic Network Conference—The entire weekend, from travel to lodging to food, was a deductible business expense related to my professional services of teaching residents whole person medical care. I will track all the expenses in an expense report. The In His Image residency has offered limited reimbursement for travel expenses. I will submit those receipts to them, while my business development micro-corporation will cover the remaining expenses.

One of the elements that I discussed with the residents this weekend was the importance and value of professional autonomy gained through forming a professional micro-corporation. Ultimately, traditional employment erodes your professional autonomy, including your ability to shape the style and brand of medical care that you prefer—which includes any attempts to integrate whole person care into your patient encounters. When you are traditionally employed, you will be forced to build your employer's brand, which can sometimes overshadow your own individuality and personal brand. Over time, this can be psychologically demoralizing, and thus push you towards burnout.

As you may already know, my message here is to highlight the existence of alternative paths and options beyond traditional employment. I invite you to download my free e-book “You Don’t Have to Choose Traditional Employment” that explains this hidden path, which involves creating your own micro-corporation to use in the marketplace.

Alternatively, you can take a smaller step towards that direction by transitioning from accessing only my free content to becoming a SimpliMD Member. Here, you will unlock a wide range of discounted products that will help you excel in your micro-business.

Tod