Committing to the six-month AIR Elite telemedicine training program and getting 51 state licenses is a big investment. Naturally, some physicians wonder if it's worth it—can't you just pick up a few more licenses and get remote jobs on your own? And of course, many find more flexibility and good money that way. But without maximizing telemedicine's full potential, it's impossible to gain the same kind of control over your schedule, income, and career.
Dr. Rachel Quinn learned the hard way that being a telemedicine doc with a handful of licenses and not a lot of professional support couldn't provide the stable, lasting success—and invaluable community—she ultimately found through AIR.
A small-town family medicine doctor for two decades, Rachel loved her patients, but was burning out on an increasingly corporate, do-more-with-less work life. She thought she'd found the answer in a telemedicine course that set her up with 10 state licenses and enough contracts for a full-time remote career—but when patient volume on her primary contract dropped dramatically, her work suddenly dried up.
Joining AIR Elite was a big investment, but without many contacts or job prospects in the telemedicine world, Rachel decided it was a risk worth taking. Here's what it's given her:
While having 10 licenses increased Rachel's work prospects, she found they didn't go far enough. With help from AIR, she's become a 51er (a physician with licenses in all 50 states plus DC), which has given her huge professional leverage, especially when it comes to leadership roles and enterprise collaborations. "If a company has to piecemeal five doctors to get the country covered as opposed to hiring one who can see anybody," Rachel explains, that doctor is "much more marketable."
"[51ers] have more options. We can be choosier, we can ask for more pay. It's a good negotiation tool."
AIR encouraged Rachel to build on her family medicine foundation with an American Board of Obesity Medicine (ABOM) certification, unlocking a whole new field of knowledge—and a lucrative income stream.
No longer isolated in her telemedicine career, Rachel now has a knowledgeable, highly responsive community to turn to when she has questions or needs tips on a particular company. AIR members often shadow each other on new contracts so they can get efficient fast. "You pay it forward," Rachels says. "I had a lot of help when I first [started] and now I've got people shadowing me." Today, her work life includes Slack chats, meetups, retreats, and plenty of everyday support from like-minded physicians who also happen to be "wonderful humans."
"The in-person events are amazing. They're so fun and you really get to know people. Some of them are my closest friends."
Rachel currently balances her clinical contracts (including weight loss, urgent care, and HIV care) with leadership positions that provide an income base so reliable that "I could live off of it if I didn't do a single bit of clinical [work]." She also keeps a handful of other contracts in her back pocket in case she ever wants or needs additional hours.
Her newfound autonomy allows Rachel to set her schedule, usually only working from 7:15am–2:30pm while her kids are at school. She makes family time and exercise her first priorities, goes on vacations, and relishes taking time off without asking for permission.
The somewhat intimidating decision to join AIR has more than paid off. Rachel repaid her initial investment within 15 months and now makes double her pre-AIR income.
In the interest of "paying it forward," Rachel now works with AIR as a physician advisor supporting new members. And she continues to learn from the lectures that helped her build her own telemedicine practice, finding "you learn a little bit more every time you listen to them… [because] you're in a different stage of your career."
Investing in a telemedicine career can feel like a big leap. But whatever your dream work life looks like, AIR gives you the tools and support to get there. As Rachel explains, "what people need to know is that if you follow the steps [AIR] lays out very clearly—this is how you set up your business, this is how you set up your resume, this is how you apply for jobs, this is what you do to be efficient on each platform—the people who just follow the steps are very successful."
About the author:
Ileana Street is the Chief Marketing Officer at AIR Physician Academy, where she leads marketing and storytelling for a physician-led telemedicine career training program. With more than 20 years of experience building marketing functions at mission-driven education companies, she develops the physician stories that bring the realities of a telemedicine career to life for doctors considering a transition. She approaches each interview with a researcher's curiosity and a deep respect for the physicians who share their experiences.