During the COVID-19 pandemic, “Leaders eat last.”
DW Weekly talked to Vinh Chung, MD, from Vanguard Skin Specialists in Colorado Springs, about his experiences helping his staff manage during the COVID-19 pandemic.
DW Weekly: Tell us about Vanguard Skin Specialists. How many physicians do you employ and how many staff members do you employ — medical and administrative?
Dr. Chung: Our medical practice has roughly 75 members, 13 of whom are medical providers. We provide dermatology and plastic surgery services in five locations in southern Colorado. We refer to our team as a “Tribe,” because what we do every day is more than just a job. Our Tribe is pursuing a life-saving mission to serve our patients, our community, and our world. This mission guides everything we do, from opening offices in underserved areas, to going on humanitarian trips, to simply giving our cell phone numbers to our patients. It also explains why we support long-term projects in Haiti, Rwanda, and Cambodia. We are more than just a medical practice. Knowing clearly who you are and why you exist is critical in challenging circumstances.
DW Weekly: Describe your thoughts about the importance of the staff-physician relationship.
Dr. Chung: The patient-doctor relationship has been ingrained through our long medical training and remains at the center of our decisions in daily practice. Based upon trust, this relationship demands that we make decisions that are always in the best interest of the patient. The coronavirus pandemic has brought to the forefront another type of critical relationship: the staff-doctor relationship. While antagonistic staff-doctor relationships are notoriously common and can drive physicians to burnout, they do not have to be this way. When healthy, the doctor’s relationship with staff can be an incredible source of pride and joy.
At Vanguard Skin Specialists, humility is our core value. Humility means that we think of others first. While we have always expected our medical providers to lead our staff, there is no better way to lead than to serve. And when we do it right, our actions can be inspiring. Serving others with humility is the “secret sauce” that has allowed Vanguard to grow over the years.
DW Weekly: How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected Vanguard Skin Specialists?
Dr. Chung: After executive orders suddenly limited medical services and procedures, the volume at our medical practice dipped by 90%. This unsustainable situation had no end in sight. The cash reserves in our practice were bleeding out and would be depleted if changes were not made immediately.
DW Weekly: What steps did you take to minimize the impact of the pandemic on your practice?
Dr. Chung: Even before any federal loans or financial assistance became available, our leadership team took action. We committed to follow our motto that “Leaders eat last.” Financial setbacks are scary for anyone, but we recognized that our hourly employees have it much worse. They need their paychecks to buy groceries and to pay rent, so we committed to protect them.
Starting from the top down, our executive team took an 80-100% cut in our salaries. The rest of the medical providers also voluntarily took significant pay cuts. After we announced our decision, other staff members began stepping up and following suit. Our managers asked to “work more and get paid less.” Some staff members even volunteered to work for free. Across our medical practice, team members who earned the most made disproportionately larger sacrifices in order to protect those who earned the least.
DW Weekly: How have your actions impacted your staff?
Dr. Chung: Watching our team members care for each other is an incredibly beautiful moment that I’ll never forget. It will remain one of the greatest highlights of my career. I’ve always been proud of our team because of their excellent work. This time I’ve been humbled by their character. Generosity, selflessness, and the desire to protect one another flourished and became so much more contagious than fear or self-preservation.
On the one hand, the courageous and selfless actions of our staff are unexpected. On the other hand, the idea of humbly serving others has been so ingrained in our culture that this is exactly what one would expect.
DW Weekly: Where do things stand now for your practice?
Dr. Chung: Our practice has since received the Medicare stimulus payment and funding from the Paycheck Protection Program, which will buy us more time as we ride out the pandemic. While we had to accelerate departures for team members who were already transitioning out, we have not had to lay anyone off. Two-thirds of our tribe volunteered to furlough, cut pay, or reduce hours. There are glimpses of light at the end of the tunnel, and we really do believe we can make it through this crisis with our entire team intact. When we make it to the other side, we plan to restore everyone’s pay and hours in the reverse order from bottom to top. The leaders will eat last.
DW Weekly: What have you learned from this crisis?
Dr. Chung: Similar to the patient-doctor relationship, the physician’s relationship with staff is based upon trust that must be earned. When trust is absent, any relationship can become a thorn in our side or an obstacle we must work around. These unhealthy relationships with staff and administrators are often the root cause of physician burnout. They must be addressed if physicians want to have careers that are fulfilling. Most fulfilling careers are grounded in trusting relationships within an organization.
There is no better way to earn trust than to walk with our staff through a crisis. When our staff know that we are willing to protect them, they will do the same for us. And I believe wholeheartedly that in the longer run, our patients will be better cared for as a result.
Dr. Vinh Chung works for Vanguard Skin Specialists in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He has a passion for promoting meaning and purpose at work. He can be reached at vchung@vanguardskin.com.
Are you on the front lines managing COVID-19 patients? Share your story with DWW. Email dweditor@aad.org.
The American Academy of Dermatology is a non-profit professional organization and does not endorse companies or products. Advertising helps support our mission.
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