What happens when the thing that has been keeping you from leaving finally goes away?

My two-year noncompete recently expired. For two years, I had restrictions on where I could practice after leaving my previous job, essentially blacking out the Jacksonville community where I had lived and practiced for more than two decades.

So when that restriction finally expired, I had a choice.

I could leave the job I'm currently in - I'm currently driving 45 min each way to my hospitalist position.  

And I seriously considered making a change.

I interviewed for two other hospitalist positions. I reviewed contracts. I looked at the financial packages. I explored what might come next.

And ultimately, I decided to stay where I am.

Not because I couldn't leave.

Because I could.

That distinction turned out to be incredibly important.

In this episode of Navigating Possibility, I talk about what I learned from finally having options, including the role that a physician retreat played in helping me listen to what actually felt right, rather than simply choosing what looked best on paper.

I also talk about why I think noncompetes are wrong, the power imbalance they create for physicians, why "retention through restriction" is not the same as creating a workplace where physicians actually want to stay, and why I never plan to sign another contract with a noncompete again.

We also get into negotiation and what it looked like to ask my current employer for changes after I had explored my alternatives. I didn't get everything I asked for, but I was able to negotiate an improved financial situation and make the decision to stay from a position of choice.

And then there's the other side of this story: while I'm choosing to stay in my hospitalist role, I'm also taking a scary financial risk by beginning to plan a retreat for OBGYNs in 2027.

Because maybe freedom isn't always about leaving.

Maybe freedom is about having choices.

In this episode, I talk about:

• What it felt like to finally have my two-year noncompete expire

• Why I intentionally explored other hospitalist opportunities before deciding whether to stay

• What I learned from interviewing for two other positions

• The difference between a good financial package and a contract that actually supports the kind of professional autonomy I want

• Why one contract essentially felt like "we own you"

• Why I am no longer willing to sign a contract with a noncompete

• How a physician retreat helped me pay attention to what felt right somatically

• The difference between staying because you can't leave and staying because you choose to

• Why negotiation doesn't require getting everything you ask for

• How having alternatives changed the way I approached negotiating with my current employer

• Why women physicians need to become more comfortable asking for what they want

• The connection between physician autonomy, noncompetes, private equity, and the economics of independent practice

• Why physician retention through restriction is different from retention through relationships

• The risk I'm taking by planning my own retreat for OBGYNs

• What happens when we stop asking, "How do I get out?" and start asking, "What do I actually want?"

A question for you

If you knew you truly had a choice, what would you choose?

Would you leave?

Would you stay, but ask for something different?

Would you build something new?

Or would you stay for now while you create your next chapter?

You don't have to know the answer today.

Sometimes the first step is simply giving yourself permission to explore the possibilities.

Work with me

If you're a woman physician who feels stuck, burned out, or unsure whether it's time to stay, leave, or make a different kind of change, this is exactly the kind of work I do with my coaching clients.

You don't necessarily need someone to tell you what decision to make.

You may need space to figure out what you actually want, identify your options, challenge the beliefs that are keeping you stuck, and create a plan for moving forward.

You can learn more about coaching and schedule a consultation at this consultation link.

Connect with me

Christina Adams, MD
Physician Life & Career Coach
Host of Navigating Possibility

Website: www.christinaadamsmd.com

Keywords

physician career transition, physician burnout, physician coaching, women physicians, women in medicine, OBGYN career, OB/GYN physician, physician noncompete, noncompete agreement, physician contract negotiation, physician autonomy, physician career change, leaving medicine, leaving clinical medicine, hospitalist physician, physician leadership, private equity in medicine, independent medical practice, physician wellness, career satisfaction, women physician burnout