Profiles in Telehealth: A Physician Finds Freedom, Passion, and Flexibility with Virtual Care
We interviewed Dr. Chet to learn about how he used telemedicine to his advantage - from paying off student loan debt to finding time for his young family and passion projects. Learn more about his journey below!
What’s your background? What did you do before practicing telemedicine?
I am board certified in internal medicine and have been practicing since completing residency in 2012 in various environments such as the hospital, ER, and outpatient centers. I am also board-certified in allergy and immunology and was in private practice from 2015 to 2019. I have been doing telemedicine part-time since 2019. In 2019, due to changes in both personal and family goals, I decided to leave my allergy clinic practice and practice telemedicine full-time as an independent contractor. This has allowed me to work where I want, when I want, and most importantly, be available for my family. Currently, I work from home and for companies like Wheel. I am fortunate to be able to set my own hours, which allows me to not only be more present in my family life but also work on other projects I am passionate about.
What’s your life like outside of work?
I am married to my lovely wife Molly and have 2 girls, Lucy (5) and Vivi (3), and a boy, Price (1). We also have a lab named Doc. My hobbies right now consist of spending as much time as possible with my family swimming, biking, fishing, golf cart riding, and being outdoors. We live on Daniel Island, SC, which is a beautiful area right outside of Charleston. I couldn't dream of a better place to raise my kids and enjoy the outdoors.
What brought you to telemedicine?
I got into telemedicine in 2016 to help pay off student loan debt and really enjoyed it. It was a great way to make extra money from almost anywhere that was quiet and had a good internet connection. Since I realized there was enough opportunity to do this full-time on my own terms, I haven't looked back.
What’s your recent Wheel Moment of Freedom?
Wheel has provided a variety of telemedicine opportunities for me that I would not have found outside their network. As a result, I can choose opportunities and shifts/times that work best for me. Wheel takes care of all the logistics, including training on various platforms, and even malpractice insurance. Because of that, I can focus solely on providing the best virtual care possible as a physician. I feel very fortunate for my opportunity with Wheel!
What do you think the future of healthcare holds?
I am excited that telemedicine is expanding and increasing access to care for many.
I think the majority of chronic medical conditions and many specialties will have a large telemedicine component in the near future.
This can be beneficial not only to the patient but to the entire medical team. I'm hopeful that long waits to see a physician and time spent in a waiting room will become a thing of the past.
Thanks, Dr. Chet, for being an essential member of the #WheelCareTeam!
Interested in joining us? Sign up to learn more about working in telehealth with Wheel. We need clinicians more than ever during the COVID-19 national crisis.
Learn more about provider experiences in our previous spotlight interviews with a nurse practitioner who became more active with her kids due to telemedicine, a nurse practitioner who thinks telehealth can improve women's health access, and a nurse practitioner who took the leap into telemedicine full-time.
