After spending four years fulfilling my commitment to the Navy on the island of Guam, it was time to head back to the states. I heard good things about the physician climate in Texas, so I started my job search here when I returned. I ended up taking a job in Abilene at an extremely busy and understaffed trauma center.

Quickly I came to the realization that I couldn't keep doing this job and remain sane. At this time I started having discussions with Henry Higgins, who also worked at the same hospital, about getting involved with a freestanding emergency center that he would soon be opening. Frankly, I had never heard of such a concept prior to our conversations. It was enlightening to know that this option was available, allowing me the time to interact with my patients on a different, more in-depth level and still have the ability to come home from a shift and be somewhat likable to my family.

For years I was clocking in and out of the emergency department without any involvement of the day-to-day functioning of the ER. Not because I didn't want to, I was just too exhausted. The beauty of a freestanding model is that I get the time and ability to be involved in our daily operations, which I find very rewarding.

I have served as the medical director of Cedar Park Family ER since our opening in February of 2014. In addition, I function as the Chief Medical Officer of Family Emergency Rooms. This has been a valuable experience as we are scheduled to open new facilities in the Austin area, Colorado, and two other states. It has been wonderful to interact closely with other doctors who have the same goals as I do, to enjoy going to work again, and to provide the best possible patient care.

The biggest challenge in managing a freestanding emergency center has been education. Whether it be local physicians (primary care and specialty services), the community as a whole, or even my own staff, people just don't quite understand that we will offer a better product in a more timely manner than the local hospital-based ER.

TAFEC offers many benefits including legislative representation, public education initiatives, and interaction with industry leaders. However, I believe the single greatest benefit is the collaboration between members. Many times our group has had questions that have been answered by other TAFEC members, or we have been able to provide insight to others. There is a sense of community among the members, and I look forward to the times that we share together.

I think many of us are grateful for the opportunity to provide excellent care in an environment that we control. It is so important that we don't forget the difficult, tiring, burdensome jobs that we previously had in the hospital ERs. In not forgetting, we need to make changes throughout all aspects of emergency medicine, not just the freestanding realm. We need to use our knowledge of how to operate a physician-centric ER to affect change in the hospitals. As your businesses grow and expand, challenge yourself to think of ways that you can have a positive effect on the hospitals in your area.