Arseen Soliman, MD, Internal Medicine, John Muir Medical Group

I was interested in sciences from an early age. As I got older, I also felt like I was a "people person". I chose to practice medicine because it's a perfect match for me.

I came to the US from Cairo, Egypt at age 1½. I grew up in Los Angeles, ultimately becoming a beach fan and enjoying anything and everything outdoors. I did my undergrad at UCLA, medical school at Ross University in the West Indies, and residency at the University of Rochester.

I thought the last year of residency was really fun, but also very stressful. You realize, for the first time in many, many years, that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. But, you don't really know what's past the end of the tunnel. I decided to do my own search, using recruiters, searching the ads in medical journals, the usual. Ultimately, it was my brother and sister-in-law, who practice at Kaiser near here, who told me that John Muir was hiring and that the network had a great reputation.

I grew up in California, and I'm one who believes it's hard to live anywhere else. As I came to visit my family in Northern California, I grew to really love it here. During my hospital rotations, I worked in Connecticut, Chicago, St. Louis, New York - they were great, and I got to see them for a couple of months at a time, but I can't live in any of those places. I want to live here.

Everyone was telling me in med school that California was a bad place to practice. I didn't really listen because if you're not happy where you're living, what's the point? I was pretty clear what I wanted out of a job. I wanted mostly outpatient work, but also wanted to work in the hospital. I wanted schedule flexibility and to work with people I liked. I figured if all of that was there, the money would come.

I called after hearing of the opening from my brother and sister-in-law, set up an appointment,and met with the President and Vice President of the Primary Care group. I also met with the Vice President of the John Muir Physician Network. The same day, I came to visit this practice, I met half the staff, saw the flexibility and the quality of the staff, and was very impressed. By the end of the day, they offered me a position, and I said I would take it. It was the best place I've interviewed!

Of course, you never know what you're going to get. I've been here 7 months, and the start wassomemorable. I got to town, and the office manager asked me what time I wanted to start each day, how long I liked for different types of appointments, and what time I wanted my day to end. I decided to work a 4-day week.

I have to say that I'm having fun. My colleagues have a wide range of experience, so senior docscan give guidance and peers are there for the ride together. The group is fun. When I visited, they even sounded like they were having fun! This group tends to joke around but be very professional, to have a very nice rapport with each other, and to deliver extremely high quality care. Things run pretty smoothly. When you're a resident, nobody helps you; you have to do it all yourself. Here, everyone is extremely nice, supportive and courteous. I don't think it's just because I've graduated, it's the place. And, if there are issues, you can always bring it up, people take it to heart and try to change it.

On top of this, there are a lot of specialties in a small radius. The quality of specialistsisverygood-I know this because my patients are vocal with good feedback about how the specialists, who they have all found quite accommodating. Because of my desire to do hospital work, I've gotten to know the specialists. Now, I can call while I have a patient here, ask a question, and see if I need to send them over. I actually have specialists sending people to me. Recently, a cardiologist sent me one of his patients--it works all around.

I live 7 miles from here; my commute is 10 minutes. My favorite things about living here arethe weather and the people. I've met many people at my tennis club and at my health club, and there are so many outdoor activities. I actually live in a place that is a destination for tourists, and I have Yosemite and Lake Tahoe in my back yard!

It's hard to get an idea of what you're getting into. There's a lot of uncertainty as you comeout ofresidency. There are a lot of politics in medicine-sometimes things just don't work out. A lot of residents change jobs in the first couple of years. My experience has been very positive. I see John Zuorski (President of John Muir Medical Group) every other month, and he always asks how things are going with me-every time. And I feel that there is plenty of room for career growth for me. Again, the organization is very flexible.

I am really happy and fortunate. I paid my dues, and I'd hoped it would end up like this.