FEATURED ALUMNI: Jason Salagubang

Jason, thanks so much for taking the time from your busy schedule to do this interview and to be the our very first victim "Featured Alumni". We obviously have some questions that we want to grill you with ask. First off, what are you doing now? What are some of the joys and challenges of your current practice? 

      Well, right now, I just finished having lunch, so I feel pretty good. But in regards to my practice, I am doing a wide spectrum of family medicine things. I see newborns, children, adolescents, adults, and geriatric folk. Unfortunately, I no longer do any OB. I also do a lot of sports physicals and plan to be involved in some clinical research regarding concussions.
      Some of the joys I've experienced in solo practice include building a practice that reflects who I am. From the moment you enter my office, I want people to feel relaxed and comfortable. I also have great staff members who reflect that same sentiment and I truly believe our patients leave our office with a positive attitude because of that.
      Some of the challenges I've faced is having to replace some of those staff members who leave for various reasons (i.e. caring for sick family members, going back to school, etc,). In the last 2-3 years, I have had to replace my medical assistant twice. But thanks be to God, He always hooks us up with the right person.

So what do you do for fun or to unwind after a busy day?

      Believe it or not, but I enjoy doing yard work! Now don't ask me to mow your lawn, but I get great exercise and blow off a lot of steam when I work outdoors (besides, I save extra money when I don't have to hire anyone to do my landscaping!) I also have a pitbull/boxer mix who has a lot of energy so I have to run him daily or else he goes crazy! In addition, my wife and I raise two other dogs----these guys are like hairy little humans! Reading my Bible and meditating on God's blessings also energizes me and provides peace in my life. And of course, the 2nd greatest gift God has ever given me (Jesus giving his life to me is my #1 gift), is my wife. She is so patient and loving with me. I love her with all my heart and enjoy any time I can spend with her.

That's wonderful! It's so easy for medicine to "take over" a person's life. Thanks so much for sharing. So, knowing what you do now about the "real world", what advice would you give to our current residents?

      This is a good question.
      My advice: take advantage of your experience during your geriatric rotation. Even if you don't do the fellowship, if you plan to do family medicine in the United States, you will take care of old folk!
      Also, learn to treat your nursing/administrative/support staff with respect. Give them plenty of praise when they do something right. When they do something wrong, point it out immediately (but respectfully), then show them how to do it right. You might be the head of the medical team, but your staff constitute the NECK—meaning they can influence whether or not you have good/bad day or they could give you a bad/good name, etc.
      In addition, don't sweat the small stuff. So you might not score >90% on your shelf exams or your ranked the lowest in your class. So what?! Just pass your tests...but still try your hardest! Your patients just care if YOU CARE to keep/make them well. Finally, integrate healthful habits now while you have more time! This includes finding balance with your family, God, personal time, professional pursuits, etc.

That's great advise. I can remember having to buy my staff lots of pizzas to apologize for treating them unkindly! I can attest that treating staff well also helps to save on pizza money! So here is our next questions: if you could go back in time, what would you have done differently during your residency days? 

 I guess I would've spent more time poking fun at Dr. Gui. LOL! Just kidding!!!! [EDITOR: I agree that poking fun at Dr. Gui is a excellent ambition]. Nothing really, except maybe marry my wife sooner (I married her after I completed my geriatric fellowship).

Since you have been married, how do you maintain balance in your life between work and marriage? 

      I want to say leave work at work, but because I'm in solo practice, I'm on call pretty much 24 hours a day. It's important to actually set aside time for your family, schedule it on your calendar if you have to! Just be sure to take time out for your loved ones. When everything is said and then, they are the ones who matter the most in life (in addition to your relationship with God).
      I also try not to over-extend myself. My problem is that I like to be involved in a variety of things, i.e. b-ball games, medical volunteering, med staff leadership, etc., and I can still do those things, but I need to remember that my family should still be a top priority. One thing that has helped me in my practice is that I close up shop early on Friday afternoons. Unless there is a medical emergency or hospital/nursing home admission, I use this time to get home early and prepare for the Sabbath. When she can, my wife also tries to get home on Friday afternoons. We may not do anything spectacular, but at least we are home together during those times.

Again, that is great advice! I agree that going on "date nights" with my wife has been very important for a marriage. It's so encouraging to see how you have made your wife and faith a priority over medicine. Speaking of your faith, how has your faith influenced your practice? 

 My faith plays a tremendous role in how I practice medicine. In fact, as much as I loved being an attending at the residency, I truly felt called by the Lord to start a practice at Florida Hospital Apopka. My staff and I see our clinic as a type of ministry. Yes, we still need to make enough money to pay the bills. Yes, we sometimes get overwhelmingly busy with our work. And yes, we can get frustrated at times. I am not perfect. But by the grace of God, He still uses me to reach out to those who are in need. I am very grateful for the many, many, many blessings that I have received from God and I pray that I can be a good steward of those blessings as I seek to extend the healing ministry of Jesus Christ to those who walk through our office doors.

Jason, thank you again for taking the time for this interview. It has been a true pleasure for me as one of the new faculty here at Florida Hospital to get to know you. And I pray that this interview will encourage past alumni and current residents as we all face the many challenges of being family doctors. God bless! —David Koo