Saddam Zaidi, MD

Choosing between hospital medicine and office-based practice is an important decision for many physicians. Both sides have good things and difficult things, and the choice can change depending on our age, goals, and lifestyle.

Hospital medicine has many advantages. Hospitals usually provide good benefits like health insurance, life insurance, and retirement plans. The system is already built, and you don’t have to worry about running a business.
But hospital work can be very demanding. Long shifts and high-pressure situations can be hard to continue as we get older. For many people, this becomes a real limiting factor.

Office-based practice is almost the opposite. The beginning can be tough. You need to build your patient population, learn the business side, and deal with many challenges. But in the long run, it can be rewarding. You get to know your patients over many years, and you create more stability as your practice grows.
The difficult part is compensation—handling insurance company rules and billing can be stressful compared to working in a hospital with a large billing department.

Personally, most of my experience is in hospital medicine. This is where I built my clinical skills. But when I think about private practice, even though it offers the hope of a stable patient base, there is still fear and uncertainty. It is natural to worry about how this chapter will turn out and whether it will be successful.

In the end, both paths have benefits. Hospital medicine offers strong support and structure, while office practice offers long-term relationships and personal growth. The best choice depends on what matters most to you at this stage of your life and career.