by William Lee, DO, Assistant ED Director

Emergency medicine physicians have no shortage of job opportunities after residency. We make our decisions based on location preference, compensation, scheduling flexibility, projected acuity of our site, and so on. Where on that list is the benefits we’ll require later in life?

By the time I signed my first contract, I had considered multiple companies, gone on interviews, and poured over offers. Just as I’m sure you did, I made my decision based on the life right in front of me. Little did I know then, however, that when the time came, my family would grow unconventionally. The benefits I’d require would need to be equally unconventional. I simply didn’t consider it at the time. Now, I guess I consider myself lucky I chose US Acute Care Solutions (USACS).

My family has grown through foster care. Over the last year and a half, we have been fostering a beautiful baby girl. This spring, we will likely have the privilege to be the permanent parents of this precious child. But this has been a long and slow process. While governmental agencies provided for the necessities during her time as a foster child, returning to work the day after it’s official would be challenging.

USACS has taken steps to make this transition easier for adoptive parents. The goal is simple: Provide support for our employees and their families to ensure long-term career success. USACS has taken this support to a whole new level by providing additional benefits to support our employees and their growing families. Our new parental leave policy provides birth mothers up to 12 weeks of paid leave, plus four months of self-scheduling.

For me, though, the most significant change is that we have also extended benefits to include adoptive primary parents, who will now have 2 weeks of leave paid at 100% pay with the option of another 4 weeks at 50% pay, plus three months of self-scheduling. In the end, this groundbreaking step taken by USACS will allow me to spend a few more weeks at home bonding with our new little one.

When the time comes to consider your career, consider how life’s unexpected blessings can be enhanced by a robust benefit package. As a partner and owner in the largest physician-owned emergency medicine group in the country, I can rightly claim that MY company cares about the long-term success of its physicians. MY company cares about families. MY company is stepping up to the plate to support adoptive parents and the children under their care. MY company puts the “care” in US Acute Care Solutions.

Addition info:

According to CCAI statistics, there were more than 400, 000 children in the foster care system and nearly 50, 000 adoptions in the US alone in 2015. In that same year, there were an additional 108, 000 children eligible for adoption.* The U.S Department of State reports an additional 5, 000 international adoptions yearly.**

*Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute: US Adoption and Foster Care Statistics

**Intercountry Adoption: Bureau of Consular Affairs: U.S. State Department