How this Orthopedic Surgeon Found Freedom through Photography and Private Practice, with Dr. Mark Ayzenberg

In this episode, Dr. Nisha Mehta is joined by Dr. Mark Ayzenberg, an orthopedic surgeon who turned to photography as a respite from residency training. Today, he talks about how photography has created freedom outside medicine, and private practice has created freedom inside medicine, and why entrepreneurship is key to retaining joy in medicine. They discuss: How being in the right place at the right time and saying ‘yes’ allowed him to monetize his photography hobby during residency (and earn 20% of his annual resident salary with his first sale!) Tips for building and scaling a photography business, including start up costs, leveling up your skills, marketing, pricing, & distribution  How he’s juggled his photography side gig through attending life, while securing commissioned projects for homes, hospitals, hotels, and office buildings Why freedom, not money, is the real currency that prevents burnout His advice for physicians about building the career that lets you keep loving medicine and avoid burnout, and why it’s important not to wait to start  See his work at https://www.phillyphotoart.com/ – Dr. Ayzenberg is a longtime affiliate partner, and gives our audience a discount. Feel free to mention Physician Side Gigs when you reach out. This episode is sponsored by UpToDate. AI is everywhere in medicine, but not all AI is built for clinical care.    For decades, medical professionals have continued to trust UpToDate as their go to resource for evidence-based clinical content. Now, with Expert AI, UpToDate is extending its clinical knowledge into an AI-powered experience designed specifically for clinical use. *    Unlike many AI tools that generate answers without clear sourcing, our Expert AI is:   Developed by clinicians for clinicians   Grounded exclusively in UpToDate clinical content    Built to guide clinical reasoning and reflect how you think through cases   Transparent and traceable, with clear decision-making logic built into every response   Quickly move from symptoms or a clinical question to clear, confident next steps with Expert AI in UpToDate – now included in all personal subscriptions in the United States.  Plus, PSG clinicians can save 15% with code PODP, and residents can save 20% with code PODR on an annual or longer personal subscription. † Visit utm.io/pod to subscribe. These offers are valid for a limited time and are subject to change.   *Products not available in all regions.   † Proof of status is required for all trainee and student orders. Find more of our content at www.physiciansidegigs.com, our Facebook communities, and our Instagram accounts!