find that everywhere , especially in GI . I had a female program director in my GI fellowship , which is pretty amazing . It was great to have her leadership and people who were really down to earth and exceptionally bright and talented , and could manage the home life balance , but still have a really successful career in medicine .”
Still ahead was the process of figuring out her plans for after her training was complete . Halfway through the three-year program , she started looking for jobs in Louisville . At the time , she says , there were four main gastroenterology groups- -one at each major hospital system and a large group in Southern Indiana .
“ I reached out to all those groups , mostly because a year ahead of me in fellowship , two of the fellows had already taken positions here in town . So I was worried that Louisville was getting saturated with new graduates ,” she said . “ It seemed like a lot of us came out at once who wanted to stay here in town , whereas that hadn ’ t happened in years prior . I was anxious whether I ’ d find something here if I didn ’ t start looking early .”
Much to her satisfaction , she found an open position with a group at Baptist Health and signed a contract mid-way through her fellowship , ensuring that she would have a job as soon as she completed her training . At the time , the Baptist group was a private practice and had four other physicians . At the end of her fellowship and before starting with the group , Dr . Briley gave birth to her now- 9-year-old daughter , Mia .
When she started with the group in August 2011 , they were a private practice . However , within a year , discussion began about becoming employed by the hospital . “ It was very stressful to me , not knowing what the right answer to that question was ,” she said . “ There ’ s a lot of things about running a business , and especially a private practice , that they don ’ t teach you in medical school . A lot of it was completely foreign to me and I was learning on the fly . I felt grossly underprepared for that part of private practice .”
Ultimately , four of the five physicians in the group became employed by the hospital and Dr . Briley said for her it was the perfect choice . She now practices exclusively at the hospital , seeing a mix of hospitalized patients , clinic patients , and doing outpatient procedures . Some of her favorite cases include people who have liver problems and inflammatory bowel disease ..
“ I like them because there are defined endpoints . There are measurable ways to see that you ’ ve made progress . You can literally take someone from a terrible quality of life , very symptomatic with severe inflammation , and with some medication , we can get them
DR . WHO
back to living a normal life ,” she said . “ Especially young people with long lives ahead of them , who are missing out on the things they want to do : to see somebody get on medication and get back to living the normal life of a 20-year-old is very rewarding .”
While the work is fulfilling , she said she has seen the patient population change over the years , and not for the better .
“ It used to be a healthier population and now we ’ re seeing a very similar population to what I feel like I saw as a fellow . Our patient population has definitely become sicker and more complicated here , with very medically complicated patients , exceedingly sick patients . It ’ s challenging , but I don ’ t mind that .”
Being a part of the hospital-employed group allows her flexibility with her schedule and to have the work-life balance she sought out from the very beginning . She has time to be with her husband and children and enjoy all the outdoor activities that they love so much .
“ No matter what , I always prefer to be outside when I can . I run and do yoga , so I ’ ve been able to do those still during the pandemic , even if I do yoga on a Zoom meeting now . My kids are very involved in sports and extra curriculars , so I ’ m always chasing them around .”
Looking to her future , Dr . Briley wants to take steps to give back to Louisville and the community that has done so much for her .
“ I ’ d like to find some ways to get more involved with community health . There are some organizations in Louisville and Kentucky that aim to get underserved communities screened for colorectal cancer . I ’ d like to get more involved with programs like that ,” she said . “ I ’ ve been given a huge gift , the education I have , the ability I have , I ’ d love to find some ways to give back . I was born and raised here , so I ’ m very invested in this community that has given so much to me over the years .”
Kathryn Vance is the Communication Specialist at the Greater Louisville Medical Society .
APRIL 2021 35