Physician Entrephrenology

Entrepreneurs are hard to figure out, yet many make a living teaching, writing, consulting, and advising about them. Most of ‘blah, blah’ is hypothesis and opinion. Physician entrepreneurs are particularly difficult to decipher because of the intersecting forces that create doctors and entrepreneurs.

Academic, rigorous research into the inner minds and motivations of physician entrepreneurs is scant, so, until it is forthcoming, here are some things to consider if you want to get into their heads:

1. Learn how to speak to a narcissistic physician

2. Here's what you need to know about entrepreneurial psychopathology

3. Take an intro course in ‘Doctorology’

4. Here are reasons why doctors don't think they are entrepreneurs

5. Don’t confuse passion motivated by angels with passion motivated by devils

6. Most doctors lack an entrepreneurial mindset

7. Most doctors cannot demonstrate a core entrepreneurial competency

8. They use credentials to justify calling themselves physician executives

9. They are no better or worse at picking winners and losers than anyone else

10. They can be high maintenance startup investors just like everyone else.

We need to do more academic research on physician entrepreneurs and biomedical and clinical entrepreneurship. We need data to drive policy, programs and how to create the future of sick care. Until we have that information, we'll just have to settle for the unintended consequences of hunches and feeling the bumps on their heads.