Your clinical world at Beacon Health Kalamazoo represents the sweet spot of obstetrics and gynecology—busy enough to keep your skills sharp and your days engaging, yet manageable enough to practice thorough, unhurried medicine. With 380-450 deliveries annually across the department, you'll maintain the perfect volume to stay proficient in both routine and complex obstetrics without the burnout-inducing pace that plagues higher-volume centers. This translates to approximately 180-200 vaginal deliveries and 30-40 cesarean sections per physician annually—enough to maintain excellence without sacrificing your personal life to the labor deck.
The current 30% cesarean section rate tells a story of opportunity. Much of this elevated rate stems from inconsistent coverage and locums physicians who lack longitudinal relationships with patients. As you join a stable, fully-staffed team, you'll help return this metric to more physiologic levels through consistent labor management and the trusted relationships that develop when patients know their doctor will be there for the long term. You'll practice evidence-based obstetrics without the defensive medicine that often creeps in with temporary coverage.
Picture yourself moving through a well-balanced day where variety keeps you engaged. Your typical clinic day brings 20-25 patients—a mix that's approximately 60% obstetrics and 40% gynecology. Unlike practices where you're racing through seven-minute visits, this volume allows for meaningful interactions. You'll have time to thoroughly discuss treatment options with your newly diagnosed endometriosis patient, carefully review genetic screening results with anxious parents-to-be, and still complete your documentation before heading home.
Here's where your practice experience diverges dramatically from the traditional OB/GYN grind. The five certified nurse midwives (once fully staffed) don't just assist—they fundamentally transform your call experience. These skilled professionals manage all first-call responsibilities, handling routine vaginal deliveries with the competence that comes from specialized training and experience. You're not being awakened at 2 AM for a routine multipara progressing normally. Instead, you're the surgical specialist and complex case consultant, intervening when your expertise truly adds value.
This collaborative model means that when you are called in, it's because your skills are genuinely needed—for that emergency cesarean, the complex operative delivery, or the surgical complication that requires experienced hands. The midwives handle the beautiful, straightforward deliveries that, while meaningful, don't require your decade of training to manage safely. You practice at the top of your license while they practice at the top of theirs.
The dedicated OB triage room represents more than just space—it's recognition that obstetric emergencies deserve specialized evaluation areas, not hallway consultations in a busy emergency department. Patients experiencing concerning symptoms receive focused evaluation in a setting designed for obstetric care, with monitoring equipment, ultrasound access, and specialized nursing immediately available. The central monitoring system in your clinic means you can glance at labor progress between office patients, staying connected without being tethered to the hospital.
The administration openly acknowledges significant growth potential, particularly on the gynecology side. As the midwives assume more delivery responsibilities, you'll have bandwidth to develop subspecialty interests—perhaps building a regional referral center for complex benign gynecology, establishing a comprehensive fibroid program, or developing expertise in pelvic floor disorders. The robot stands ready for those interested in advancing their minimally invasive skills, but it's an opportunity, not an obligation. Your practice can evolve based on your interests and the community's needs, not rigid departmental mandates.
The lower current market share isn't a weakness—it's your opportunity. Every program enhancement you implement, every protocol you optimize, every patient experience you improve directly translates to growth. You're not joining a saturated practice fighting for scraps of market share; you're helping build something that will become the regional preference for women's healthcare.