Clinician Profiles

Dr. Ayita Verna, an OB hospitalist at Baptist Health, discovered the ideal blend of purpose and balance in her career with Ob Hospitalist Group. Drawn to the role straight out of residency, she embraced a path that allowed her to care deeply for women while protecting her time for family and personal wellbeing. With no on-call demands or office management, Dr. Verna found the freedom to grow professionally and still be present as a mother. For her, being an OB hospitalist means never having to choose between the career she loves and the life she values.

Dr. Robin Whatley is an Ob Hospitalist Group Market Medical Director and Site Director at University Chicago Medicine AdventHealth Bolingbrook Hospital who found her true north at the intersection of OB hospitalist medicine and personal wellbeing. Making a meaningful impact in the care of women while having the flexibility to create her own schedule without the burden of on-call duty or office management is what Dr. Whatley found at OBHG. What’s more, she could continue to grow her career with work-life balance in mind.

Before joining OBHG, Dr. Rula Fuertez worked as a full-scope OB/ GYN in New York and later for an HMO in California. Juggling patient appointments, surgeries, and hospital shifts around the clock, Dr. Fuertez felt disheartened by the limited time available for her family.

After making the switch to OBHG, she can share lunch with her husband, accompany her younger daughter on the 8th grade trip to Washington D.C., or travel to Italy to watch her older daughter thrive on the volleyball team.

Two years into his role with Ob Hospitalist Group, Dr. Peghee made the difficult decision to close his practice. Still passionate about providing essential women’s health care services, he expanded his career to serve as an OB/GYN at an OBHG Maternal Health Access Solutions partner hospital. These programs focus on improving maternal outcomes by addressing healthcare barriers in underserved regions. Clinicians work on flexible block schedules planned a year in advance and receive assignment stipends.

Serving as an OB Hospitalist is a career path Dr. Colton feels should have been an option earlier in his professional journey. A clinician-centered company, OBHG allows full-time OB hospitalists to create their own schedules – typically five to seven 24-hour shifts per month – with no on-call duty or office management. Looking back on the missed special occasions and family moments, such as birthdays, anniversaries, and his children’s games, he now realizes the extent of his burnout at that time.

“I can’t imagine a better fit for where I am in my life right now. OBHG brought me a career opportunity that I didn’t even think existed. Now I’ve got greater control of my time outside of work. I can attend my son’s flag football games or schedule a two-week vacation to the Rocky Mountains.”

“Had I known about the OB hospitalist role, I would have pursued working as a hospitalist straight out of medical school. The experience is exciting and for young parents or those planning to start a family, the work shifts offer better life balance.”

“I spent three to four months of the year not doing a whole lot of activities. Not being able to enjoy the outdoors, and not being able to just enjoy my family. Moving to Florida took away those dreary days. My seasonal affective disorder is completely gone. I wear flip-flops every day. I love it.”

Honestly, work/life balance is the main reason I chose to become a hospitalist. At the end of this summer, I was able to take a two-week vacation with my family to backpack across Switzerland, and I have never been able to take a vacation that long before.

It’s nice not having to worry about all the office things that I used to have to worry about, to have a defined set of responsibilities. I get to work and do my job, and then I get to come home. ... It’s a wonderful fit for me.

I was 45. Fatherhood was something I always wanted but wasn’t sure would ever happen. The fact that I am able to — even at this ‘advanced’ age — means the world.

Doing this work makes me feel much more enriched and inspired when I return home, It is a chance to reinvigorate myself and remind myself of my valuable purpose as a physician.

I am happy that I have the kind of job where I can work hard and also have time to ride my bike.

I don’t see myself going back to another practice model. Life’s too short.

I think there are a lot of physicians who have an artistic side.

OBHG is a very physician-oriented group. They make us feel valued.

There is nothing like dancing, I have tried over the years walking and running. I have not found anything that I enjoy as much as Irish dancing. You get such a good workout.