After years in private practice, Dr. Robin Whatley found herself overwhelmed by the nonstop pace: clinic, callbacks, charting and missed moments with her family. “At one point, my child looked at me and said, ‘Mommy, you’re working again.’ That was a wake-up call,” she says.
Now a Market Medical Director and Site Director at OBHG’s hospital partner University Chicago Medicine AdventHealth Bolingbrook Hospital, Dr. Whatley says joining Ob Hospitalist Group (OBHG) changed everything. “Becoming an OB hospitalist, especially at OBHG, has truly transformed my career journey.”
She was initially drawn to medicine by a childhood experience. Hospitalized with a rare tumor, she was cared for by Dr. Clark, the only African American pediatrician in her community. “He had such a great bedside manner. I knew I wanted to be like him.”
Though she started in general OB/GYN, the burden of daily admin and being on-call 24/7 became unsustainable. After losing her father, she reevaluated. “I realized how short life is. My kids were growing up fast, and I didn’t want to miss it.”
At OBHG, Dr. Whatley found the work-life balance she needed. She typically works five to seven 24-hour shifts per month. She now travels with her family, reads with her book club, and relaxes in her backyard “she-shed.”
“I feel like I’m living a balanced, fulfilling life and still making a difference.”
Want to learn more about her journey and why she’s never looked back? Read her full story here.