Just What the Doctor Ordered: DAFT is the Cure
RJ Pesigan, combines sports medicine expertise with personalized primary care to help expats and active professionals stay healthy, recover smarter, and confidently navigate the Dutch healthcare system.
Why did you decide to come to the Netherlands? What were your other options?
We came to the Netherlands to start a new chapter in our family’s life. I knew that being a clinical doctor was a role I would not be able to do for the rest of my life if I wanted to have a good quality of life and see my kids grow up. Experiencing our own family tragedy really pushed us to decide that while our kids were young, we should take the next step in our lives and careers. We were deciding between the Netherlands and Spain. Knowing that transitioning to Spain would be harder since I’m the only one who speaks Spanish, we decided the Netherlands would offer the easiest transition.
What has been harder than expected and what has been easier than expected?
It’s been harder to find a stable source of income, and regular clients who are in need of my services, than I expected. I have had to look at other ways of leveraging my skills and expertise by being a healthcare consultant to overseas clients as well. I have found networking and talking to different people about their needs to be easier though. Engaging them in conversations has been a lot more organic as well, and that was something I felt was different to my experience in the US.
What is the most interesting thing you have learned about (about yourself or anything you want to discuss)?
Moving here has allowed me to grow beyond what I thought I knew about starting my own business and business concepts. I was very much used to being employed, working within the lines of a hospital system or corporate environment. Since going on the DAFT, I have found a lot of fulfillment in doing my own thing and being of help to others on my own terms instead of following administrative requirements and making sure I fulfill RVU (Relative Value Unit, a US medical term) quotas to justify my continued employment and salary.
What one piece of advice do you wish you had been given?
I wish I had understood that none of my achievements from the US would matter as much here as I thought they would. Coming in with an MD, multiple years of experience in leadership and high profile roles, and subsequently getting an MBA, I thought I’d have an easier time settling down and finding work. Nothing could have been further from the truth, and now I find myself grinding and grafting as a freelancer.
What’s the biggest difference you notice between your life here and your life in the US?
There is always an undercurrent of tension I feel whenever I am in the US that I do not have here. I am more cognizant of it now that I visit the US instead of the other way around. And I am realizing a lot of what I did to stay healthy and avoid burnout when I lived in NYC were unconscious ways of coping with everyday tension.
What is the best thing about your life in the Netherlands?
For me it’s being able to reclaim time instead of constantly chasing it. Life here isn’t perfect nor is it easy, but finally having the time to enjoy my family, my kids, pursue what I find of value, and not waste it on different tasks that don’t improve our quality of life at all is the best thing about this place. Everything else I think is just a matter of patience and perseverance.
Any advice for making new friends and/or maintaining old ones?
I am very much an introvert so it’s been difficult to make many new friends. I have maybe a handful. You have to actively pursue connections with both new and old friends. It’s easy to get lulled into the life here, but I think it makes it all the more important to continue to reach out.
Beyond the generic food, family, and friends, what do you miss most from the US?
I miss my patients. Before I left I was the associate medical director of a Primary Care clinic in NYC that took care of the performing arts community—largely established and struggling artists, actors, dancers and performers who all came to NYC with a dream and continue to put their hearts and souls into that dream despite the hardships and the lack of adequate social and healthcare support. They inspired me and continue to do so. I miss being around them, their goodness and their energy.
Reach out to RJ if you need help navigating the Dutch healthcare system.
Website: www.cornerstonehealth.pro
Instagram: @cornerstone_hlth
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/cornerstonehealthpro/
Facebook: @rj.212454