What's it really like working for Bon Secours Medical? Hear first hand from one of our newest physicians, Dr. Greg Vanichkachorn.

Dr. Vanichkachorn grew up in the small town of South Hill, Virginia. He attended Cornell University and earned his medical degree from VCU. He is the former chief resident in the St. Francis Medicine Residency.

Dr. Vanichkachorn completed his residency in November 2008 and immediately joined the program’s faculty. His professional interests include aerospace medicine, sports medicine and pediatrics. Outside of work, he enjoys aviation, cooking, marathon running and triathlons.

Q. You've recently come on board with Bon Secours Medical Group. In just your short time here, describe how your life has changed.

A. Well, it’s definitely easier now that I’m not a resident and I don’t have hours that constantly change. The hours are running between 8 and 5, so I’m not here late. There’s a balance between work life, home life, and gym life.

Q. Tell me about the decision to join the medical group.

A. It was somewhat of an easy one… Definitely, coming out of residency there’s a lot of options, and it’s a very stressful time. With Bon Secours, they’re such a large group with a lot of assets. They’re able to help you transition into a full-time practice fairly easily by either helping you join a group or assisting you with the overhead. You don’t have to just start from scratch.

Q. What was the recruitment process like?

A. We sat down at the corporate offices and talked about what I was hoping to get out of my job and the practice. E-mails went back and forth and it wasn’t too long before an offer for employment was made.

Q. What do you like about Bon Secours?

A. I really appreciate how Bon Secours follows so true to their calling, their credo. I really feel that they are out to help the community and provide care to all of those who need it. That’s very refreshing. Second in line to that are the wonderful facilities. The group is expanding exponentially. It’s just a pleasure to work in these kinds of facilities. I’ve also found all of the corporate staff to be very appreciative of the physicians and also work well with them to keep things going.

Q. What have you observed about the leadership of Bon Secours?

A. I think there’s cooperation between the corporate and financial guys and the physicians. I don’t feel left out. I definitely feel like my input counts.

Q. What would you say to a physician considering Bon Secours Medical Group?

A. I would tell them that Bon Secours is very dedicated to its mission and that coming into a career here you’ll actually feel like you’re out to help the community for the greater good ... And that you can’t beat Richmond! It’s a great area. I’ve only been happy since I’ve been onboard.

Q. As a triathlete and marathon runner, finding that balance must be important.

A. I find that the patient load is not too much, but not too little. It’s just right. I don’t have to go look for patients. I think the system works well enough that the hours can be pretty normal. I’m very rarely ever out of here after 5.

Q. So you like being in Richmond?

A. I’m from the Richmond area. I’ve lived here a long time. It’s got the best of both worlds, I think. It’s got all the features of a good city but not much of the headaches associated with that. It’s a good location being in the middle of Virginia. You can get to the beach, to D.C., get out into the country and of course the cost of living is nice around here.

Q. What do you see for the future?

A. I know Bon Secours Medical Group is always increasing the number of practices they have. Something that’s very important to me as a primary care physician is getting enough access to the patients. There’s a shortage of primary care physicians coming up very shortly. Not in this particular area, but in the country as a whole. From what I’ve seen, it seems like Bon Secours is very dedicated to getting enough primary care physicians out into the areas that need them.