The Career Benefits of Pro Bono Medical Care

Pro bono is defined as “being, involving, or doing professional and especially legal work donated especially for the public good.” Pro bono work has traditionally been relegated to attorneys. This was before the increasing cost of health care, the number of uninsured patients, and the economic slowdown. Now, more and more nurse practitioners are providing discounted rates, offering free services, or volunteering their time to free clinics and charities.

Let’s examine pro bono work and things you should consider when deciding how much pro bono work is appropriate for you. We’ll also delve into the advantages of pro bono work: for the patient, our societal image, and for you, both personally and professionally.

Why Should You Consider Pro-Bono Work?

Statistics indicate that roughly 10% of Americans under 65 do not have health care coverage, with a full 45% stating that they cannot pay for such coverage. Due to this, some 79 million Americans have medical bills that they cannot pay, and they are dealing with medical debt, which can destroy their credit rating and make it impossible for them to secure a new credit card, refinance the mortgage on their house, or apply for a personal loan.

As nurse practitioners see more patients struggling to pay for their health care, some providers, like Dr. Mary Newman, have started discussing their patients’ financial conditions during routine office visits. Additionally, many have cut fees or have devised creative payment arrangements. Dr. H. Lee Adkins of Ft. Myers, FL, for example, charges a flat fee to patients with chronic illnesses that covers monthly office visits, routine labs, and some vaccinations. Others are basing their costs on a sliding scale, providing free telephone consultations, or seeing two members of a household at the same time and charging for only one office visit. Still others donate their time to charitable organizations that run free clinics for uninsured or underinsured individuals.  

The Many Options of Pro Bono Work

According to the AMA Journal of Ethics, when deciding whether to take on pro bono work, you have many options to consider:

• You may decide to devote all of your time to underprivileged patients. Should this be the case for you, transfer all of your affluent patients to colleagues … but be aware of the consequences of your actions. While you may experience a great deal of satisfaction serving those in need, you will also have to make financial sacrifices, including giving up your expensive office for something more modest.
• You may conclude that you want to help the indigent but just can’t afford the tremendous reduction of income to do it full-time. Set aside one day a week to treat the uninsured or those on Medicaid in your office, or work one day a week at a free clinic. The option of working in a free clinic would allow you to volunteer your time without your having to also volunteer your staff’s services.
• Maybe serving the underprivileged is just too costly for you at present, but you would like to pursue it in the future. While you gain financial stability and shore up your expenses in preparation for the big jump into pro bono work, you can convince a colleague to accept low-income patients or advocate for better access to health care services within your local community.

How much pro bono time you volunteer should be ethical and appropriate for you. Just keep in mind your professional responsibility and recognize your conscience. What do you need and aspire to be as a nurse practitioner? Also consider your personal situation and finances.  

If you wish to serve the underprivileged population, but you just can’t justify the loss of income at the moment, there are things that you can do to make yourself better able to take the plunge in the future. For one, take a good look at how you use your supplies and resources. You may find that through hospital resource management, a system whereby you more effectively utilize your resources, you can remain financially solvent while devoting time to help those who need it most.

Professional Advantages

When you decide to volunteer your time and do pro bono work, you are allowing an economically disadvantaged patient to seek health care who might otherwise go without. A 2018 survey showed that roughly 40% of Americans passed up a medical test or treatment that was recommended within the past year because of the exorbitant cost, even when they were injured or suffering from an illness. Additionally, over 30% took less prescription medication than prescribed or did not fill a medication at all due to cost. 

Regardless of your personal decision whether or not to pursue pro bono work, a highly debated topic is whether, like attorneys, providers should be required to do pro bono work by the medical societies to which they belong. At this time, most perform at least some pro bono work, but it often goes unrecognized by the public. Society as a whole used to admire doctors, but due to malpractice suits and increasing public scrutiny, the reputation of health care has been severely tarnished. Requiring pro bono work could restore some of the faith the public once had in providers.

Personal Advantages

Volunteering your medical services also has numerous personal benefits. It boosts your mental health in the following ways:

• The meaningful connection with others helps to relieve stress and anxiety.
• It boosts your happiness. Studies have revealed that human beings are programmed to help others, and the more we do so, the happier we feel.
• It provides a sense of purpose that you may have lost in your practice.
• It increases your self-confidence and provides a feeling of accomplishment.
• It allows you to create new friendships and strengthen the friendships you already have.
• It can give you a sense of pride and positive identity.

Volunteering can also benefit your professional life:

• You gain more experience and competence.
• You further develop your current skill sets.
• You expand your network of other medical professionals.
•  You gather positive exposure for your personal business.

And if you prefer to donate your time in a nonclinical way, that is also possible. You can join the board of directors of a non-profit group, for example, or mentor others. Hippocrates, the founder of the Hippocratic Oath, stated that one of the primary responsibilities of a medical professional was to be a teacher. If you choose to mentor junior nurse practitioners, for example, you will help them with their personal growth and make them better nurses.  

There are so many in society who cannot afford health care insurance and are drowning in medical debt. Medical professionals can improve patients’ health without adding to their financial burden. And it can also do you a world of good, both personally and professionally.