Leaving Las Vegas

And Breaking Up with American Medicine

Butchart Gardens, Vancouver Island, BC

Like many of you lately, I have a lot to say and I’m also speechless. Being an American doctor at the intersection of women’s health, human sexuality and parenting has become politically coded in a way I never signed up for. It feels dangerous. (Last week’s essay on Domestic Violence alluded to that.)

Despite practicing independently for the last 4 years, the American healthcare-industrial complex has become so exhausting and demoralizing that I’ve decided to leave the country. The last couple of months have been filled with tearful goodbyes. The corporate and academic hierarchies that train us instill a dehumanizing conditioning of doctors; they benefit from leading us to believe that we’re replaceable. This system pushes us to sacrifice our personal wellbeing and time with our families to add to the bottom line of the real beneficiaries of American Healthcare: the Shareholders. There’s also a growing state-sponsored hostility towards physicians. In addition to the ever-looming threat of lawsuits, some of us are facing prison-time for providing healthcare. For me, this environment is professionally unsustainable.

Through this experience, I’ve learned with unmistakable clarity that I’m not replaceable. I’ve also learned how much patience, determination and fortitude it takes to become an emigrant. I’m profoundly grateful to the dozens of Canadians (looking at you

Dr. Heidi

) who have helped me navigate the process of obtaining a visa and a medical license.

This week, I’ll be making my way from Las Vegas to Vancouver, British Columbia by way of a long road trip through California, Oregon and Washington. I’ll be stopping along the way to meet with

Alyssa Burgart, MD, MA

in Palo Alto and

Tanmeet Sethi, MD

in Seattle. The dogs are my co-pilots.

I’m trying to maintain a consistent publication schedule and appreciate your grace during this transition. I’ll be continuing to write a mixture of scientific, medical and personal essays along with some exciting collaborations throughout the summer. If you want to follow my journey this week, I’ll be posting “Reflections from the Road” on Substack Notes.

Thank you again for being part of this amazing little community! Your encouragement and support means more to me than you can possibly imagine. Don’t ever let anyone convince you that you’re replaceable.

All my Best,

Amber Hull, DO

Harbour Green Park, Vancouver, BC