The Economy is a rollercoaster, won't I be better off just staying in practice?

Not necessarily. Segments of the economy are doing well, but the future is uncertain, and healthcare continues to operate under a threatening cloud. The only "safe" places today are indispensable places. That's the key to career change, making yourself indispensable. Plus, consider this, physician incomes are relatively flat whereas executive compensation has skyrocketed. You make the call!

Healthcare seems in constant flux depending on the political winds. Is now a good time to make a change?

The best time to make a change is when you're ready. Don't base your career decisions on national or global politics and policy. There will always be opportunities for people who can solve important problems. The political environment will determine what some of those problems are, but the need for reasoned and experienced intervention will always be there.

Speaking of opportunity, why type of income should I expect?

Good question. When I began this business I expected most physician executive compensation to be in the range of a well-paid primary care physician. If you read the question above, you get some sense of the disparity in annual increases between physicians and executives. Today. I expect physician executives... or perhaps better said, Executives who happen to be Physicians, to simply earn the commensurate scale within a company. That means, well-paying companies may offer salaries between $350k-$500k, smaller organizations may be in the $200k to $350k range, and some opportunities will certainly be at lesser levels, think education and other industries that simply don't traditionally have high pay ranges. But, further to that point, do not expect the consistency you see in medical practice. Internists nationally make about the same income, as does every other specialty. In business, each company, each industry is unique and job titles are usually indicative only of internal parity and equity, not external.

Why can't I find a recruiter to work with me... that's how I got my clinical job?      

qualifications is almost always 3-5 or 5-7 years of experience. You probably don't have that, and most organizations simply won't take a chance on a newbie. Most jobs today that are seeking a physician executive are replacing a departing employee... an employee with experience. Even if it's a new job, it's probably not the first time it's been done - so experience is key. And, as a recruiter friend of mine commented, "Bob, do you think any company will pay me $30,000 to $50,000 to find them an executive with no experience?"