LISTENING TO HER OWN (AND PATIENT) NEEDS
Dr. Kelly Waugaman points to a moment 11 years ago when she knew she had to change her path. As a staff doctor of audiology working part-time with little say in how she treated patients, having no control over working conditions or compensation, raising two small children, and dealing with an unsupportive (and now ex-) husband, she realized she wanted more.
“I billed $25,000 on one day for them and thought, ‘Why can’t I do that for myself?’ That was my aha moment. I borrowed $150 from my mentor to open a business checking account, found a bank willing to give me a line of credit, and hung out my own shingle,” she says.
A 2023 recipient of a Santa Fe Chamber of Commerce Business Achievement Award, Waugaman now runs Eldorado Audiology and Hearing Center. The thriving practice has hired a second doctor and her current husband as office manager. She says she didn’t get any respect early on, facing hurdles from banks and from hearing device manufacturers that wanted her to carry their products exclusively.
Recently accepted into the Global C-Suite Program at the Wharton School, Waugaman is fiercely independent, choosing the most appropriate technologies and techniques for her patients. She also gives back to the community through complimentary fittings of donated hearing aids.
“Patients leave with a smile and hug. That’s satisfying to me, because my main goal is to be patient-centered,” she says. “Having a business is exhausting, requires commitment, and is literally seven days week. And no one will ever care as much about the business as I do. But this is the best thing I ever did. It gave me the flexibility to care for my children, earn respect in my industry, and own my building.”
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