Q&A With Allen Amorn, Cardiologist

The inspiration and motivation that propel Cardiologist Allen Amorn to challenge himself to find life-saving solutions for every one of his patients is his family.

Allen Amorn aspired to be a doctor from a young age. His own father was a doctor and the great deeds that his father accomplished inspired him tremendously. As he moved through college, he found himself fascinated by the unique field of Electrophysiology. After a family member benefited from a procedure in the field he knew he found the career for him. As a Cardiac Electrophysiologist, he has been able to help many people heal and begin to recover where other options failed.

Allen Amorn began his career while he was still in high school. He attended a medical school training program in cooperation with Youngstown State University in Youngstown, Ohio.  Directly after high school graduation, he was accepted to Northeast Ohio Medical University in Rootstown, Ohio where he earned both his bachelors of science and medical degree. His training continued when he completed his internship as well as his residency at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California. Allen Amorn’s residency was preceded by his fellowship in cardiology at Kaiser Permanente in Los Angeles, California. He returned to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, to focus on training for his specialty in cardiac electrophysiology.

When he is not helping his patients, Allen Amorn is with his family. He is happily married with three boys that are his joy. They enjoy traveling, reading, and he plays the piano.  He has traveled to Asia several times and continue to seek other travel destinations to fulfill his life.

Have you always wanted to do what you are doing now?

I have always wanted to be a physician.  My father was a physician and a pillar of our community. The positive impact he had on the lives of so many people was truly profound. I always knew I would become a physician, but the event that validated my desire to specialize in cardiac electrophysiology came at the end of my medical school training. A relative had a catheter ablation procedure. The benefit was truly inspiring to me. I also found that many of my friends and mentors were pursuing this field. It is an exciting combination of treating people as a clinician and being a proceduralist who can help treat and, in many cases, cure people.

What does it mean to you to be a doctor?

It is a tremendous honor and a privilege to be a doctor. Patients and their families come to you in their most desperate of times. You get to guide them and share with them through some of the most difficult hours of their lives. It is a privilege that very few get to have.

What do you do to stay motivated?
My motivation comes from my priorities. At the top of my priorities list is my family. Beyond that, motivation also comes from my friends and colleagues. It comes from interacting with colleagues during major scientific sessions. With the Heart Rhythm Society and the advent of the internet and social media, we can collaborate with other clinicians and world experts around the globe. We can post a question on twitter and have multiple world experts weigh in within hours. Having the feeling of being connected to the field is a tremendous motivator to keep innovating and pushing the field forward.

What is your secret to staying productive and staying on top of tasks?

I think my secret in staying productive involves having a plan. Before I go to work each day, I write up a to-do list for each day. It helps me stay focused throughout the day. Personal motivation is always more effective than external motivation. I find if I set my own personal deadlines, I am more efficient.

What aspects of your job do you find the most fulfilling?

The thing that I find most fulfilling is to see a patient leading a healthy, happy, and productive life. Some of the things that are unique to the field. Some of the things that are unique in my field include our ability to help with patients with certain procedures or surgeries which can help augment that. One such example is catheter ablation which allows me to cure a patient of a problem they may have suffered with for years or maybe decades within an hour or less. Additionally, pacemakers and defibrillators can add quality years to people’s lives.

What aspects of your job do you find the most challenging?

Some of the most challenging aspects of the business revolve around electronic medical record documentation. The records focus around government requirement, insurance regulations and such. All of the required documentation take time away from the clinician interacting with patients and the doctor-patient relationship. However, this documentation has to be completed in an effective and timely manner. If it is not completed it can cause out of pocket cost to the patients or delays in tests and procedures. We have to work with insurance regulators and the government to minimize these burdens on the practicing clinician to optimize patient care.

What are your passions?

My passions are with my family first and foremost. My passion for my work is my joy of taking on patients and problems that others may have given up on or who have said it couldn’t be done. I enjoy taking on those challenges, both from a technical and intellectual aspect.

What inspires you every day?

My inspiration comes from my family first and foremost. My patients inspire me both because of how wonderful their personalities are, and how much I want to help them. Challenging clinical situations can arise and it sets a fire under me to try to find solutions for all of them. I do the best I can to assure that they will live a life as healthy as possible.

What career choices would you recommend for someone starting in your industry?

I would recommend that someone just starting out trying to identify their career specialty of interest as quickly as possible. It will allow them to gain extra time and experience in the training part of your career.

If you could start all over again would you still choose the same career? Why or why not?

If I could start all over again, I would absolutely choose the same career.  I have a tremendous passion for cardiac electrophysiology.  I love all of the amazing contributions that it makes to the medical community on a daily basis. I am also thrilled about all of the tremendous things that I am able to provide for my patients and my community by having taken this path.

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