From Medicine to the Skies: Building a Specialized Practice for Pilots | Dr. Jill Kruse

What does it look like to carve out a completely unique niche inside healthcare? Dr. Jill Kruse found her answer at the intersection of medicine and aviation.

In this episode, Jill joins Levi to share how she built Flight Time Medical, a specialized practice focused on aviation physicals and pilot care. With over 20 years of experience as a physician, she combines her medical background with her own experience as a pilot to help ensure people in the cockpit are safe, healthy, and ready to fly.

What You'll Hear: Jill walks through her journey from growing up in northwest Iowa to becoming a physician and eventually discovering aviation medicine. What started as a casual conversation about flying turned into earning her pilot’s license and stepping into a critical role as an Aviation Medical Examiner (AME), helping pilots meet strict FAA medical standards.

You’ll also hear a breakdown of how aviation medical certifications work, why they’re essential for safety, and how few specialists actually exist in this space, especially in smaller states like South Dakota. Jill shares what it means to be one of only a handful of senior AMEs in the state and the growing demand as many providers retire.

Beyond her clinical work, Jill talks about balancing multiple roles, running her own practice, working in the hospital, and hosting Prairie Doc, a long-running public health show focused on making medical information accessible and trustworthy.

She also shares practical advice for healthcare entrepreneurs: don’t wait until everything is figured out. Start, learn as you go, and lean on others who have already done it.

This episode is a powerful look at how following curiosity can lead to unexpected opportunities, and how building a niche can create both impact and flexibility in your career.