It's time for a mindshift - what will I gain by working less? What material/costly things can I let go of in order for me to get my life back? Am I really allocating my time and money to the things that are important to me, or am I devoting my resources to things that help me put blinders on to a bad situation for a time? What would you gain with less? ...
People like me are at high risk for burnout. Type A personality? ✓ Perfectionist? ✓ Healthcare professional? ✓ Too stubborn to admit you're struggling/ask for help? ✓ I was pretty much doomed from day one. ...
I lied to a patient today. It wasn't something I thought I'd ever do on purpose, but today I made the conscious decision to do so. And quite honestly, I have no regrets. What would compel me to do such a thing? I always thought I'd be the doctor that would lay it all out there for patients - here's your diagnosis and here are the treatment options. Let's talk about what best fits in your life and what you're willing to do according to your values, not mine. And today, I totally threw that out the window.
One of my biggest regrets of going into medicine is not fully investigating the costs: the costs to my personal life AND the financial cost. I remember the idealism of my teens and early 20s - I was going to help people! I might even save lives one day! What greater contribution to society could one give? Any costs brought on by my education was worth it, so I took out the full amount of student loans available without any questions. ...
What is with the need to explain this generation of physicians to the rest of our colleagues and society? What is so terrifying about millennials in medicine? ...
When I turned 30 and had essentially completed everything on my bucket list, I was left with the crushing weight of my student loans as the last goal to tackle. I was able to walk away from undergrad without any student debt - I was fortunate to have gone to premed before skyrocketing tuition rates, had several scholarships and was lucky to have parents who had saved for higher education since I was born. But, after 4 years of med school and taking out the full amount that was offered, I ended up with $217,000, compounding at 6.55% interest. ...
One of my first attempts to claw my way out of my downward spiral was through fitness and goal setting. “Exercise is good for you”, I told myself. How hypocritical would it be of me to prescribe diet and exercise to my patients, and when I started feeling bleh, that would be the first thing to be thrown out of my life. I had felt so good after completing my 3 x 10k’s for my 30th year, but that was already done. What else could I reach for that would also add to that sense of accomplishment? Easy - clearly the next step was a half marathon. ...
Earlier this year, I met a doctor who by all of society’s standards was doing well for herself. She was working as an anesthesiologist making insane amounts of money - she just bought her dream house in one of the most sought after sub-developments in town, was working toward paying off her student loans, and after being too busy to do any of the life things during residency (doctor training after med school) she just got married! Life was finally going her way - after 10+ years of delayed gratification, she felt she was finally getting her piece of the American dream. Fast forward 10 months, right before Thanksgiving I saw her again, except I almost didn’t recognize her this time around. Gone was the aura of excitement and happiness she had when I first met her. ...