“I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.”
An exorbitant length of our lives is spent at work, and sometimes it does feel as though it is an exchange of our own lifespan to prolong others. While most attempt to pursue the “middle path” and strike a balance between their clinical pursuits and their personal lives, there are some remarkable outliers at both extremes. Legends be told of exemplary physicians – revered by their esteemed compadres, and at a drop of a hat will respond to the call of duty at all costs (including missing the birth of their child or other significant personal life events!). But at least anecdotally (i.e. vibes) it is apparent that there is a paradigm shift in perception of what constitutes a good medical career. Has the “search for glory” become the path less travelled by?
Residency is the most common road of progression in public healthcare, other roads being RP/HC, or MOPEX Pro Max. However, in recent years residency has become less popular because many realise that the immense level of sacrifice to ones personal life to progress and complete it. A few shining stars achieve a balance despite all odds but lets face it not everybody is superhuman (or have the support network at home) that can manage a 80 hour work week and 3 children. With a finite amount of time we can split between work and life, and the shift in perspective and priorities in young doctors compared to the old guards, you need not search far to find many leaving the public healthcare system with most common reason being “work life balance”, tied with “family” (with “m***y” trialing behind closely).
Noxious intrusive thoughts of doubt and uncertainty plague many young medical minds. It is easy to fall victim to the maelstrom of expectations and “hyper-self criticism” and get your fire snuffed out – does not help that a constant battery of being watched/judged/assessed/graded et cetera at work mean that you have tread carefully to not step on any toes (some more important than others). Receiving commendation for your hard work is akin if not harder than finding a grey lactate tube on call.
We are working towards a finish line that does not exist – how can it when intrinsically medicine is ever evolving? But if we look at something in the horizon it may seem that nothing has changed, but on a contrary, look down at your feet and you will find that the ground you tread is no longer the same. Unforgiving as it known to be – medicine is both a deep trench and a vast ocean, and with expectations of a certain standard in knowledge and skills proportional to years in service, feelings inadequacy and acopia naturally become regular patrons within our temple. We often find it difficult to be kind to ourselves – it does not come naturally as (cliche as it sounds) most of us grew up in a rat-race where we were indoctrinated by the idea that our value comes from what we can contribute. I implore you to seek within yourself contentment not by measure of extraordinary achievements, but by simple stepwise progress. Find the joy in your small wins be it being more familiar with a certain approach, or closing skin a bit nicer, being more independent.
Remember that as a physician, firstly, growth is often subtle and inconspicuous – if we look for it, we will find it, and secondly, growth is a personal journey and not a competition, and lastly, there are no wrong roads if you choose based on what makes you happy.
on room air 