Doctors Day

What’s it to be a doctor ?

Essays have been penned , books have been written and movies have been made . What’s it really like to be a doctor ? Is it truly another world seldom understood by whoever dons the role of a patient ? Do doctors walk on water ? Can doctors actually be seen at the grocery store ? We are human . It’s a great thing that we are human because to heal we have to reach deep into our own lives , our experiences and our intuition . Our learning shapes our decisions but ultimately it’s our humanity that guides us . It’s fun to be a doctor . In no other profession can you work as colleagues with fifty years of medical school graduates . Seniority creates value by creating a better picture of disease and it’s varied guises . The camaraderie and soldier like group effect is absolutely life changing . Urgency , emergency , scholarship , constant innovation and empathy are the hallmark adjectives that we live our lives by . Juggling , integrating , enjoying our own families and children in the space of minutes stolen from a busy day of patient care and phone calls makes it meaningful . Missed dates , forgotten birthdays, automatic excuse from family gatherings are not what we want but that’s the reality of our chosen life . Despite ideas to the contrary there truly is no five-o-clock shut down shop in this world . Life must go on and saving lives is a full time job . Would I do this again ? Absolutely ! The privilege , the opportunity to shape our own lives through the well being of others , the friendships and trust formed with patients and their families cannot be replicated anywhere else . Financial challenges, professional hurdles , career speed bumps , complex work environments , jagged home interactions , sleep deprivation and physical exhaustion do not deprive the multitude of gracious , graceful , grace filled moments that our jobs give us . Our jobs are not work in the true sense of the word . It’s our life . Proud to be a doctor . We are here to serve always , healing mostly , listening constantly . Your friend and guide for a healthy life.