What Am I Doing?

Don’t worry, you can rest assured that this post has nothing to do with me regretting leaving medicine and yearning to go back!   Though I have completed my residency in it’s entirety and “could” go back, I am just having way too much fun enjoying my new day job and relishing my new found freedom to even give such a dreadful scenario one second’s worth of thought.

Rather, I have decided to title this post, “What Am I Doing?”, because this is what you may very well be asking yourself after you watch the following video. This beautifully put together piece chronicles one man’s recent 1 year journey around the world after he courageously quit his desk job.  Just a word of warning:  If you are currently a medicine intern, you may want to come back to this post in July since this video is bound to make you madly stir crazy.  It may also cause you to start questioning why on earth you signed up for 80 hr work weeks, being chained to a pager, getting verbally abused from everyone from the scrub nurse to the janitor, wasting precious time writing reems of nonsensical cover your ass notes and filling in piles of redundant forms, all the while there is a rich and amazing world waiting to be discovered on the outside.

Actually, taking a “gap year” to see the world is actually rather common among Europeans.  Among Americans, this is a relative rarity.   I can personally attest to this after my most recent 2 month overseas trip this past summer.   I figure that my fellow Americans are just too damn busy mapping out their lives since Kindergarten like I pointed out in this post to ever consider doing such a thing.  We are programmed from a very young age to get the best grades, go to the best schools, get the best jobs, and to cut as many throats as we have to so we can be the Mr. and Mrs. Alpha Jones family on the block.  And all for what?  Please realize that the “American” way is NOT the only way and you don’t have to buy into the bullshit either and trade away your valuable time which you can never get back.

A Physician Getting Deposed

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A constant source of fear and stress that plagues a physician’s workday is the constant threat of getting sued in our Barnum Bailey circus of American healthcare.  It is because of this fear that CYA (Cover Your Ass) medicine is widely practiced which only drives up healthcare costs even higher.  For you premeds out there, don’t think it can happen to you?  Think again!  The majority of physicians will find themselves sued at least once in their careers.  After getting served papers and dealing with months or years of questioning one’s self worth or even struggling with thoughts of suicide, it’s time to go for the dreaded deposition.   Ever wonder what it feels like to get deposed?  Well, here is a taste of what to expect from such a surreal experience.  This poor doc, who should be healing the sick or saving lives rather than getting grilled by some asshat clown in a Hawaiian shirt,  couldn’t have said it any better!

Seasons Greetings from Sallie Mae!

I saw this today on Sallie Mae’s Facebook page and had to laugh!

One Lifetime in 45 Seconds

 

 

If you could ONLY include 23 scenes from your life,  just as this profound short film had, what would your video look like?

You only have 1 life.  Live it well.  You are the author of your life’s script.