“Passion isn’t a path in the woods. It is the woods.”
-Tom Robbins, “Half Asleep in Frog Pajamas”
I’ve met plenty of accidental physicians. These have been photographers, travel writers, artists, outdoor guides and chefs who awoke one day to find themselves doctoring. Their passions didn’t die — they were just delayed by lifestyle choices. By the time they recognized a need to follow their passion, they were at least partially through residency and carried the twin burdens of medical school debt and the expectations of medical culture.
Through knowing these people, themes surrounding why they chose medicine have surfaced:
- They misinterpreted their understanding of the path to becoming a physician to mean that they should become a physician — that because they understand the path, it must be the right one.
- The lifestyle or career they really want has a less clear or a riskier path. They play it safe, do the responsible thing, make their families happy and pursue medicine while postponing their genuine interests.
- They make the mistake of perceiving their lives as fragmented pieces they can “balance” rather than the whole that it is. This ultimately drives them to the conclusion that they can be a doctor by day and a [blank] on the side.
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