Author's posts
Why wanting more from your medical career is a sign of strength
The emergency physician across from me had everything on paper. Decent schedule. Six-figure salary. Respected by colleagues. Two kids in college, mortgage nearly paid off. “I should be grateful,” she said, staring at her coffee. “I kn…
When did we start treating our lives like trauma?
When I was working full time in emergency medicine, I didn’t think much about the systems in my personal life. I had just enough clarity to show up for the next shift, keep my kid fed, work out, stay married, and try to remember where I parked th…
When service doesn’t mean another certification
Doctors are born to serve. We say yes to the late shifts, cover for colleagues, sign up for the committee, and go the extra mile for our patients. Somewhere along the way, that instinct to serve often mutates into something sneakier: The belief that we…
How a medical school gym transformed my perspective on burnout
Etched on the wall of our medical school gym was a quote by Marcel Proust: “The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes.” At first glance, it seemed like an unusual choice for a gym—more philos…
How do you know when it’s time to leave clinical practice?
Some physicians have a clear moment when they know they’re done with clinical practice. A good friend of mine left emergency medicine just five years after residency—she simply knew it was time. There was no doubt, no wavering. She saw the road a…
The emotional toll of empathy in emergency medicine
Emergency medicine is a career defined by its urgency, unpredictability, and intense human connection. But for those of us who work in the emergency department, it’s also a career shaped by the weight of the people we’ve cared for—the ones …
Rethinking shift work: Why “job sharing” is the key to happier, healthier doctors
In the realm of shift-based health care, the term “job sharing” doesn’t technically exist—after all, shifts aren’t a single continuous job to split. Yet, still, a full-time workload is considered the norm, and the concept of div…
