A friend and I took a walk on a perfect spring afternoon, the first of the season where I wore shorts outside. During the course of our conversation, my friend inquired about my definitions for what it means to be an introvert or an extrovert. My friend built his definition on whether being around large groups is experienced as depleting …
Professional Boundaries
It’s now three and a half years since I left clinical medicine and leapt at the opportunity to put my population health hat on for an administrative position within the hospital system that I’d devoted my clinical career to. What does my life today look like? How have I navigated going from what was 6 shifts per month to a …
Character And Drive
I am fortunate to count among my friends a few people outside of my cohort. One older friend is a physician colleague I’ve known, liked and trusted from my prior life in the ED. We grew closer as we worked together in administrative roles over the past several years. This friend has known financial success and now pals around with …
Unsolicited Career Advice For Kids
The liberal arts undergraduate eduction is dead; you must know what you want to be by age 16. This is what you might conclude from looking around at the friends of my high schoolers. A couple of kids have been doing bench research in a lab for two summers, something I did not have the preprofessional stamina to pursue until …
Optimizing Income Or Balance?
This is the reality of hitting your peak earning years: every step you take toward autonomy, flexibility and balance comes with a very real opportunity cost. That cost is the largest you will ever consider paying. Last night was Game Night, and over the usual beers and taunting, a fascinating conversation developed. One of us (a non-MD; I am the …