Career Path

I have recently been thinking about this old Joni Mitchell song. I tried to retire last year and succeeded in stopping clinical practice after 30 great years of hand surgery. For better or worse, I ended up immediately running against 7 other people (including 2 other doctors) for an open Georgia State Senate seat. The seat became vacant due to…

Many doctors are increasingly frustrated about the bureaucratic and regulatory environment of physician practice. For those who are nearing retirement age, it is tempting to “hang it up” early to escape the stress of a job that has lost its fun. Since younger physicians are frequently much more adept at the use of EHR’s and other forms of technology, they…

Recent events including “retirement” and a successful run for the Georgia state Senate have caused me to think about my various names and titles. Although married professional women frequently have name decisions to make, all of us are identified as “Doctor”. How much of our personhood is wrapped up in that professional title as well as other titles accumulated along…

It’s 4 am, and it’s the third time I’ve woken up in my room at the Chicago Palmer House Hilton Hotel. I’m deciding whether to get up now, or try to get a little more sleep before my ABOS Part II examination.  In the end, I decide to get out of bed, shower, and do some last minute case reviews…

It is estimated that an orthopaedic surgeon will change his or her job approximately 2-3 times during the span of their career, which seems relatively infrequent in comparison to other professions.  It has been quoted that 54% of physicians change their jobs within the initial 2 to 5 years of practice.  This would imply, that after the first job change,…