Work/Life Balance

Unlike residency and fellowship, which are typically divided into discrete rotations or blocks; the passage of time in practice seems to flow in a relatively unobstructed fashion. Certainly the long winter drags on and business inevitably picks up as summer arrives,  indicating the change of season.  But, without distinct check points throughout the year, it is easy to forget to…

As hand and upper extremity surgeons, our goal is to make sure that every patient leaves with a well- formulated treatment plan to make their daily aches and pains go away. Between whipping in and out of examination rooms, we often overlook the simple suggestion that could help jump start rehabilitation for the car mechanic with a two- month history…

There is a growing body of evidence that multi-tasking is ineffective and that our brains can only fully focus on one thing at a time.  If your ability to multi-task has been a point of pride, you may need to think about another way to maximize your time. I attended a seminar called “Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free…

A hobby is defined on Google, since we are in the electronic era, as “an activity done regularly in one’s leisure time for pleasure.”  As part of my residency, fellowship and the beginning of my academic career, I would see instructional course lectures (ICLs) and other lectureships related to the work-life balance.  Visiting professors would even often incorporate topics like…

One of the main reasons I chose the field of orthopaedics and later, hand surgery, was that my mentors along the way truly seemed to enjoy their jobs. The hand surgeons I encountered bantered with their patients in the clinic and played country music in the OR. They ran marathons and made time to attend children’s plays and sporting events.…