Need support during your medical training journey? Β Check out these resources for free, confidential support:
peer support for physicians and medical students:Β Physician Support Line
Email Tune Rx founder J.C. Sue at: tunerx97531@gmail.com
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When I was a third year medical student, I must have been assigned the chillest general surgery preceptor ever. Β I’ll call him Dr. G for the purposes of this post. Β To my surprise, he defied what I’d heard about surgery rotations always being crazy and surgeons being rough around the edges. Β He was approachable and passionate about teaching, and he made the rotation a laid back, yet very educational experience. Β During the first week he said (knowing I was a young Californian who’d moved to Alabama to go to medical school), “I know you’re not from here, so if you need a long weekend at some point, just let me know.” Β I’d just been invited on a 4 day retreat on the Oregon coast later that month for physicians and medical students looking to build their dream careers, so I told Dr. G about the opportunity. Β I remember him saying, “Don’t let this rotation be a reason for you not to go.”
The retreat was led by Dr. Pamela Wible, who specializes in helping doctors build their dream careers, especially when those careers are outside of the big healthcare facilities. Β For the first time I learned that private practice free of the healthcare middlemen is a viable option, even in today’s complex healthcare system. Β For the first time I realized that as a doctor I didn’t have to follow the well-beaten path of working in a big facility with constant pressure to keep seeing as many patients as possible in a relatively short time. Β I could find a career in which I could truly serve patients according to my unique interest and abilities.
Several years later I wrote Dr. G a letter of gratitude for letting me attend the retreat. Β As committed as he had been to teaching me, he also recognized that there was much more to life than work and medicine. Β As a result of the retreat, I have found the motivation to truly pursue my dream career, and I encourage everyone to do the same, even if the dream is something that’s never been done before. Β To hear a musical expression of what I learned at the retreat, you can listen to this song here:Β Keep Your Inner Child AliveΒ This original song for this tune is “Kimi No Gin No Niwa” (the closing song for the movie “Madoka Magica Rebellion”) written by Yuki Kajiura and performed by Kalafina. All copyrights for the original song belong to the original owners.