Thursday, January 08, 2004
A Sane Life Movement
Young medical students are increasingly choosing specialties, like dermatology, which have less pressures than other specialities like surgery. "The surgery lifestyle is so much worse," said Dr. Boldrick, who rejected a career in plastic surgery. "I want to have a family. And when you work 80 or 90 hours a week, you can't even take care of yourself."
Marek is a dermatologist in Santa Rosa, Calif., north of San Francisco. He gets into work at 8 a.m., leaves at 6 p.m., and is rarely called to the hospital at night, giving him ample time to spend with his wife and two children. "When I'm done," he said, "I'm a husband and a father. I go to soccer games. I coach soccer games."
The article says that doctors are increasingly looking for a "controllable lifestyle." One that allows them to spend time with their families and not be on call over the weekend. It did not say that women were making these choices more than men.
Is there a new countercultural movement going on? One that eschews demanding careers for ones that allow for more time with family? Could this sane life movement expand to include even those who don't have families? I have a dream.
Young medical students are increasingly choosing specialties, like dermatology, which have less pressures than other specialities like surgery. "The surgery lifestyle is so much worse," said Dr. Boldrick, who rejected a career in plastic surgery. "I want to have a family. And when you work 80 or 90 hours a week, you can't even take care of yourself."
Marek is a dermatologist in Santa Rosa, Calif., north of San Francisco. He gets into work at 8 a.m., leaves at 6 p.m., and is rarely called to the hospital at night, giving him ample time to spend with his wife and two children. "When I'm done," he said, "I'm a husband and a father. I go to soccer games. I coach soccer games."
The article says that doctors are increasingly looking for a "controllable lifestyle." One that allows them to spend time with their families and not be on call over the weekend. It did not say that women were making these choices more than men.
Is there a new countercultural movement going on? One that eschews demanding careers for ones that allow for more time with family? Could this sane life movement expand to include even those who don't have families? I have a dream.
