My Life Today
- Woke up at around 10 am and worked on a few business projects for an hour or two.
- Went to the gym and then came home and had lunch.
- Logged onto World of Warcraft and got ready for tonights raid.
- Hung out and did some shopping with my wife. The Starbucks Gingerbread Latte rawks.
- Did my daily blog and forum reading for both personal and business use.
- Ate dinner, and then jumped into WoW for some raiding.
- Had a few Guiness Extra Stout.
- 1:40 am, still up typing this blog post.
My Life Had I Stayed in Medicine
- Wake up at 5:30 am and then commute to the hospital.
- Deal with sick patients all day.
- Repeat number 2 above.
- Come home at 6-7 pm.
- Have dinner, spend a couple of hours with my wife.
- Go to bed.
- Tomorrow is Saturday — I’d probably have to round on patients.
What’d you do today?
Today is Saturday, which means that I got to sleep in until 6:30. I had to go to the hospital and find my three-month-old child who’s been abused by her mother. She had been having seizures overnight and was in the middle of being transferred to the CT scanner when I found her. I stayed in the hospital until noon, doing floor work and looking up articles for my attending. I’m pretty sure that I learned something today, but I can’t recall what that was offhand. I was in the hospital for over four hours today—and today is my easy day! Tomorrow I’m on call, and will likely admit a patient for asthma exacerbation who will require an overly long note in which I demonstrate my knowledge how children can’t properly breathe if they aren’t taking their medications.
The thing is, unlike you, I actually do enjoy medicine. While I realize that the training is very screwed up, I do look forward to one day being a physician. I’ve tried bucking the system up until this point, but the evaluations have me by the balls from here on out.
Keep it up Half, if you enjoy it that’s great. My message is more to those who don’t enjoy medicine and feel that they’re “stuck” with no other place to go.
Well if today was yesterday then I would have been leaving the hospital at 7:30am. I then would have been driving to see my friend’s wedding, only to get stuck in traffic due to icy roads. I would have arrived late. I probably would grab a taste to eat, but realize how lame and boring weddings are, so instead of staying I would have left. At this very second I would receive a page from work telling me I need to come in. Then I would thank GOD for giving me a valid excuse to ditching said friend’s wedding. At work I would scrub in on not just one, but two emergency c-sections and then deal with an IUFD patient. Then, in turn I would feel rewarded and blessed and maybe even realize the importance of the Christmas season a little more.
It isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but it sure is mine. As long as you love it, stick with it.
My yesterday and today were the same. In at 7am work like a dog until 5:30 doing BS exams for residents that have no clue about vascular medicine. Leave at 5:30, called back at 5:38 for ridiculously difficult gomer. Finally get home around 7:30p And I’m on call as we speak so who knows.
When I worked on the ambulance I loved medicine, but the hospital will teach you. Medicine sucks. And enthusiasm will last you for about a year, see you in 5 >:)
Hoover,
I’ve read the Rich Dad, Poor Dad series and I agree with what you’ve wrote on your blog. I want to generate passive income and enjoy life while staying out of the “rat race.” My problem is figuring out how to do that. It seems like you need an idea to turn into a product, and I’ve got nothing. Any advice?
Justin, that is a great book. I recommend every single person that reads this blog check it out.
You don’t have to have your own product, although that is one method to generate a nice, passive income. Instead of thinking physical goods and services, think about informational products that you may be able to sell as well. Additionally, think about your hobbies. I’d be willing to bet that you’re good at something that you do as a hobby and I betcha there is a way to monetize that information.
hah… youre cool.
i hated medschool, too. look forward to browsing through your archive. i sold out i suppose and havent quit yet. starting pathology in 08.
what server you play on?
i raid on scarlet crusade… never thought anybody associated with medicine at one time or another would have any concept of wow.
lol
Greymane – Draenei holy priest.
I few people in my class were also avid WoW fans, but there aren’t too many gamers in medicine I don’t think.
=)
hoover,
never got into WoW. i am a starcraft guy.
i am waiting for the new starcraft due out next year. i am so excited.
oh and i did like nothing today. cause i am not on call and it is saturday. but for the usual everyday stuff.
5am … morning run (4-8 miles)
7am … conference
7:30am … OR or Clinic
5pm … paperwork, mtg with med studs/residents, GMEC work, residency review work, etc.
6:30pm … home
7 pm … dinner
7:30pm … play with kids
8:30pm … struggle to get kids in bed
9pm … TIVO’s programs
10:30pm bed.
typical day in my life. until the new starcraft comes out.
Someone,
Glad to see ya back around. Starcraft rocks man, we played it a lot back in college.
My girlfriend won’t let me get into WoW b/c her ex always played it. I do play Starcraft, though. But mostly FPS games. I play more video games in med school than I did in college. I also go out so much more. I know once I hit second year, it’ll probably change, but so far the past few months have been the best of my life!
I hope it lasts…but after reading your blog for about a year, I have a feeling it won’t
Starcraft? World of Warcraft?
What a bunch of wimps.
You boys need to grow some nads and step up to FEAR Multiplayer: CTF, and Crysis Multiplayer: Power Struggle. A few rounds of these fast-paced First Person Shoot-the-fuck-out-of-your-enemies games, and your balls will drop, your muscles will bulge, your wallets will swell, and your wives will become hotter. Just make sure you crank the sub. Game on!
FPS VENTING FTW
Haha nice Pha. I was actually thinking of picking up Crysis this weekend. We shall see.
=0
I’ve read Rich Dad Poor Dad and it’s a great book. Some concepts there that we could all learn from, particularly like the part where he points out how we need to focus more on teaching our children more about the financial world at a young age.
But the way the book reads, you’d think that just about anyone could make millions out of nothing with relative ease. The truth of the matter is, one false move could be devastating for the average person who is trying to get started, and you have to be not only lucky, but pretty darn business savy, and knowledgeable in real estate, or whatever your investment route may be. Even then things may not go your way and there can be huge setbacks. It’s a gamble.
We all like the concept of passive income but it’s difficult to do, particularly in your 20′s and 30′s, if you don’t have a good salary with some money to invest. And even then, unless you’re able to invest HUGE chunks of change the rate of return on most investments is not going to be high enough to support you indefinitely–unless you hit on a rare investment with huge rates of return, which are not easy to come by.
Think about the real estate investors who bought a home a year or two ago with the idea of “flipping” their first house. Now the market has bottomed out, they are competing with a million foreclosures and if they’re lucky they are still gainfully employed elsewhere and able to afford the mortgage until things settle down. I almost went that route and I’m glad I didn’t because it would have been a disaster.
I think I’ll stick with medicine. The current economy has given me a tremendous appreciation for steady income and a plethora of job opportunities.