http://www.acgme.org/acWebsite/bulletin/bulletin02_04.pdf

(last article in the PDF)

I think part of the reason that so many physicians are disgruntled with the current state of the profession is the doctor-unfriendly environment. Paperwork, litigation, medical student debt, resident work hours, etc. Unfortunately, I believe it is largely due to physicians’ continued self sabotage. Doctors are (and have been) trained with the idealistic mentality that health care is more than a service and that there is some sacred ideal behind it. Thus, they currently push themselves to the limit in training and practice to take care of patients that often refuse to take responsibility of their own health and sue at the drop of a hat. While the ideal may have been true decades ago, the truth is that the medical field in this country is currently a business that makes profit for insurance companies at the expensive of the doctor. It is the failure of doctors to protest against these things and defend themselves that has allowed the situation to get so bad.

Wow, that’s probably the most cynical bit I’ve ever wrote.

“…you feel the “creeping chill” of sleep deprivation, that unshakable sense that you’re cold and slowing down and you’re making a superhuman effort to keep your eyes open and stay on task…

…you just want to stop, lie down, and go to sleep (or maybe just die).
But you can’t because the patient you just admitted with traumatic intracerebral contusions needs an EVD and if you don’t place it, that patient will herniate and die…”

Now, if you were that patient with traumatic intracerebral contusions, would you like an EVD to be placed on you by a person who makes superhuman effort to stay awake? Would you like to be in a plane flown by a pilot who makes superhuman effort to stay awake?
And the worst thing is, the person who wrote that article doesn’t see the irony of it.

Now, pathology is by no means a walk in a park. You need to know a lot and make a decision that creates a big difference in a patient’s life. What I appreciate in pathology, however, is the fact that you always take your time to make a diagnosis, you are never pressured and you always have your collegues to consult if you are not sure.

Apparently, in neurosurgery you need to abandon your humanity and become some kind of superhero. The trouble is, no matter how qualified you are, you are still human and have limitations. I’m sure that once surgeons realize that and become more humble, all these preventable medical errors (and there are as many as 100000 per year) will go down precipitously.

i’ve never heard any cases or read any reports about an increased risk of developing any form of cancer as a pathologist, though

Most people consider patient contact to be a plus. William Carlos Williams wouldn’t be a famous writer if he didn’t have his patients to be inspired by.

It depends on your perspective. One man’s hell…