Still Engaged

Whenever I engage solo or groups of physicians I really listen carefully to what they say about this profession. I try to discern what it is they do, how they feel about it and what they believe the future to be. I'm constantly reminded of how many physicians are unhappy with what they do and why. I hear complaints about patients, insurance companies, the government, systems, and on and on. I'm convinced that there are more unhappy people in medicine than any other profession, but I don't interact with any other profession (sampling bias).

So the other day I met a very interesting surgeon, visiting the area. He practices in a small country in Africa and is the chief of surgery in a large (by African standards) teaching hospital. Listening to him speak you would have thought he had been given the gift of levitation. The pride and happiness almost oozed from his pores. It was a refreshing view into the life of a physician who really was happy with life and wholly feeling the "honor" of being a healer in a country desperately in need of healing on many levels.

One thing I'm certain of. I'm happy as a little clam. I love the content, the work, the patients, the material, the environment and the comrades. I'm learning to ignore the bitching and see past the complaining to the value in what we do and how we effect others. It's refreshing. Just hope I can maintain it thru this amazingly retarded system they call medical education.

And the surgeon, he invited me to do a "rotation" in Africa. Why not? I don't think Medicare is a discussion point there.

And exactly how do we know little clams are happy?