Why did you become a doctor?
I didn't plan to become a doctor like many of my friends and colleagues who knew when they were kids. I was an economics major in college and kind of decided on medicine at the last minute when I looked at all of my options and compared them with how happy and fulfilled my parents were as pediatricians. So I guess I became a doctor because I realized when interviewing for investment banking jobs that I wanted to more directly help people on a daily basis and because I was ready to make the sacrifices I saw my parents had to make but that most people in this world aren't willing to make for others.
Best part of being a doctor?
I had a patient ask me just this week whether it's "fun" for me when I'm doing robotic surgery on my patients! I explained to him that it's not fun like watching a movie but that I absolutely love what I do because every time I do a robotic surgery for prostate or kidney cancer or something else, I look forward to it even after doing it for 15 years. It doesn't matter that I've already done thousands and thousands. I feel blessed to have the special skills and opportunity to help people at their biggest time of need in a way that few people in the world can. While I wouldn't call it "fun", I would say that it is extremely fulfilling to be really good at one thing and do it every day to be able to do a great job for patients with cancer or other serious problems.
What’s your biggest challenge in practicing medicine today?
I'm sure all of my fellow physicians will agree that medicine is becoming more and more complex with increasing non-clinical responsibilities and administrative stressors that can lead to burnout. We are also feeling the pressure of decreasing autonomy over time as a profession with multiple external entities like insurance companies, hospital employers, or others interfering in the doctor-patient relationship. Many physicians have become pessimistic about medicine because of these trends, and it breaks my heart when I hear a physician say that they would not choose to be a doctor if they had it to do over again! I'm still convinced that being a physician is the best and most fulfilling job in the world, but I do hope that physicians will be able to take back our profession from those who devalue physicians and see us as replaceable cogs in their machine.
Favorite thing to do away from work?
I've been married for over 23 years and am blessed with a very loving family. My kids are getting to an age where soon my wife and I will be empty nesters, so my favorite thing to do away from work is just to spend time with my family before they're all spread out!
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