With a society living on credit, a government deep in debt, eight years of desensitization during training (something unique to doctors), rising tuition, and falling pay—it’s no wonder doctors are having a major problem with debt. Where will it end? Debt has become the norm. Will Rogers summed up this pattern of high consumption on … Read more
The high-pitched wail of the pneumatic saw cutting through the tibia and the little bits of tissue the blade flung onto the surgeon’s gown were not enough to get to me the first time I saw a surgery, during my senior year in high school. It was the smell. Sliding down the wall in the … Read more
Many people never get the opportunity to enjoy their grandparents. Your grandparents may have died when you were too young to know them, lived too far away, or were so frail they couldn’t play with you. I was fortunate to know all four of my grandparents. I lost both grandfathers to cancer before I was … Read more
Nothing messes up a good plan for a balanced financial life more than overspending your income. It’s human nature, but it’s like a siren call luring us to our death—as doctors we spent so many years under financial restraint, when it’s lifted we tend to go overboard. We buy too much house, too many toys, … Read more
Whooping the Market When I was younger, I thought I was smart enough to beat the market. I didn’t want to invest in those boring index funds, I wanted to make a killing instead. Why should I settle for an 8% return if I could get 30%? I figured since I was a doctor, I … Read more
I am frequently asked the following question: “Should I pay off my student loans before I put money aside to invest in the stock market?” The person asking this quick and simple question is looking for a yes or no answer. The problem I am faced with is there is not enough information in the … Read more
We are forever telling our patients to get exercise, but do we practice what we preach? I find my to-do list often keeps me away from the gym. How about you? Today’s episode is about getting that exercise in the schedule. Hope it will spark some ideas for you to try and get in the … Read more
Are you tired of reading that medical errors are the third leading cause of death? Me too. We all know this is not the case from our own experience. I recently read it again as a quote in an article from a prominent medical journal and decided I had enough. I penned an article refuting … Read more
New podcast interview Taylor Brana, a fourth year medical student, started a new podcast series on his website TheHappyDoc.com. He is featuring interviews with happy doctors with the hopes of showing both current doctors and future doctors, that you can still be a happy doctor. I was his subject in today’s podcast. We had a … Read more
All of life is a balancing act. Driving a car is a delicate balance between the gas, the brake, and the steering wheel. Too much brake and we go nowhere. Too much gas and we can’t control the car. Too much left turn and we end up in the ditch. When we attain balance between … Read more
