The Doctor Visits A Foreign Land...and HATES It.

As I wait for my next patient to be put back into an exam room, I just wanted to let everyone know that I would not trade my job for anything. Now it may not be for the reasons that you would think, such as the love of the science, the art of the practice of medicine, or the ability to drink coffee all day long without the repercussions of annoying my cubicle mates with my incessant jitteriness. No, I love my job because it is not YOUR job. I have had a taste of the other side and it is bitter and distasteful to my palate. I am, of course, referring to the routine "office" life. I have taken a position as a physician leader with Norton Healthcare helping them implement the new computerized medical record. It has required me to meet with the "suits" of the administration who are the drivers of this fantastic organization. It is a lifestyle that the majority of people have to deal with in their workplace, one that includes countless meetings, power point presentations, and God forbid, the dreaded Webinar. It is one of the strangest worlds that I have every been in, similar to how Alice must have felt when she fell into that hare hole so long ago.

Emails I have been inundated with emails. Emails about meetings (with follow up appointment reminders), emails about receiving an email discussing an upcoming meeting, and my favorite one of all- emails disregarding an email that I haven't received concerning a meeting that has not been scheduled yet. Geez.
 
Meetings I have been attending meetings once a week to discuss the ins and outs of implementation. In my practice, I am used to making a decision and that decision leads to a direct action and a consequence. However, during these meetings, we must hash and rehash the same information until I forget the point of interest that necessitated the meeting in the first place. If I hear another person say that they "understand why this could make you frustrated and I respect your position, but..."  There is always a but. Always.  If I hear this guilded jibberish one more time, I may just go apeshit on someone.

I have come to realize that the beauty of my job is that I get to dictate my day. I can decide how long I choose to deal with Aunt Gertie's toe nail fungus or Uncle Jim's concern that he gets "swimmy headed" when he gets up too fast. If medicine were run by the "suits" nothing would ever get done as there would be meeting after meeting to deal with why Mrs. Smith needs her CT scan or a special committee set up to discuss Mr. Jones' piles (that's a term I learned in residency. It is Eastern Kentucky speak for hemorrhoids- as in "Doc, I rode my tractor all day yesterday and got my piles all riled up..."). No, for me I work better on my little island, making decisions quickly, decisively, and without others approval. I am not saying my way is better, just more comfortable for me. God bless those who can navigate the jungle of cubicles and conference rooms, the endless emails, and the streams of meeting reminders. I know someone has to do it, but I am just glad it is not me.