From the desk of Dr. Harrington: “The bubble over my head”
One of the most irritating expressions a patient can use is… “I am supposed to…” It is usually verbalized just after a diagnosis is made and a treatment plan is being considered. For example: “Mr. Smith, your CT scan shows extensive diverticulitis; and, although no abscess is demonstrated your abdomen is very tender; I recommend […]
Q. & A. with Debbie and Sam on “collaboration”
Debbie: Is this really our first collaboration? What about our three children? Sam: That was different. Debbie: You’re right; it was. Sam: This is doing creative work together. Debbie: And you don’t mind me being your editor? It’s not that easy. Sam: You mean because of our different approach to quotation marks and periods and […]
Heading to the World Domination Summit… as a travel-hacking, old-age blogger
The first month of my Gap Year is over. Eleven months to go. I have had two business discussions about potential future endeavors but remain committed to holding off on serious talks until I have really separated from my practice by several months. Over the weekend a patient called. She is one of the few […]
For now, you can call me Plain Mr. Harrington (S.)
It has been three weeks since I stepped into the void. Taking that step means I gave up one of the most responsible jobs in the workforce, making decisions for patients that had life or death consequences. Did I expect that change to make me feel small, reduced, insignificant? I think I did, and for a […]
My first Nats game and a revelation about baseball’s “perfect game”
I went to my first Nats game this week. I had never been to a game in DC’s gleaming new stadium. It was a perfect night for baseball. Warm but not humid. Not a cloud in the sky. And on June 21, 2013, the longest day of the year. Our seats were spectacular (thank you […]
Enough touchy-feely; let’s get to my peeves about resistance to government intervention
Ok, no touchy-feely comments about my state of mind as I enter the third week of my Gap Year, keeping in mind that in 40 years of medical education, training, and practice three straight weeks is the most vacation time I have ever had and this on less than five occasions. Let’s get to some […]
Unmoored and learning to drift
Now this is a bit of a surprise. Sam is two weeks into our Gap Year and apparently enjoying his freedom. He has the normal worries (logistics of packing and travel) but he doesn’t seem particularly anxious about his yet-to-be-made-up future. I, on the other hand, am feeling confused and discombobulated, set adrift. I seem […]
Puncturing a lampshade and crossing the Rubicon
After leaving Milwaukee I returned to DC. I needed to clear my desk and I had a medical check up scheduled. Getting close to the action created temporary feelings of inadequacy and purposelessness. But being a patient at the overly technological office visit reminded me of the outrage I feel at the complexity medical care […]
The luxury of time; the challenge of structuring it
I am one week into my Gap Year. One friend emailed to ask how it goes. Of course a gap year in the usual sense is for a young adult to gain perspective on life, blow off the initial energy of post high school freedom, explore the world and return to university with a more […]
Following in my footsteps, but in a new era of medicine
I am indescribably proud of my two daughters who are both embarking on careers as M.D.’s. Why, you might ask, am I leaving the practice of medicine just as they are starting? It is an easy rationalization. My era is over. Yet the medical profession remains the career with the most promise of honor, achievement, […]