12 Steps

[Mount Asclepius]

1. We admitted that we are powerless over the political and market forces landscape of EM - that our jobs had become unmanageable.

2. Came to believe that our lives outside of work could restore us to sanity.

3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to anyone in our lives that isn’t a patient that does meth.

4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves void of metrics.

5. Admitted to someone, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of how charting has wronged us.

6. Were entirely ready to have Admin remove all of their defects of administrative burden.

7. Humbly asked insurance to pay us what we deserve.

8. Made a list of all of the patients who had harmed themselves, and became willing to listen to them explain their understanding how medicine can’t overcome their ills.

9. Made direct amends to our family for missing nights, weekends and holidays with them, wherever possible, except when to do so would result in termination from a CMG.

10. Continue to take personal inventory, and when we were wrong to pursue the path of EM, promptly admit it.

11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with humanity, hoping for only a renewed sense of connectivity with people that overcomes the ever present jadedness and burnout of this field.

12. Having had an enlightening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to SDNers and to practice these principles in all our affairs.

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[DocEspana]

1. We admitted that we are powerless over the political and market forces landscape of EM - that our jobs had become unmanageable.

2. Came to believe that our lives outside of work could restore us to sanity.

3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to anyone in our lives that isn’t a patient that does meth.

4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves void of metrics.

5. Admitted to someone, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of how charting has wronged us.

6. Were entirely ready to have Admin remove all of their defects of administrative burden.

7. Humbly asked insurance to pay us what we deserve.

8. Made a list of all of the patients who had harmed themselves, and became willing to listen to them explain their understanding how medicine can’t overcome their ills.

9. Made direct amends to our family for missing nights, weekends and holidays with them, wherever possible, except when to do so would result in termination from a CMG.

10. Continue to take personal inventory, and when we were wrong to pursue the path of EM, promptly admit it.

11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with humanity, hoping for only a renewed sense of connectivity with people that overcomes the ever present jadedness and burnout of this field.

12. Having had an enlightening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to SDNers and to practice these principles in all our affairs.

13th step: slept with your sponsor (probably charge nurse)

 

[WhatJobDoIPick]

#9 hits home as my young family is growing up. Right now it's not a deal breaker, but working weekends / holidays / swings / nights is rapidly starting to get old. It's definitely the type of thing I didn't realize the true impact of when I chose EM. As I reflect on what I want the rest of my life to look like, I'm just not willing to do it past a certain point. I have a savings goal in mind and then after that, I'll be looking for M-F day shift only PRN work.

 

[BoardingDoc]

#9 hits home as my young family is growing up. Right now it's not a deal breaker, but working weekends / holidays / swings / nights is rapidly starting to get old. It's definitely the type of thing I didn't realize the true impact of when I chose EM. As I reflect on what I want the rest of my life to look like, I'm just not willing to do it past a certain point. I have a savings goal in mind and then after that, I'll be looking for M-F day shift only PRN work.

This was at least 50% of my motivation to leave EM and go into pain. 2 shifts left in June as I finish fellowship then out forever.

 

[WhatJobDoIPick]

This was at least 50% of my motivation to leave EM and go into pain. 2 shifts left in June as I finish fellowship then out forever.

Ya I actually thought hard about Pain. Unfortunately there's only one program near me and it's kinda meh. I also don't know how I'd feel about being a M-F nine to five kinda guy. I like going to the driving range on a Tuesday when there's no one there. I do think that once I get to my goal of 2 million invested assets and a paid off home I will be reasonably safe to coast FIRE and go PRN.

 

[AlmostAnMD]

Ya I actually thought hard about Pain. Unfortunately there's only one program near me and it's kinda meh. I also don't know how I'd feel about being a M-F nine to five kinda guy. I like going to the driving range on a Tuesday when there's no one there. I do think that once I get to my goal of 2 million invested assets and a paid off home I will be reasonably safe to coast FIRE and go PRN.

I call PRN similar to a work release program for a prison. Break out! Lol

 

[WhatJobDoIPick]

I call PRN similar to a work release program for a prison. Break out! Lol

Meh I could work 5 shifts a month and make around 200k. That's not a bad proposition.

 

[Mount Asclepius]

Cutting back shifts makes EM much more tolerable. I think many fail to consider as a reasonable option. The two big challenges though are the golden handcuffs. If you get used to $400-700K and the lifestyle that affords, it can be hard to go to $200K. Realistically, it’s also hard to find local reliable PT options that pay decently well and don’t require travel.

 

[alpinism]

Yep lots of people like to advise to cut back shifts but in reality its quite difficult unless you live in a place that's hard to recruit docs.

Most EDs won't even consider PT docs and even if they do you're first out the door then they do eventually hire FT docs.

 

[AlmostAnMD]

Yep lots of people like to advise to cut back shifts but in reality its quite difficult unless you live in a place that's hard to recruit docs.

Most EDs won't even consider PT docs and even if they do you're first out the door then they do eventually hire FT docs.

100% true in my area. I asked to work 2 shifts a month at my old job before leaving and was basically laughed out the door by our operations guy.

Still, I hated the work so much I gambled and fortunately it paid off. There's definitely a part of me that thinks, as some back up, I should be working clinically.....7 months after leaving that voice is starting to fade as new roots take place

 

[Brigade4Radiant]

I can’t stand the 9-5 grind especially with traffic sure you can do some family activities but I can do this on the morning shift the nights suck but I can sleep and do stuff before going in

You can be prn at several places and get some shifts that way

 

[WhatJobDoIPick]

100% true in my area. I asked to work 2 shifts a month at my old job before leaving and was basically laughed out the door by our operations guy.

Still, I hated the work so much I gambled and fortunately it paid off. There's definitely a part of me that thinks, as some back up, I should be working clinically.....7 months after leaving that voice is starting to fade as new roots take place

Well yeah 2 shifts / month isn't going to be worth it for any facility. The malpractice premiums they have to pay for you won't be worth it at that level of commitment.

 

[WhatJobDoIPick]

Yep lots of people like to advise to cut back shifts but in reality its quite difficult unless you live in a place that's hard to recruit docs.

Most EDs won't even consider PT docs and even if they do you're first out the door then they do eventually hire FT docs.

I live in a pretty saturated area and I know a ton of people who work PRN.