Do you spend time with your family?

[2win]

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This thread I think it is more important than Obama and politics...
I am feeling guilty that I don't spend enough time with my family and I try a lot of excuses for that - finding some peace in the family bank account. I asked myself if the trade between my wife and anesthesia machine or the C arm is a fair one and really (using all my imagination...) I fail.
What is for you guys? Are you OK? Doesn't seems sometimes that life is passing by and you are stuck in the OR or intervention room?
Maybe I'll find somebody to convince me that is worth to put a lot of hours at my gig.
thanks,
2win

 

[2win]

I wish I had more time for sex.

Sorry dude - seems that you missed the topic.
If in your mind family=sex it's something wrong in your life.
Think again,
2win
Edit:
DreamMachine - wtf are you doing- they work you hard there, tell me how much time do you need?

 

[medicinesux]

What a profound question indeed. To put it succintly, the question really boils down to what do you value more- your time or money? The pursuit of money can be like a thief in the night who robs you of your time left on this earth. You can't take your multimillion dollar portfolio that you slaved away for your whole life to heaven. I commend you for waking up from the American corporate brainwashing and even asking these questions to yourself. I have seen so many attendings working like racehorses that it is no wonder why they are on their fifth divorce or never had the opportunity to even get married since they were married to their jobs. I will be damned if I end up like this.

 

[LongSnow]

As a resident, family time was totally limited. It sucked.

Now as an attending, I have a good balance. Work hard enough, but still get plenty of family time. Get to see family every day i'm not on call, and on post call days I am tired - but still get to spend the majority of the day with my family. Even getting some own personal time.

 

[lfesiam]

👍👍👍

 

[ProRealDoc]

This thread I think it is more important than Obama and politics...
I am feeling guilty that I don't spend enough time with my family and I try a lot of excuses for that - finding some peace in the family bank account. I asked myself if the trade between my wife and anesthesia machine or the C arm is a fair one and really (using all my imagination...) I fail.
What is for you guys? Are you OK? Doesn't seems sometimes that life is passing by and you are stuck in the OR or intervention room?
Maybe I'll find somebody to convince me that is worth to put a lot of hours at my gig.
thanks,
2win

The balance is ever so elusive. I don't have any kinds but I find myself wanting to work more than spend time at home doing work around the house. Thank God my wife puts me in check. We have a policy of taking time for ourselves by travelling out of the country 2-3 times a year. When not at work we try to do just what we enjoy, movies, eating out, etc. She also works and that gives us more to talk about than just my work.

She is in the social sciences so I attend some of her events, talks, etc. Makes for a nice balance and time away from the madness of the OR and medicine in general.

Bottom line is you gotta make time. We decided it is not worth it to work too much to have luxury. Better to live simpler, have enough to have a good time and more time to spend with family and travel.

 

[Pilot Doc]

I find myself wanting to work more than spend time at home doing work around the house.

Unless you like housework, staying in the OR is the thing to do. Make $150/hr and hire someone for $10/hr to do your housework. (This assumes you are an attending.

 

[2win]

What a profound question indeed. To put it succintly, the question really boils down to what do you value more- your time or money? The pursuit of money can be like a thief in the night who robs you of your time left on this earth. You can't take your multimillion dollar portfolio that you slaved away for your whole life to heaven. I commend you for waking up from the American corporate brainwashing and even asking these questions to yourself. I have seen so many attendings working like racehorses that it is no wonder why they are on their fifth divorce or never had the opportunity to even get married since they were married to their jobs. I will be damned if I end up like this.

You are absolutely right - the rate of divorce for physicians is really high. At my place 75% of surgeons are at least one time divorced. Anesthesia is in the same range. For me the decision was quite easy - family before anything else. A job is only a job.
2win

 

[2win]

2win...How many hours per week do you work?

DreamMachine - enjoy your life! Time doesn't come back!
I work around 80-90 hours a weak - with patients. The business is taking though more hours than that. Have a great weekend,
2win

 

[Jeff05]

you're working 90 per week + business (what business)?!!!!!!
that's your problem right there. you're at the complete extreme.
i think cutting back to 50-60/wk and taking your 400-600 home would be better for your emotional life than the 90+ and the metric s*it-ton of cash you have to be making to make that sort of life "worthwhile."

 

[dhb]

I work around 80-90 hours a weak

Sorry 2win but 80 a week ain't weak 😱 that's 320 to 360 a month!! i have never nor will work that much...

 

[2win]

you're working 90 per week + business (what business)?!!!!!!
that's your problem right there. you're at the complete extreme.
i think cutting back to 50-60/wk and taking your 400-600 home would be better for your emotional life than the 90+ and the metric s*it-ton of cash you have to be making to make that sort of life "worthwhile."

Jeff - my philosophy is that you should turn your hobbies (if it is possible) in some cash generating operations. It happens that an old hobby (common for anesthesiologists) is financial markets. I would call it an addiction sometimes? Yes....
You see - money per se are not the goal anymore. In this game (as in life) you want to win and you have to know how to lose. Amazingly, this game, well played, makes you (I hope) a better person. The price that I have to pay though is less time spent with my family. I was watching today the Weinberger case http://www.amw.com/fugitives/case.cfm?id=58715 on TV...
Well - I have to cut it down.
2win