My father is a retired surgeon, and he recently told me that he could never fully relax until he retired. “You’re always asking yourself if you could have been a little bit better. You wonder if you could have said something differently to put the person’s mind at ease, if you could have anticipated a… Read More
Blog
My First Rotation Taught Me What School Didn’t
On a particularly hard day, I went home with a stone in my chest. That specific feeling where you want to cry but can’t quite get there. I have this habit, probably unhealthy, of not wanting to talk to anyone when I’m in the initial struggle with something. I was supposed to call my grandma… Read More
The Best Email Reply of All Time
I was recently asked to review a book chapter by someone I both like and respect. My immediate instinct was to say “of course! I’d be happy to help,” but I could also hear my wife’s voice in the back of my mind saying “You’re not allowed to complain that you’re too busy and also… Read More
Cult of the Holy Bedtime
Happy Scare-The-Crap-Out-Of-Your-Dog Day! There are three kinds of people in America: those who want fireworks on the 4th of July, those who want light-up drone displays, and those who want to go to sleep. I am a card-carrying member of the latter group. When I was growing up, I had a friend whose mother said… Read More
Three Areas Every New Vet Should Be Looking At
It’s that time of year when veterinary students become doctors, and our profession gets an infusion of fresh blood, perspectives, and calls to just come stand in the surgery suite. It’s the time when us old hands feel an urge to tell the young folks everything they should watch out for, when we should instead… Read More
The Greatest Victory No One Cares About (But Me)
Nothing can be small anymore. When I look online, I don’t see work-in-progress gardens like the one I toil in. I don’t see affordable but healthy food like I cook, reliable but unsexy cars like my family drives, or competent but amateur art work like my friends make. In a hyperconnected, algorithm-driven world, it feels… Read More