For 3 weeks, I didn't operate. In fact, this past Monday was the first time in 3 weeks that I was in the operating room. In reflecting back with Selenid, we confirmed that it was the longest I had gone without operating or being in the OR since I started my third year of medical school.
• MDForLives is a physician-focused research community used by companies building drugs, devices, and care models — not a generic survey farm.
• The surveys are matched to your specialty and experience, so you’re not wading through irrelevant invites.
• It’s an easy way to turn clinical experience into small, incremental income on your own schedule.
How the heck did this happen?
In short, it happened intentionally. The week of Christmas was very slow and I took off for the holiday to spend with family. The following week my kids had time off for winter break. I usually work that week but this year, I took off and spent the week snowboarding and skiing with the family at a local ski town. Then, the following week was my 10th wedding anniversary with Selenid and we took a trip to Jackson Hole to celebrate.
In the past I've always been hesitant to take time away from the operating room. In fact, this was the first true vacation time off I had taken since I started practicing 6 years ago. I've taken a day or so off here or there. And I've been away for a week for conferences. But this was the first true vacation.
And looking back on the past 3 weeks, I did gain some important perspectives that I think are important to share.
3 things I learned from 3 weeks out of the operating room
1. Your practice won't miss you
What I mean by this is that things will continue to move on without you. We all like to feel like we are so important that the gears of our practice will jam without us. But they won't. No matter who you are.
I thought I learned this lesson when, as an intern, I saw our department chair – a legend in the field of plastic surgery – retire, receive a huge send off, and then things continue as if he had never been there the following day. But I guess I didn't. Because the main reason that I was so hesitant to take time off in the past is because I was just so busy clinically. How could I miss time? How could things go on?
But they can. And some doctors will look at this as almost disparaging. As meaning that the hospital or our practice don't appreciate us enough. That might be the case but that isn't what this means.
What it means is that we are allowed to take time off. Patients are patient, they can wait. Office staff can handle the daily small fires. It will all be ok. Of course, make plans and arrangements for when you are gone. But things will be just fine without you.
2. Addition by subtraction
Time away from being a doctor will make you a better doctor. Easy to say. Tough to do. Especially when you are in the throes of a busy clinical practice. You feel yourself functioning as a clinical machine. The more practice you get, the better you become.
Until all of a sudden you stop functioning at such a high level. Due to burnout. Due to fatigue. Or just due to falling into the same old routine without the stimulation of a change of pace.
This is what I was experiencing before taking these 3 weeks away from the operating room. And the experience was incredibly refreshing. In fact, by the end I found myself really itching to get back. I still love what I do. Truth be told, before the break, I considered whether it was time for me to scale back or even FIRE sooner than later.
The break only reinforced that I want to keep doing this for a long time. Which brings me to the third thing that I learned…
3. Plan to build break time in
Failure to plan is planning to fail. In all things. But especially in maintaining a healthy balance in your practice.
The biggest issue and reason that I hadn't taken intentional time off before these past 3 weeks is that I never planned ahead. Selenid might ask but I always kicked the can down the road. Then, when something would come up or the kids would have time off of school, I already had a full OR schedule planned. And by then it was too late to change or re-schedule.
Finally for this trip to Jackson Hole, we planned ahead. And guess what? It all worked great. And now we plan to do the same for our next trip during the kids' spring break. I've already blocked the time off.
My recommendation now is to block off your “time away” dates at least 3 months ahead of time.
Take some time off
Don't make the same mistake that I did. Being there for our practice and our patients is important. It's what we do. But it isn't who we are.
And we need some time away in order to maintain the important balance of who we are as an individual. Because our practice won't miss us and it will make us better doctors. So plan it ahead.
Trust me, it works.
What do you think? Have you taken time off from clinical work? How did it make you feel? Did you come back better or worse? Let me know in the comments below!
