There must be some similarities between medicine and parenting, at least in terms of the frequent underlying thanklessness of the job. You "bust your buns" for a good part of every day, and all you hope for really is that you did your best. As a doctor, and presumably as a parent,as well, you hope that you were kind, that you didn't miss anything critical, that you kept your cool under pressure, and that you completed your daily task list. . . or that you at least made a dent in your list!
It feels as if it's been a really long road: laborious studying in high school in order to get good grades to go to a "good" college, hours and hours and hours in the library studying basic sciences in college and preparing for the MCAT, medical school and the endless array of board examination checkpoints along the way to ensure that you still had what it takes, the 6 years of sleepless nights and call-weekends during internship, residency and fellowship.
Then, after a good 26 years or so, you are ready for the real world! And suddenly, there are a whirlwind of harsh realities, not the least of which is the fear- and panic-invoking legal atmosphere in which medicine is practiced. The days go by in a rush of images and more images, procedures, faces, teaching, phone calls, a million-and-one interruptions, and the end of every day leaves a small fragment of the person that awoke that very same morning. But every once in a while you are reminded of the reasons that make you get up and do it all over again. As we prepare to walk through the door into parenting, we hope that it is true in that world, too.
"My family and I wanted to be sure to take the time and effort to show our appreciation and gratitude for the care, attention to detail, and fantastic judgment you showed in finding such a small yet critical area in my breast. We know from experience that the journey I am now on begins with a doctor such as yourself doing an amazing job! In the past few years, I have been getting my regular mammograms trusting that if I do my part, you will do yours. You did not let me down!! What you and the staff do. . . is life saving. I absolutely know this. Keep up all the great work. With sincere appreciation, YJ & Family"
It feels as if it's been a really long road: laborious studying in high school in order to get good grades to go to a "good" college, hours and hours and hours in the library studying basic sciences in college and preparing for the MCAT, medical school and the endless array of board examination checkpoints along the way to ensure that you still had what it takes, the 6 years of sleepless nights and call-weekends during internship, residency and fellowship.
Then, after a good 26 years or so, you are ready for the real world! And suddenly, there are a whirlwind of harsh realities, not the least of which is the fear- and panic-invoking legal atmosphere in which medicine is practiced. The days go by in a rush of images and more images, procedures, faces, teaching, phone calls, a million-and-one interruptions, and the end of every day leaves a small fragment of the person that awoke that very same morning. But every once in a while you are reminded of the reasons that make you get up and do it all over again. As we prepare to walk through the door into parenting, we hope that it is true in that world, too.
"My family and I wanted to be sure to take the time and effort to show our appreciation and gratitude for the care, attention to detail, and fantastic judgment you showed in finding such a small yet critical area in my breast. We know from experience that the journey I am now on begins with a doctor such as yourself doing an amazing job! In the past few years, I have been getting my regular mammograms trusting that if I do my part, you will do yours. You did not let me down!! What you and the staff do. . . is life saving. I absolutely know this. Keep up all the great work. With sincere appreciation, YJ & Family"
