Simple Gifts

It was only my second day as a “real doctor.” I was nearly 1 hour behind schedule, and it was only 10:30 a.m. I was already exhausted. Outpatient medicine had seemed so easy 6 months ago, when I was finishing my residency. How confident I had been then. How insulted I had felt when my clinical judgment needed supervisory approval. Now I wished with all my heart that I could have that safety net back.

I had really done it now. New job, new state, new home, new baby. What was I thinking when I left the “mothership” of my residency, my universe of the past 3 years?

No time for self-pity. I moved on to my next patient. When I looked at the schedule to find the reason for the visit, I saw “meet the doctor.” I was hopeful. How long could it take to meet the …