The Other Résumé

Clearing away the kids' educational CDs from my desktop, I settled down in front of the computer. Well into my second year of residency in internal medicine, I figured it was time to update my résumé. Just a month before, my wife and I had struggled with the question of whether I should pursue a fellowship in critical care. I had obtained an application and even filled it out, but family considerations supervened. We both agreed that it would be better to leave training behind and begin my career rather than to prolong our current lifestyle with yet another educational segue.

Outside my window, newly fallen snow sparkled in the sunshine of a crisp winter day. Opening my word processing file, I started the laborious task. First section: education. I had done well in medical school, generally excelling …