Posted on 08/18/2012 11:36:19 AM PDT by don-o
My wife of 32 years has been a general surgeon in private practice since 1985. She came up thought the Old Boys Network, when female surgeons were few. We went through graduate school and residency on the south side of Chicago for 5 years, giving up our young married life to a commitment to people. We lived in a one bedroom 800 square foot apartment behind Michael Reese Hospital, on 31st and King Drive, as minority white folks, sacrificing all for 80-120 hour workweeks (before PC got in the way and now the puss* surgical residents have limited hours).
In private practice, she works typically 12-14 hour days, 6 days per week. We had no government loans, supported ourselves, and have saved diligently and progressed. Now, Obama is trying to take it all away. Well, guess what? She will retire, in her last prime years, rather than become a clerk to the leftist entitlement mentality. We well remember the night Obama made those statements on national TV about greedy doctors. I cannot tell you all politely about my white-hot rage and hatred toward Obama and his wife. I so despise them that I cannot stand the sound of his lispy, lilting cadence, I cannot tolerate the sight of his sneering, awful arrogance, his ugly, awful fraud of a spouse.
I cannot tolerate “Americans’ who support Obama, and have cut ties to family and friends who do. I pray we here, the Tea Party, and thinking Americans can rid us of this plague, this malignancy, this utter fraud of Affirmative Action, from OUR White House.
32 posted on Saturday, August 18, 2012 11:48:24 AM by astounded (Barack Obama is a clear and present danger to the USA)
ping
Thanks!
From the perspective of potential patient, I really don't want someone who works 120-hour weeks carving up my innards.
Tea Party may or may or not be of a lot of help right now. Many won’t vote for the only person poised to be able to oust the Bummer this fall.
Real life personal experience is powerful.
Good grief! Though I have no first hand experience, I know that those hours are common in the medical field. Or do you just mouse around looking for a beef?
My husband is in the army. We echo your sentiments.
Send it to the sleepy GOP. What 'possessed' mitt/GOP for MrRomneyCare to be the one to run against MrObamaCare?
A vile change in national culture has also opened up a new opportunity to re-invent yourselves and how you live. Sure, in a way, you are going Galt, but there is a positive side to a new life with a richness born of your already proven and marshalled talents for caring for others.
There are few in this world qualified as you both are to do things like open an orphanage, set up a small school or training center, champian a rural town or sail around the world.
After we have rid ourselves of this next election cycle and get a new group in Washington, I hope you relish what the rest of your life can hold if you recognize what you have been given.
I understand your perspective, but the rationale back then was that a surgeon needed to be ready to be awakened at 2am to go into the hospital to perform an operation that may take 4 to 5 hours; after working a full 12 to 14 hours day prior, starting surgery by 6:30am or so, maybe getting home for dinner by 7 or 7:30pm.
The training is not the same today, and I’d much prefer an old-school surgeon in the middle of the night than a younger one who trained under the new restrictions.
Hasn’t that horse been beat to death YET?
Bump!
ping
I will still work for some years, as we need to maintain health insurance. She is thinking of working as a locum tenens doc in underserved areas. I’ve also suggested she help out at the free clinic in our town. Florida ultimately calls us, to get out of the corrupt cesspool of Illinois. There are many, many opportunities in soutwest Florida for this sort of contribution.
Not sure. Is the GOP dead YET?
I'm sure there is a doctor in the house who may want to revive it.
Good idea, glad to see it was done! No way in heck will doctors, especially the good ones, work under barry.
I don't know if there are any restrictions in that monstrous “bill” that would allow doctors to practice on a cash only basis.
I am looking for one now.
I’m in the aircraft-instrument business.
About 20 years ago, a guy on another project in my department was clocking 100-110 hours per week.
There was a fair amount of quiet discussion about “How much useful work can he be doing?”. And this is in a line of work where if you screw-up, someone else will normally catch it later on in the development process.
If a doctor has to get up at 2AM to be at the hospital before the dawn for an operation, they ought to be out the door by mid-afternoon so they be in bed by a reasonable hour.
How many iatrogenic complications were introduced by surgeons working 120-hour weeks?
What is it that you want to happen on November 6?
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