Academia vs. Private Practice

Ah, the age-old question of every graduating resident: Academics vs. Private Practice? What to do, what to do? For some, it's an easy decision: go in to private practice, make as much money as you can while you're young, practically killing yourself in the process and alienating your spouse, friends and family by hardly ever being around. And you'll finally be able to enjoy the fruits of your labor when you're old and.....all alone. Because your spouse has left you since you were never around, and your children have grown up and moved out and gone away to college. Or, you could go in to academics where all those years of sweat and tears and hardship and poverty...just....continue on and on.

What's a resident to do? Here's my take on things. Newly graduating residents are tempted to stay at their place of training, not only because it's convenient, but because people, doctors especially, are creatures of habit. We've been in school and striving to improve ourselves for ALL of our lives and that's all we know how to do. Breaking away in to private practice is something completely different; you don't have to study, you don't have to prepare lectures, you don't have to take tests or exams, you don't have to do anything. All you have to do is make money, period (well, AND not kill anybody). It's an entirely different animal. No grand round lectures, no journal clubs, no chapter reviews, no article presentations, no didactics. Your brain turns in to mush after a while because you're really not using it, anymore; you're operating at a Rancho VII level - appropriate and automatic behavior.

In essenece, there's no more strive for self improvement. Oh sure, some people in private practice continue to learn and grow and improve their skills and knowledge. But that's all a distant secondary goal.

Oh well. One day, in the distant future, there will come a day when the accumulation of wealth and materials will no longer be the driving force in our lives.