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Jarrod Shapiro, DPM
PRESENT New Docs Editor
Joined Mountain View
Medical & Surgical Associates
of Madras, Oregon July 2008
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Vacation: Is it Possible in a Podiatrist’s Life?
When I relocated to Oregon, accepting the position of staff podiatrist at a hospital, part of my contract included a month of vacation time per year. At first I thought, “What a nice perk. I'll have more vacation time to spend with my family. My wife and I will have time for that second honeymoon we’ve put off for so many years.” I had images of sipping a pina colada on a beach in Hawaii, carefree, without a worry in the world. Then the real world hit…
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At about 6 months into my new job, I haven’t yet taken that vacation. In fact, I haven’t taken ANY formal vacation time. This situation exists for multiple reasons. First, I’m building a brand new practice in two new locations. I’m still working through some of the kinks with my hospital and clinic system, which requires a certain donation of time. Additionally, being absent soon after beginning is not such a great idea. The last thing you want is to appear inaccessible to your referring physicians and patients.
Second, after I perform a surgery, I make sure to be available in case of complications. I’ve heard of other physicians who were sued after their postop patient with a complication was seen by an associate or partner. I’m not suggesting these doctors were negligent or that they may have done anything differently if they were present. However, patients are more likely to sue if they don’t like you, and what is more frustrating to a patient than not being able to contact their doctor? This creates a risky situation.
Third, I don’t have a local podiatrist who can cover for me. This may be a significant consideration for those of you planning to practice in a rural location. The closest podiatrist works for the Indian Health Service at a nearby reservation, but she is restricted from seeing my patients, due to her federal employee status.
Now, in all fairness and truthfulness, I had a hard time taking vacation when I worked in Michigan too, mostly for the same reasons. I did have someone (my boss) who could watch out for my patients, but I still had trouble relaxing on my short vacations. This brings up an interesting point: can we podiatrists ever truly take a vacation?
Here’s why I bring up this point. If we surveyed 100 podiatrists about their personalities, I bet we would find a large majority of highly motivated, type “A,” goal oriented individuals. These individuals have dedicated greater than a decade of their lives working extremely long hours to become doctors. Combine this ingrained personality with a long term environment that reinforces this personality and…voila! - a group of people that can’t take a vacation (or can’t stop thinking about work when they’re on vacation).
So how can we balance work and vacation? I don’t think it’s an easy task. Here are my thoughts. I’m probably the least expert person to suggest anything, so I’d love to hear suggestions from the community!
- Just do it! I know, Nike has thoroughly used this one up, but it’s still applicable. If I have this vacation time, I should consider myself lucky and take the time off. Eventually, I’ll work out the best way to safely and ethically take a vacation without compromising patient care.
- Plan ahead. Just as with any surgical procedure, taking the time to plan ahead for the eventualities will make time away from work less worrisome. For instance, schedule elective surgeries around the planned vacation.
- Short trips. My wife and I are planning shorter weekend/4 day trips which will keep us more “local.” You’d be amazed at how much there is to do in the United States. For instance, I live in the Pacific Northwest, with close access to Portland, Seattle, San Francisco, and Vancouver among other attractions. Access to attractions like these is possible just about everywhere in the continental US. Shorter vacations will provide a compromise of relaxation time with shorter work absences.
- “Hitch a ride.” One common vacation method for physicians is to add vacation time to a CME event. The obvious benefits include obtaining CME credits while vacationing, with the added tax deductions. Clearly this is not a novel idea. ACFAS and APMA wouldn’t have had their conferences in Hawaii if they hadn’t thought of this before. In fact, others (the Superbones Conference and the Northwest Podiatric Foundation to name but two) deliberately hold conferences in “vacation locations.”
What other creative vacation strategies are out there? Am I the only one with a pathological inability to relax? I doubt it. How do the type A’s and overachievers out there handle your vacations? Do you even take vacations? Write in with your thoughts. Until then good luck planning that vacation!
Jarrod Shapiro, DPM
PRESENT New Docs Editor
[email protected]
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