One of the reasons I chose emergency medicine as my field of work is that I work shifts and can have a pretty good home life.  I work hard at work, but then I get to leave it behind.  A lot of primary physicians work 10-12 hours for 5 or 6 or even 7 days a week; they even take call that may have them receiving phone calls during all hours of the day.  How they do it, I don’t know.

My typical schedule is very untypical – no pattern at all, working both day shifts and night shifts.  However, I usually only work 3 or 4 shifts a week.  Additionally, as the medical director for our group, I have several meetings per month that I need to attend.  Compared to my primary care colleagues, my life is pretty good.

These past two weeks, conversely, have been absolutely brutal.  Having a partner on an extended vacation while already being short a physician made for a very long stretch of shifts:

The good news is that I’ve got some days off coming up and I intend to have some good quality time with Linda and the girls.  I envision a lot of biking and a lot of movies.  I might also get some time in the Doctors’s Lounge.  We’ve got family coming to town for a family reunion.  These next two weeks are going to be a lot better than the last two.