As spring turns into summer, I prepare mentally for our brand new interns. I (and I’m sure I am not alone) remind myself to transition from a hand’s-off, strictly-advisory role in May or June, to an in-the-trenches, double-check the orders role come July 1.
I still remember my father, a retired surgeon, telling me after my graduation from medical school “Congratulations, you now have a license to kill.”
What he was referring to, of course, was not a new career as a sexy British spy, but to the fact that I was entering a time where (especially in those days) my orders did not need to be reviewed by anyone before they were executed. And that a doctor can, through ignorance or poor judgement, make decisions with grave consequences.
Continue reading “Thoughts for July 1”