Extract
The standard of living for an orthopaedic surgeon is high. By standard of
living, I mean those material things that are beyond the essentials of food,
clothing, and shelter. For some, that may be expensive cars, homes, boats,
exotic travel, or sequestered wealth. As I started in my career, I was offered
an opportunity to go on for a PhD. The decision to continue in surgical
practice was based on my desire to maintain my surgical skills. There was also
a part of me that had to be the provider of a "higher standard of
living" for the family. I justified that high standard by the extensive
time and intensity of training. It was further justified by the future long
hours away from family and leisure. To me, extensive travel with the family
met that standard and at the same time raised our quality of life. I felt that
this luxury had been bought with night call and numerous weekends that were
lost to trauma and rescheduled surgery. As the years passed, I began to see
colleagues move to other locations or completely change careers. Were they
seeking greater financial reward, or were they looking for something else?
Although I remained satisfied with my standard of living, I realized that the
time had come for me to pursue my interests in the basic sciences.