Do Opposites Attract?
Do opposites attract?
Peter is an empathetic extrovert. He is patient and laid back (typical anesthesiologist...?). He is the first to wake in the mornings and is willing to try anything once.
I am a stoic introvert. I am super detailed oriented and generally prefer things safe and stable (like my ORs ). I love "me time" at night when everyone else is asleep.
While I don't necessarily think opposites attract, I do think we challenge and complement each other. It's not always smooth, but it sure keeps things interesting and balanced.
“How much do you make?”
I was recently asked how much I make as a physician 👩🏻⚕️ (these kids on Tiktok are quite straightforward, I love it. 😂)
So here's the thing, as a part time per diem ophthalmologist in Los Angeles, my numbers are not typical. You can easily google 💻 average doctor's salaries by subspecialty (for ophthalmology, it’s $200K/year in California), but you might notice that the numbers range widely depending on the graph 📊 or website you find (the graph below is from Medscape, and they report ophthalmologists make close to $400K! That’s definitely not me).
This discrepancy is because pay is not only based on subspecialty - but on type of institution 🏥 (academic vs private private), type of job (salaried vs incentivized, full time vs part time), and location 🗺(it can vary by/within state and even city).
We also cannot forget to factor in the debt that physicians accrue 🏦 (200K on average), not to mention the years of schooling and lost income 💸 (some calculate up to 800K!). 😳
In the end, I advised the premed-hopeful not to worry about salary, because it can be variable and could be vastly different by the time he/she graduates. The only reason someone should pursue medicine is for the deep down passion and/or purpose, because those are the only things that will get you through the decade+ of studying, long nights, and sacrifice.
https://www.medscape.com/slideshow/2020-compensation-overview-6012684#5
Failure. Is. Not. Final.
I don’t often talk about this - but when I took my ophthalmology oral boards after finishing residency, I failed. 😞 For someone who is used to excelling, this was devastating.
After a good cry (or 2, or 10 😢), I realized that how I prepared wasn’t working (I am a very visual person and learner 👀 and the oral boards are not about that at all - in fact the photos they use are notoriously vague. I had to hone my auditory 👂 and speaking skills 🗣), and so I had to ask for help. I had to find study partners to practice with and even took time off of work to attend a review course. Explaining to others why I had to retake the test was not easy and a blow to my ego every time - but I needed the help.
I ended up passing the second time (I had never been so nervous), but the experience was definitely a lesson in perseverance and humility - that failure is not final, and that asking for help is not a sign of weakness but an attempt at growth... 🌱
(and I told myself I would learn this dance 2 months ago... that’s on never giving up... 😂)
That time we went viral…
It’s truly crazy the response that my husband and I have gotten from this little #realdoctorlovestory Tiktok video. Students and trainees have reached out to say it makes them hopeful; other couples have made their own fun versions; strangers have commented on how it just makes them happy...
I think my ultimate take away here is that - despite hardships, difficulties, and pain - LOVE is the answer and always finds a way. ❤️ And it’s amazing to see that over 6 million people would agree. 😉
Hug your loved ones close. Cherish them. Tomorrow is not promised so have fun and love hard today!