"The work is hard--from the standpoint of just the labor, the emotional impact, and finding someone good enough to please my patient when I need coverage. But nothing that is important is ever easy. As far as finding excellent coverage for my patient, that poses the risk of a patient switching from me to that other physician; the alternative is choosing someone not as good as me, but that would be unconscionable. I find such trade-offs a big negative in being a physician."

There are, in fact, negatives to a career in medicine. It is not a punch in/punch out job. Responsibility goes beyond shifts and finite fees for finite services. It's a commitment to the person. This often takes tolls on your personhood and private life and also can affect the loved ones in your private life. Don't be afraid to say how and why. A person who says being a doctor is a perfect life will lose credibility immediately.

"Sometimes it's disappointing to have to delay or cancel personal plans for a patient who interrupts those plans, especially when it proves unnecessary. But then, I tell myself that the patient doesn't know if it's unnecessary--that's what he or she comes to me for."