Summary of Medicine
Jennifer Jones
Professor Rodger Smith
English 1301
20 September 2012
Working against the Clock
Many people who strive for a career that will pay the bills with ease often resort to the medical field. In the article, “Medicine”, by Matt Richtel, manifests the different level of duties each field contains and how that influences medical students to determine which specialty they will pursue.
Dr. Jennifer C. Boldrick graduated from Stanford University Medical School in preparation to become a professional dermatologist. Here, she shares how dermatology is flexible and more suitable to her lifestyle. Dermatologists commonly work weekdays allowing them to have an abundance of control over time managment in their workplace and at home. Oftentimes, they are also paid out of pocket and would not have to act upon the drawbacks of insurance and such. Dr. Boldrick declined the plastic surgery field and stated, “The surgery lifestyle is so much worse” (Richtel 271). By this, she means that the workload would complicate and conflict with her hopes of having a family, considering a plastic surgeon puts in about 80 to 90 hours of work per week.
As the medical industry grows, alternative specialties such as radiology, anesthesiology, and emergency- room medicine seem to become more prominent. In defiance of their differences, these careers award specialists to relax from work after their shift is done resembling such as a 9-to-5 job. To analyze further, Dr. Gregory W. Rutecki, who is chairman of medical education at Evanston Northwestern Healthcare said, “When they finished their shift, they don’t carry a beeper; they’re done” (Richtel 272). In 2002, a paper written by Dr. Rutecki and two other co-authors in the Journal of the American Medical Association stated that 55 percent of a doctor’s selection of their specialty was swayed by the factors of the flexibility to their lifestyle each field holds. In 2002, since dermatology has a “controllable lifestyle,” (Richtel
Professor Rodger Smith
English 1301
20 September 2012
Working against the Clock
Many people who strive for a career that will pay the bills with ease often resort to the medical field. In the article, “Medicine”, by Matt Richtel, manifests the different level of duties each field contains and how that influences medical students to determine which specialty they will pursue.
Dr. Jennifer C. Boldrick graduated from Stanford University Medical School in preparation to become a professional dermatologist. Here, she shares how dermatology is flexible and more suitable to her lifestyle. Dermatologists commonly work weekdays allowing them to have an abundance of control over time managment in their workplace and at home. Oftentimes, they are also paid out of pocket and would not have to act upon the drawbacks of insurance and such. Dr. Boldrick declined the plastic surgery field and stated, “The surgery lifestyle is so much worse” (Richtel 271). By this, she means that the workload would complicate and conflict with her hopes of having a family, considering a plastic surgeon puts in about 80 to 90 hours of work per week.
As the medical industry grows, alternative specialties such as radiology, anesthesiology, and emergency- room medicine seem to become more prominent. In defiance of their differences, these careers award specialists to relax from work after their shift is done resembling such as a 9-to-5 job. To analyze further, Dr. Gregory W. Rutecki, who is chairman of medical education at Evanston Northwestern Healthcare said, “When they finished their shift, they don’t carry a beeper; they’re done” (Richtel 272). In 2002, a paper written by Dr. Rutecki and two other co-authors in the Journal of the American Medical Association stated that 55 percent of a doctor’s selection of their specialty was swayed by the factors of the flexibility to their lifestyle each field holds. In 2002, since dermatology has a “controllable lifestyle,” (Richtel
Cited: Richtel, Matt. “Medicine.” Writing and Reading across the Curriculum. Ed. Laurence Behrens and Leonard J. Rosen. Boston: Longman, 2011. 271-74. Print.