Carpal Tunnel

It is true that personal experience is the weakest form of evidence. However, after a few days of clinic work let me fill you in on some of my observations:

About Others:

Everyone is on Disability. Furthermore, usually for diseases which don’t preclude a person from continuing to work. This requires that physicians sign their SSI forms.

Apparently, there are physicians who will sign these even though they know the individual can continue working.

Everyone is depressed. “Unhappy” is no longer used. “Depressed” is the new IN term. (Readers will recognize this as a topic of this essay, previously posted here)

Everybody believes that they have a certain condition because someone (most likely a physician) gave them the wrong medication once and they were never the same again.

Apparently taking three pills every day to keep yourself alive for an extra ten years is not convenient. Some would like to go back to the days when we used to do a lobotomy to treat hypertension.

About Myself:

I have a certain amount of Attention Deficit. Not enough to qualify for a disorder but attention deficit nonetheless.

I am happy with a certain degree of attention deficit. It keeps me from becoming depressed, stopping work and collecting disability.

If a patient complains of something that I am unfamiliar with I am likely to think they are lying. I have no idea why and what that says about me, yet.

Lobotomies were ineffective for hypertension but very effective for creating stupid people who believed the craniotomies were effective.

After five hours of clinic I no longer care- unfortunately.

I must force myself to take a break after five hours of clinic.

As much as I believe I’d like to work in academic medicine for the rest of my life I am only fooling myself. I like the clinic so much more.

After Residency I am collecting disability. I just have to find a physician who will sign this form, any volunteers?