![]() ![]() “Well, so do you,” I replied in a respectful tone. “You help people,” Andy said, in an unintentionally guilt-trippy way. I’m sure they’ve got issues of their own, but I got the impression Pakistani physicians spend more time on patient care, and less time on bureaucratic nonsense than we do here. I also talked about production pressures, dealing with insurance companies and their denials, the onerous documentation, etc… Again, I felt a bit foolish describing our woes with an electronic health record to a man who wears a bulletproof vest when he clocks in, but he asked, and I was willing to indulge.Īndy could see that there were some issues with our health system, and recognized that many of the irritations we deal with are non-existent in Pakistan. ![]() When I told him about the threat of malpractice lawsuits, he told me doctors in Pakistan can’t be sued. My bench mate was surprisingly understanding. A book like this wouldn’t exist if there wasn’t a market of disenchanted doctors who would find some value in it. I went on to chat with Andy about some of the frustrations of physicians in America, and why there were plenty of docs looking to walk a different path. Fawcett and I have been communicating for the better part of a year, I’ve reviewed two of his previously published books ( here and here), and we had a chance to meet and chat in person at FinCon. I explained that the book was written by a friend. While it’s true that I’m at least seriously contemplating a departure, my rationale seemed pretty trivial compared to the guy who takes on criminals in Pakistan for a living. My new friend, whose name sounded something like Andvar - we’ll call him Andy - was curious as to why I was reading this title. They learned that a fellow police officer, a gentleman he knew well, had been shot execution style as he stepped out of his home. Yesterday had been a difficult day for them, though. Their favorite was the log flume it was my boys’ favorite too. The locals actually were nice, and the theme park rides were a hit with his daughters. They found the people here to be much friendlier than most of the characters in Fargo. His wife and three children had joined him just a week prior to our chance meeting, and they were happy to be reunited. He had seen the movie Fargo prior to his arrival and had read about this “Minnesota Nice” thing, so he had some distorted idea of what to expect. He appreciates how people follow the rules and respect private property. He earns about $2,000 a month and lives under the constant threat of being targeted by terrorists as an officer of the peace.Īfter two months in The States, he has a favorable impression of our nation. His sister and numerous friends are now physicians, earning the equivalent of anywhere from $10,000 to $30,000 US dollars per month in private practice in Pakistan. Now he is a police officer in Pakistan on a one-year leave for an academic fellowship at the University of Minnesota.ĭid he regret leaving medicine? Absolutely. After two difficult years of studying the medical sciences in Pakistan, he decided it was not for him. “I left medicine after two years,” he told me. One Man’s Regret After Leaving a Medical Career Behind I was genuinely curious as to why the guy, who has holding a baby boy on a Thursday afternoon in Nickelodeon Universe, would be interested in a book about leaving medicine. The back cover contained enough information to pique the polite man’s interest. ![]() In a busy, public place, I didn’t want to broadcast that I was reading The Doctors Guide to Smart Career Alternatives and Retirement. I had placed the book face down on the park bench intentionally. “Can I look at that book?” said the man next to me in an accent I would soon learn to be Pakistani. ![]()
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