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AROUND
THE BLOCK

AROUND

THE BLOCK

This column is for you. You are smart. You probably have a lawyer (or 2 or 3) and at least one accountant, financial planner/insurance
expert, clergy, etc. You may or may not have an empathetic and understanding spouse.

Despite the small army of experts at your disposal, there are many challenges you face as a physician that affect your success and hap-
piness that they don’t understand. Most likely, none of them went to medical school, and none of them face the same stresses that you
must face on a day-to-day basis, year after year.

So, who do you ask when you have critical practical questions about living the life of a physician? Who do you ask when even asking
the question might be embarrassing? Who do you ask who really “gets it” and knows where you’re coming from?

Around the Block is a forum where we will discuss your practical and philosophical questions about life as a physician and the practice
of medicine that you might not feel comfortable asking anywhere else. Most importantly, this column is here to help you find a clearer
path to your own professional success and happiness.

Your questions will be the basis for this conversation and may be submitted anonymously. While there are typically no simple and
universal answers to the tough challenges we will discuss, the goal is to provide you with, at the very least, practical follow-up thoughts
and questions you can ask yourself to create your own personal solutions.

To get you started thinking about questions you might want to ask, here are a few to consider:

Why are so many physicians unhappy? What can be done about it?

How much money do I really need to make to live the life I want?

Why don’t I like most of my partners/associates? Why don’t they seem to like me?

How can I better adapt to the new realities of medical practice?

I’m smart. Why do I feel so powerless?

You get the idea. Bring ‘em on!
You may submit your questions to me at advisory@aratner.com or you can send them anonymously on paper to:

Around the Block—San Antonio Medicine
Bexar County Medical Society

4334 N Loop 1604 W., Shavano Park, TX 78231

Adam V. Ratner, MD is the Chairman of The Patient Institute, Clinical Professor of Radiology and Reuter Professor of Medical
Humanities at UTHSCSA. He has been observing and interacting with physicians for more than half a century and has enjoyed ad-
vising them formally and informally for years. He may be reached at The Ratner Private Advisory, LLC.(advisory@aratner.com)

28 San Antonio Medicine • March 2016