Page 130 of The Choices I've Made
I shrugged. “It’s true.”
Grabbing my hand, she pulled me toward the back of the restaurant. “Come on, stud. It’s time to talk to the kiddos. Try not to overinflate that ego. Don’t want it to explode.”
I chuckled as we found the rest of her peers. It was a smaller group. Maybe thirty or so. I couldn’t remember what class they were from, but I knew they’d developed a tight connection through studying during this semester.
And, now, I was going to bestow my wisdom.
Right…
Makayla gathered their attention, and all eyes turned toward the two of us standing in front.
She introduced me, and I began to sweat.
“This is my good friend Dr. Jake Jameson. Jake has his bachelor’s and medical degree from Stanford. He did his residency in Boston and worked as a cardiothoracic surgeon for several years before giving it all up to become a family physician.”
Several murmurs of surprise spread across the group.
“And he’s going to tell you all about that crazy decision now. Jake?”
A bit of polite applause greeted me as Makayla took her seat next to a few of her peers. I cleared my throat, feeling incredibly nervous as everyone looked up at me.
“So, I know you’re all wondering…what kind of mental breakdown did that guy have, right?”
Everyone chuckled. Myself included.
Placing my hands in my pockets, I took a slow walk to the left and right, gathering my thoughts. “Here’s the thing,” I said. “As a doctor, you’ll excel at a lot of things on a daily basis. By the end of the day, you’ll be tired and exhausted, but you’ll feel like a goddamn superhero—or at least, that’s the way you should feel.”
More laughter.
“And I did all that. I flew through medical school and my residency—top of my class by the way. I was on my way to becoming the youngest chief of surgery MacNeal had ever seen. But then my father died. And I know what you’re thinking.Oh, great. Here comes the tragic plot twist.So, I’ll spare you the details.
“When I came back to Chicago after his death, I had a serious come-to-Jesus moment. And, for those of you not from the South, that means, I had a sort of epiphany.
“I’d been living in this city for a handful of years, and I had no friends. Not a single one. I had no life outside of the hospital. And I know you’ve all been told the speech about how hard it’s going to be. How much your personal life will suffer. But, sitting in my bare apartment in a city I didn’t recognize, this is what I learned in that one moment: none of it matters if you don’t have meaning.”
The room had grown silent. I wasn’t sure if they were hanging on my every word or waiting for me to shut up so that they could grab more drinks, so I carried on.
“I’d gotten to the point where my job was simply that—a job. That’s a dangerous place for a dude who holds a scalpel for a living. It wasn’t that I didn’t care whether my patients lived or died; it was that I didn’t even regard them as anything beyond a job. The operating table was a conveyor belt. And my patients? They were just products coming down the line.”
I caught Makayla’s gaze, and she smiled.
“If you’re doing this for the glory or the money, just stop now because that will be you in ten years. This job will tear you up and spit you out over and over again. Have passion. Have a heart. Damn it, care about your patients because no one else will. Go the extra mile—whether that’s doing a triple bypass or mending a broken foot.
“Makayla said I’d explain why I gave up the good life, why I traded half a million dollars a year for lollipops and growth charts. It’s how I go the extra mile, guys. It’s how I keep my heart in it. And let me tell you a secret,” I said, smiling wide. “It gives back tenfold.”
There was wide applause, everyone rising from their seats. I felt my cheeks heat slightly as I caught Makayla’s proud smile.
Thank you, she mouthed, coming to join me.
“Thanks, Jake!” she said loudly as everyone took a seat. “Now, does anyone have any questions? Jake will be here for a while afterward, but I figured I’d open the floor now before we all started getting hammered.”
I joined the laughter as several hands went up.
Makayla pointed to a short Asian guy wearing a Pink Floyd T-shirt. He stood to ask his question. It all felt very adolescent, minus the beers floating around. Well, maybe not.
“You spoke of the benefits of your switch into family care. Can you speak about any downsides?”
I nodded. “You mean, aside from the money?”
