Editor’s Note: For 16 years, I've published weekly essays here on Blogspot, which will continue. I’ve now begun publishing my work on a new blogging platform, Substack, and I hope you’ll join me there. Please enter your email address at this link to receive my posts directly to your inbox. When an individual is hired to do a job, one would think that his or her skills would be carefully assessed prior to tendering a job offer. Let me offer some examples. If one is applying to a newspaper (yes, they still exist but print editions will soon be visible only in journalism museums) seeking to become a reporter, the hiring professionals will carefully scour through the applicant’s prior writings. If writing well and under pressure are job requirements, then the newspaper will want to verify that the applicant has these skills. It’s possible that the applicant would be asked to submit a writing sample on the spot. If a man is applying to become a salesman in...
Editor’s Note: For 16 years, I've published weekly essays here on Blogspot, which will continue. I’ve now begun publishing my work on a new blogging platform, Substack, and I hope you’ll join me there. Please enter your email address at this link to receive my posts directly to your inbox. I have had 3 jobs in my long career in gastroenterology. My current one will be lead me to retirement, but I have no firm date in mind. In fact, it could be years away. I have reached a station in life where I asked routinely if my retirement is imminent. I hope that these patients are inquiring wanting me to stay on rather than to leave the scene! My current employed position has been the most enjoyable and satisfying, particularly at this stage in my professional life. In my current post, I have divested myself of the most onerous aspects of medical practice – hospital medicine, nights & weekend work and on-call responsibilities. Yes, it’...