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On Retiring from Psychiatry
I found this very uplifting and thought-provoking article on retiring from psychiatry by Juan C. Corvalan. He sounds like he’s successfully navigating his retirement. On the few occasions I’ve felt compelled to make a remark about my own retirement, I typically say something like “It’s a mixed blessing.” My retirement is a process, unfolding as…
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Coming to Terms with Retirement
I’m in the off phase of phased retirement right now. It reminds me of the consuming question, “What are you going to do when you’re retired.” Coming to terms with retirement is not a one-step thing. It’s probably easier to think of things I’m not going to do. I can think of at least a…
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My Perspective on FOMO
I just saw a great post on Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) on Bob Lowry’s blog, Satisfying Retirement. The link is on my home page and it’s a great read, along with many of his other posts. FOMO for me is different because I’m not actually retired yet. Bob has been retired for a long…
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Minority Diversity in Medicine
The featured image for this post is that of a Painted Lady butterfly, one beautiful member of a hugely diverse group of such creatures. It reminded me of the state of our physician supply, which is not so very diverse when it comes to inclusion of minorities. Even though I’m moving into the final year…
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More Time for Birds
I’m off service for a while, which means I have more time for birds. Right now, my wife and I are trying not to spook the cardinals. It looks like they’ve finished the nest and we’re waiting for the eggs. This will be the first time we’ve seen cardinals nesting in our yard. It’s a…
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The Last White Coat I’ll Ever Wear
I’m a big fan of the Men in Black movies. I’m not going to tell you how many times I’ve watched them on TV (78 million and if that number reminds you of a scene from Men in Black, you’re just as much a fan as I am, if not worse). One of my favorite…
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Gauging My Readiness for Retirement
I’m noticing something about my readiness for retirement. Certain activities are starting to be at least as interesting as my work as a consultation-liaison psychiatrist at the hospital—maybe even more so. For example, my wife and I are hoping that the cardinals will come back to our backyard evergreen tree. They were building a Hoorah’s…
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Meaning and Purpose in Retirement
As you know, I’m back in the saddle at work, according to the terms of my phased retirement contract. When I’m off service, I feel less pressured. However, when I’m on service, I’m like a fireman, thriving on pressure. I’ve done Consultation-Liaison (C-L) Psychiatry for so many years that, when I stop to think about…
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Remembering My Calling
Back when I had the blog The Practical C-L Psychiatrist, I wrote a post about the Martin Luther King Jr. Day observation in 2015. It was published in the Iowa City Press-Citizen on January 19, 2015 under the title “Remembering our calling: MLK Day 2015.” I have a small legacy as a teacher. As I…
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Talk About Change
Let’s talk about change. I’ve had a couple of brand-new tie bars (gifts from my wife) in my dresser drawer for a couple of months now. I’d forgotten them until last night. I used to wear a tie bar many years ago. I’m discovering that I probably wore it wrong, according to fashion experts who…
Go Retire Psychiatrist 