Dermatology World March 2011 : Page 17
management insights balance in practice I certainly had enough on my plate. But the instant I stepped onto the ice for my first group lesson I was hooked. I found that the busier I became the more I began to appreciate my new hobby. As the years have passed I am grateful that I have an interest outside of dermatology that truly gives me time away from the “life.” I have scheduled skating into my life, skating on my one day off from seeing patients, the morn-ing that I begin late, one evening, and weekend mornings. For me it has been a priority because it has added so much to my life. shower and the swimming pool the ice rink is the only place where I am not literally attached to my smartphone. Don’t get me wrong, I love other activities, such as a long walk to chat with a friend, reading a good novel, and knitting, but the concentration that skating requires forces me to actually forget about everything else and focus on the task at hand. This ability to focus serves me well when I am facing an office full of patients and need to devote my full attention to the patient in front of me. on the otheR foot Another great aspect of skating is that it appeals to the student in me. I am back in the position where I am not the expert, doctor, boss, or employer. I am the student and must take instruction and criticism from my teachers. What seems simple and is second nature to my skating teachers is often difficult both in concept and practice to me. They are patient with me. This position of dependency helps remind me how a new staff member may feel when being oriented in my office, or how a patient who knows so little about his/her skin disease may feel when diagnosed with a skin disease that is routine to me. Also appealing is the fact that skating is visual like dermatology. As a skater I study the tracings my skate blades leave on the ice. I strive to per-fect all of the turns: right foot and left, forward and backward, mohawks, three turns, brackets, rockers, counters, and choctaws, just as I strive for discovering a melanoma, the best combination of medications for the distraught acne pa-tient, the perfect wound closure, or the most pleasing filler result. On the other hand, the skater, like the patient, must have realistic expectations. The adult skater will never have the same fluidity and ease on the ice as a skater who has being My best Ice dancing is not about doing double axels, triple lutzes, and flying camel spins. It consists of clean flowing edges, along with all of the turns and stroking that are necessary to dance waltzes, fox trots, tangos, and cha chas, on the ice with a partner, my coach. Competency tests are given by the United States Figure Skating Association to test the skater’s ability to perform specific skills (moves) and dances at increasing levels of difficulty. I have passed 18 out of 23 dances on my way to a gold medal and the highest level adult skills (moves) test. I really enjoy seeing patients and spend a good bit of the day laughing and joking with them. I truly believe that taking care of patients is a privilege and I take it quite seriously, trying to do my absolute best for each patient. However, I’m sure that I’m not alone in feeling that the practice of medicine these days is a tall order. Hence the need for ice dancing. Skating recharges me. When I skate I cannot think about anything else except what I am doing at the mo-ment. If my mind starts to wander to the office, specific patients, family, etc., I end up sprawled on the ice. When skating, I cannot multitask. Besides the been practicing since childhood. Even with all of the concentration that ice dancing demands, there is plenty of time for socializing. My fellow adult skaters and coaches have become some of my best friends. They are an interesting, intelligent, and diverse group. They provide me with a com-munity apart from medicine and help to keep my life balanced. This past August, when I woke up on the Monday morning after my youngest left for college, I was grate-ful to have the profession that I have worked so hard on these past 26 years and drove to my office. And when my alarm went off that Wednesday morning, my day off, at 5 a.m., I crept out of bed, put on my woolies, grabbed my knap-sack with my skates, and headed for the rink. dw Dermatology WorlD // March 2011 17
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