For one brief and shining moment...
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I was at a funeral a few weeks ago, and I was talking with somebody I've known personally and professionally for many years. She is a somewhat recently retired lab manager or administrative director, choose your title. We were talking shop, in general, and I asked about how her old place was doing under the new director.
"What new director", she asked. "He's already quit".
And then she told me, "You want that job. I'll make a call this afternoon and I think you'll have it".
I told her to let me think it over and I'd call her by the next day. I decided no, John Henry don't want that ball. I'm too old and my health is not what it needs to be.
But for one brief and shining moment, I entertained the thought. I could do this job. I could excel at it. I know that lab, I know the corporate entity, the culture and the historical zeitgeist that makes it what it is and why it has to change. It would take two to three years to totally turn it around...There are some people who need to retire, some that need to be fired and some that would have to be dragged out of their silos, kicking and screaming. The cliques have to be replaced by a family attitude and some of the educational holier-than-thou crap has got to go. I'm a "if-somebody-sits-we-all-sit" manager, which means I want a staff that is trained, able and willing to flow to any congestion point at a moment's direction and maximize production.
You'd have to also try to continue a history of excellence, but do it without the massive overkill that costs more money than it's worth. They need to rethink flex schedules and educational levels for certain tasks.
Lastly, they're doing some things that make them money, but is not worth the effort. They're also doing a few things that don't make them money that I simply do not think is medically necessary in this day and time of shrinking reimbursements.
And then I thought again about exactly what doing this job would entail. I still have the passion, I just can't guaranty I have the stamina. Not to mention, being retired or even working just the few days I do (I'm doing a little
PRN today
), is not bad for the soul, even though the money would have been nice.So, I think I'll crawl back on the porch and enjoy the sunshine. Let some other dog do the running and chasing.
But for one brief and shining moment, I entertained the thought I was younger than what I am...
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"Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... " - Mik, 6/14/08
The saying, "Lite is just one damn thing after another," is a gross understatement. The damn things overlap.
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@george-k said in For one brief and shining moment...:
@Jolly has been pushing me to do locums work ever since I retired. Nope, nope, nope.
Yeah, but you're a doctor, dammit! There is no such thing as a retired doctor, just one that no longer practices.
I'm just a peon. You have transferrable skills that are still valid in today's world, that could make a huge difference. Rust can be polished off, if the mind is still good and there is no doubt that you're still sharp as a tack.
Locum tenens work, as much or as little as you wish. if you want to dust off some old skills, there are always medical missions or free clinics. You can do this.
Help me to help you.
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Like 89th said, it sounds like you gave the offer a good think-through, and you know your limitations.
Your friend from the funeral gave you a gift, though -- a lovely and important compliment that you can bask in as you relax on your porch -- one that will never lose its shine if you don't let it.
Not for nuttin, it sounds like the job she dangled needs a team rather than one person.
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I’m always willing to consider part time opportunity if one would be enjoyable, but I have never in my career received so many contract solicitations. All full time. No thanks.
Don’t need the money but keeping my hand in or earning some new tech could be fun.
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“I am fond of pigs. Dogs look up to us. Cats look down on us. Pigs treat us as equals.” ~Winston S. Churchill
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@catseye3 said in For one brief and shining moment...:
Like 89th said, it sounds like you gave the offer a good think-through, and you know your limitations.
Your friend from the funeral gave you a gift, though -- a lovely and important compliment that you can bask in as you relax on your porch -- one that will never lose its shine if you don't let it.
Not for nuttin, it sounds like the job she dangled needs a team rather than one person.
Teams just don't work, I've seen them tried. It takes a benevolent dictator.
You're also the buffer between the pathologists and much of the hospital staff. The point man for a lot of crap. Or, as one of my mentors told me long ago, "If you're not getting your ass chewed on at least once a week, you're not doing your job".
