Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

A typical day in this physician’s household

Tara Vijayan, MD
Physician
February 6, 2018
Share
Tweet
Share

There is peanut butter on the doorknob.

Coffee cup in one hand, I stumble after my 17 month-old who is chattering away Mogwai-style, and quickly wipe my other greasy hand on my pajama pants. I ensure that she is not about to ingest any number of the choking hazards my 4 year old has left splayed on our floor.

It is 6:45 am on a Saturday morning, and in about an hour I will rush off to round in the hospital with my fellow, where we will consult on a list of anywhere from 15-20 patients. Just 45 minutes ago my two alarms went off: One crying for a frozen waffle to soothe her mercilessly erupting teeth, the other whose warm breath condensed on my face as he loudly whispered over and over, “Mama, is it daytime yet? Mama, is it daytime yet?”

Though I am an infectious disease physician, I am still a little unsure if the frozen waffle is completely safe. I have not heard of any recent Listeria or E. coli outbreaks associated with frozen waffles. (A quick Google search suggests that it can in fact happen in post-production, though no outbreaks have been reported.) She pulls her hair in frustration, so I try to toast it as quickly as possible.

I am a little more fuzzy than usual this morning. I had the audacity to go out with a few friends last night who patiently listened to me complain. I have no time to exercise. I am exhausted all the time.

But I chose this life. I am privileged. I have a supportive partner and enough income to allow me to pursue the professional ambition that I refuse to relinquish. In my late 30s, I no longer apologize for this. I outsource as much as I feel comfortable doing with my home obligations, but for me, this level of comfort is constantly reassessed. I want to be there for my kids for all the trivial and treasured milestones. I want to be the one to teach them about how to treat people, and I want to be there to watch the world, so new and uncharted, from their eyes.

I was lucky to have witnessed both of my children take their first steps, but I recognize that it was a bit of a fluke. I could have easily been rounding in the hospital, seeing patients in clinic, or giving a lecture when they giddily ambled across the living room, high on life and their crowning achievement to date.

For the fifth time that morning, I loudly state to our family that I am going to go and take a shower. It is a statement I must make to ensure that all small bodies —  2 kids, 1 hound — are accounted for during my 5 minutes of alone time in our house.

We quickly gather the crew into the car and buckle them in. They are going to drop me off at the hospital before heading to swim class. I will miss the first time my “selectively” cautious first-born puts his head under water while my trailblazer floats on her back with grace. I pour the last bit of coffee into my thermos, emblazoned with the words “homeless clinic preceptor.” It is a small reminder of my professional ambition to help the underserved, to teach our future generations, to be a better doctor and to write about it all.

Before I walk out the door, I take an old rag and start wiping.

There is no longer peanut butter on the doorknob.

Tara Vijayan is an infectious disease physician.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com

ADVERTISEMENT

Prev

Financial independence means nothing if you don’t have your health

February 6, 2018 Kevin 0
…
Next

Stop letting delayed gratification steal your joy

February 6, 2018 Kevin 0
…

Tagged as: Infectious Disease

Post navigation

< Previous Post
Financial independence means nothing if you don’t have your health
Next Post >
Stop letting delayed gratification steal your joy

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Posts

  • A physician’s addiction to social media

    Amanda Xi, MD
  • Match Day: Leaving behind my polished applicant identity and becoming a physician trainee

    Simone Phillips
  • Physician Suicide Awareness Day: Where are the patients? 

    Jennifer M. Sweeney
  • How a physician keynote can highlight your conference

    Kevin Pho, MD
  • Chasing numbers contributes to physician burnout

    DrizzleMD
  • The black physician’s burden

    Naomi Tweyo Nkinsi

More in Physician

  • How subjective likability practices undermine Canada’s health workforce recruitment and retention

    Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD
  • Why judgment is hurting doctors—and how mindfulness can heal

    Jessie Mahoney, MD
  • Why evidence-based management may be an effective strategy for stronger health care leadership and equity

    Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD
  • The gift we keep giving: How medicine demands everything—even our holidays

    Tomi Mitchell, MD
  • From burnout to balance: a neurosurgeon’s bold career redesign

    Jessie Mahoney, MD
  • Why working in Hawai’i health care isn’t all paradise

    Clayton Foster, MD
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • The hidden health risks in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act

      Trevor Lyford, MPH | Policy
    • How New Mexico became a malpractice lawsuit hotspot

      Patrick Hudson, MD | Physician
    • Why doctors are reclaiming control from burnout culture

      Maureen Gibbons, MD | Physician
    • Why health care leaders fail at execution—and how to fix it

      Dave Cummings, RN | Policy
    • How digital tools are reshaping the doctor-patient relationship

      Vineet Vishwanath | Tech
    • How President Biden’s cognitive health shapes political and legal trust

      Muhamad Aly Rifai, MD | Conditions
  • Past 6 Months

    • Why are medical students turning away from primary care? [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • What the world must learn from the life and death of Hind Rajab

      Saba Qaiser, RN | Conditions
    • Why “do no harm” might be harming modern medicine

      Sabooh S. Mubbashar, MD | Physician
    • Here’s what providers really need in a modern EHR

      Laura Kohlhagen, MD, MBA | Tech
    • The hidden health risks in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act

      Trevor Lyford, MPH | Policy
    • Why Medicaid cuts should alarm every doctor

      Ilan Shapiro, MD | Policy
  • Recent Posts

    • How President Biden’s cognitive health shapes political and legal trust

      Muhamad Aly Rifai, MD | Conditions
    • Decoding your medical bill: What those charges really mean

      Cheryl Spang | Finance
    • The emotional first responders of aesthetic medicine

      Sarah White, APRN | Conditions
    • Why testosterone matters more than you think in women’s health

      Andrea Caamano, MD | Conditions
    • A mind to guide the machine: Why physicians must help shape artificial intelligence in medicine

      Shanice Spence-Miller, MD | Tech
    • How subjective likability practices undermine Canada’s health workforce recruitment and retention

      Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD | Physician

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

Leave a Comment

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

ADVERTISEMENT

  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • The hidden health risks in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act

      Trevor Lyford, MPH | Policy
    • How New Mexico became a malpractice lawsuit hotspot

      Patrick Hudson, MD | Physician
    • Why doctors are reclaiming control from burnout culture

      Maureen Gibbons, MD | Physician
    • Why health care leaders fail at execution—and how to fix it

      Dave Cummings, RN | Policy
    • How digital tools are reshaping the doctor-patient relationship

      Vineet Vishwanath | Tech
    • How President Biden’s cognitive health shapes political and legal trust

      Muhamad Aly Rifai, MD | Conditions
  • Past 6 Months

    • Why are medical students turning away from primary care? [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • What the world must learn from the life and death of Hind Rajab

      Saba Qaiser, RN | Conditions
    • Why “do no harm” might be harming modern medicine

      Sabooh S. Mubbashar, MD | Physician
    • Here’s what providers really need in a modern EHR

      Laura Kohlhagen, MD, MBA | Tech
    • The hidden health risks in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act

      Trevor Lyford, MPH | Policy
    • Why Medicaid cuts should alarm every doctor

      Ilan Shapiro, MD | Policy
  • Recent Posts

    • How President Biden’s cognitive health shapes political and legal trust

      Muhamad Aly Rifai, MD | Conditions
    • Decoding your medical bill: What those charges really mean

      Cheryl Spang | Finance
    • The emotional first responders of aesthetic medicine

      Sarah White, APRN | Conditions
    • Why testosterone matters more than you think in women’s health

      Andrea Caamano, MD | Conditions
    • A mind to guide the machine: Why physicians must help shape artificial intelligence in medicine

      Shanice Spence-Miller, MD | Tech
    • How subjective likability practices undermine Canada’s health workforce recruitment and retention

      Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD | Physician

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

Leave a Comment

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...