FEATURE
THE PERSONAL Sacrifice
Andrea Breaux , MD
When you ask someone what you must sacrifice to become a physician , you get several standard answers . Most of these pertain to material or readily measurable things . You will sacrifice money , hundreds and thousands of dollars of it . You will sacrifice your youth , the greater part of your 20s and early 30s . You will sacrifice peaceful nights at home in your bed , uninterrupted by the screech of a pager . You will sacrifice weekends , holidays , weddings , birthdays and countless other events with friends and family . It is unquestionably true that you will sacrifice these things , and you will continue to do so throughout your career , at least to some degree . In reality though , you will sacrifice something much more , something that you do not hear about when considering a career in medicine . It is something you will not even realize you sacrificed until you are well into your training and trying to hit your stride in medicine .
When I made the decision to apply for medical school , I did not question the number of years , amount of time , or amount of money that I would be investing . After all , I had always enjoyed school , I knew others would be in the same position regarding debt , and as a 19-year-old the road did not seem so long . So , I sacrificed my time and spent countless hours studying . I turned down many invitations to go out in the evening or go on weekend trips . I watched as my friends ’ careers started to blossom and they began buying houses , starting families and moving wherever they wanted . There were certainly times that I felt the strain of this sacrifice and wondered why I had chosen medicine when others seemed just as content in their career , were doing fulfilling and important things to contribute to society , and had a life outside of their work . I was not terribly fazed though and believed it was simply part of the process of becoming a doctor . During my fourth year of medical school , while I obsessed over the match process , I felt my sacrifices had been worth it . However , I was exasperated by the fact that no matter how much effort I had put in , I might not match where I wanted to for residency . My now husband , also a physician , was a year ahead of me in school . We felt as though we had such little control that we could not even count on a shared bed for years . Thankfully this worked out , and we both matched exactly where we wanted to be , together . As we started our residencies , all the sacrifices we had made up to this point faded into the background , and we diligently did our jobs , knowing full well that residency would be the toughest yet . It was not until something unpredictable happened that I realized what it was that I had sacrificed to become a physician .
During my second year of residency , I realized I was in the wrong specialty . My chosen field was not a good fit for my personality or strengths , and I did not see myself practicing after residency in
28 LOUISVILLE MEDICINE