David,

I am pretty close behind you. The best thing I ever did was give up the hospital, although I really do miss it. I miss being the boss and I miss having the continuity of care. But being home by 6, rare after hours calls and free weekends has made medicine tolerable for me. I had to chuckle about your not feeling like a real doctor. My staff and I are constantly laughing about those days "when we were a real doctor's office", did a lot of ditzle surgery, did endoscopies, drew labs, knew the latest ACL protocols and got out of the office around 8 pm.
But, like you, I am working hard at being the best outpatient physician I can be and my patients do notice the difference. It took me a while to realize and longer to get over the fact that things will go along just find when I am out of the office. I have my patients and my staff pretty well-trained. My ego took a little longer to convince. frown

Leslie
Hospital Employed Physician Who Misses The Old AC

"It's a good thing for a doctor to have prematurely grey hair and itching piles. It makes him appear to know more than he does and gives him an expression of concern which the patient interprets as being on his behalf. "