The Cheerful Oncologist says "no" to slowing down

I’m sure he is representative of many physicians:

Last week I was rushing down the hospital corridor on my way back to the office when a passing nurse cried out “Slow down, Doctor!” I laughed and scurried on as before, and thought about what she was trying to say. Was she afraid I was going to have a heart attack, or just run into some unsuspecting pedestrian? Maybe she was embarrassed at the speed I was traveling compared with hers – did my haste mean I cared more than she did? What if she thought that no one should be permitted to work at a faster pace than the rest of us – that it was unfair to all the workers in the world that one of us would dare to outshine all the others? Am I overinterpreting this little incident?

Oh, and by the way – who cares? I am not going to slow down. Speed is in my blood and I will continue to use it to my advantage. There’s no greater feeling than completing two day’s worth of work in one and still getting home in time for dinner, especially if the seventh game of the World Series happens to also be on that night . . .

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