If you weren’t a doctor; you couldn’t be a doctor-blogger.
That’s obvious–and obviousness is one of my themes.
The trouble about being a doctor-blogger is that doctoring doesn’t always happen on a schedule. Neither does perfect health. Remember, we doctors aren’t cyborgs; we get fevers and stuff too. Wait, I always say that. Never repeat yourself.
Sorry. Let’s get back to the topic of how many posts per week a real doctor can publish.
As a middle-aged learner, the constant flow of cool medical and science news makes it really easy to get fired up. Not infrequently, I find myself wanting to stay home and read and write about all this nifty stuff. For instance, this happens almost every time I see a stem cell study. I just want to dive in and challenge myself to understand the complicated biology. (Because cell biology will ultimately offer heart patients the greatest mulligan of all. Some day we will scoff at the idea of squishing arteries and implanting scary devices.)
Social media and constant connectedness bombard learners with writable material. Seriously, it gets overwhelming. I can’t even take a shower without thinking of at least three potential blog topics. (Reminder to self: get a waterproof whiteboard.)
So there I sit in the morning before work, bearing down at the computer, the thinking neurons on fire: “Ten more minutes…I’ve got to get this idea down–with an active voice, crisp sentences, correct verb tense and no big medical words.” (But I do like ‘notwithstanding’ and ‘moreover’ and ‘posit.’ Come on, give a newbie a break.)
But then your iPhone buzzes. It’s sitting beside you as you furiously read and tap on the MacBook. Ironically, the smartphone connects the doctor-blogger to real life.
Your trusty cardiology nurse texts you:
“Hello…It’s 0730. R u you coming to work today. You have 4 consults to do before the 2 AF ablations. And the CEO-engineer guy wants to know what causes AF.”
You think:
Dang it. I was making great progress on this post.
This is where I have been.
I’ve been gathering research for the blog. I’ve been in the real world of EP: burning, installing and yes, even sharing some decisions.
I’ll be back soon.
JMM
Carol McPhee says
June 16, 2012 at 9:01 pmAs a multi-published author I appreciate your ability to interchange serious stuff with plain old down-to-earth humour. Your blogging expertise puts my own meager attempts to shame. You are truely great source of information.
Dr John says
June 17, 2012 at 8:09 amAppreciate the kind words. Thanks Carol.
Allison says
June 16, 2012 at 9:33 pmThank you for writing as much as you do! Being an arrhythmic person, I have learned much from your posts that is applicable to real life.
Dr John says
June 17, 2012 at 8:08 amThanks Allison.