Trying New Things

The problem with getting older is that we become more self-conscious, nervous, and worried about new things. Most of us, I imagine, find satisfaction in the routine of our lives. We become sedate, lose courage, stop imagining, cease learning.

This is not a post about medicine, but this happens in medicine all the time. I see attendings who refuse to try new medications and techniques because they came out after the attendings trained. I see surgeons who avoid robotic and laparoscopic surgery because they never got the hang of the innovative technologies. And in myself, I know that immersion in anesthesia means I like talking about perioperative medicine, but not about psychiatric disorders or radiology reads or preventive medicine. Of course there is a reason for this. We want our doctors to stick with tried-and-true methods, to avoid being "creative" in our treatment, to hone one skill and practice it.

But let's not get in a rut. I want to be the kind of doctor that challenges the old, pokes and prods the new, and makes an honest, open, and reasoned assessment about what new things to adopt. I want to be the kind of doctor who takes ownership of my field but does not become confined by it, who seeks to learn about innovation, development, and technology outside of anesthesia.

But more importantly, I want to be the kind of person who tries new things. It is time to strike out, breach that comfort zone, change and improve things. I want to quell that unease in my stomach when I meet new people, to peel myself away from the wallflowers at a dance, to explore cooking a new cuisine, to embark on new life milestones.