I find other people’s schedules fascinating. Do they wake up extra early to prepare for the day? When do they work out? What is a typical meal like? I am often asking my patients these questions in order to guide them to better health. You can learn a great deal about people by taking a peek into their daily lives.
The blog world is full of day-in-the-life posts. In just a couple clicks, you can find out what it’s like to be a food blogger or a fitness instructor. I thought it would be fun to give an example of my typical day as a primary care doctor. Of course, patient information has been sufficiently changed and kept generic enough to protect the privacy of patients.
6:00 am: Up and at ‘em. Some days, I’m up around 5:30 to work out or blog, but on most days, 6 am feels early enough. I shower, feed the dog, and pack my work bag. I usually make breakfast and lunch the night before to keep things easy in the morning. Breakfast lately has been yogurt with oatmeal, chia seeds, fruit, and almond butter. If I’m running late, I bring breakfast with me and eat at my desk.
7:10 am: Leave for work. I spend my commute listening to NPR or a podcast. I’m new to the world of podcasts and currently enjoy Michael Hyatt’s “This Is Your Life.” He gives tips on increasing productivity, becoming a better leader, and growing your blog.
7:30 am: Arrive at the office. Spend 25 minutes going through lab results from the previous day’s patients. These results can require phone calls, letters, referrals or more blood work. I try to get through as much as possible before 8 am so I can start the day with a clean inbox.
8:00- 12:00 pm: Patient visits. My schedule is made of up 20 and 30 minute slots with a max of 19 appointments per day. Most days, these slots are completely filled. One of the great things about primary care is the variety. I treat everything from poison ivy to heart failure to depression to diabetes. Between visits, I usually take 3-5 minutes to finish the progress note which explains the nature of the visit, tests ordered and my treatment plan. I also try to respond to a few phone notes and emails between visits to stay caught up.
12:00- 1:00 pm: My lunch hour. I’m usually in with a patient until 12:15 and then spend about 30 minutes finishing notes from the morning and reviewing lab results. I make a conscious effort to set aside time to eat lunch and decompress, catching up on news via CNN or Twitter. Lunch is a salad topped with last night’s leftovers of chicken breast, sweet potatoes and grilled veggies plus an apple and a few squares of dark chocolate.
1:00- 5:00 pm: Patient visits. A typical afternoon likely includes a couple “sick visits” for illnesses such as bronchitis, ear infections, or urinary tract infections. I usually see a few patients for regular follow up appointments to monitor their diabetes and blood pressure. I might see a patient back 1 month after starting a new antidepressant to assess for improvement. I also will have 1-2 new patients on my schedule looking to find a new primary care doc and go over their general health care. Some visits are more complex: an elderly patient just discharged after a complicated hospitalization comes to see me to review his 4 new medications and discuss how he still isn’t feeling well.
5:00-5:50 pm: Finish progress notes, review lab results, answer phone messages, and process paperwork that has come in throughout the day. Some days, I am able to leave a little earlier. It just depends how much work I was able to get done in between visits in the afternoon.
5:50-6:15 pm: Drive home. I usually spend this commute jamming to the radio or talking to my mom.
6:15-7:30 pm: I arrive home and Gwen, my excitable vizsla, greets me at the door. I eat a small snack (usually dates with almond butter or too many handfuls of Pirate’s Booty), then head out for a run with Gwen leading the way. She has endless amounts of energy and almost always needs exercised after work.
7:30-10:00 pm: Shower, catch up on a few household chores, and cook dinner. My husband and I keep things pretty simple for dinner. We like frittatas, chicken or fish with veggies on the grill, or spaghetti. If we are too tired to cook, it’s either take out or a quick dinner in our neighborhood. I love having a good show to watch a few evenings a week. Tonight, I’m watching The Good Wife on Hulu while my husband is at grad school- so good! I try to set aside time for writing, but honestly, it can be challenging at the end of the day.
10:00 pm: I get into bed but end up reading for a while. I aim to have the lights out by 10:30 but it’s often closer to 11.
The end!
1 comment
Thanks for this post. It actually helped me a lot.