I recently attended a conference presentation on workplace challenges from a young cardiologist's perspective, and I was reminded of a family medicine intern whom I will call Jack. "Smart but lazy" was my assessment of his performance during a 4-week rotation on my cardiology service. Unknowingly, I had a front-row seat to a slowly unfolding tragedy. I learned more about Jack from that presentation than I had ever known about him in life, and that's a shame.
I learned that since Jack was a millennial, he was probably in a hurry for success but needed a sense of purpose. He likely knew of my high expectations, and that made it difficult for him to have the time to network with friends and family who could provide support. My desire for him to stick with it during long days and nights probably didn't balance well with the millennial "preference for a flexible and liberal workplace policy." That presentation by another young doctor, summarizing typical characteristics of millennials, gave me a glimpse not only of who Jack was but also what he probably did not wish to be.
Leaving 'Early' Equals Lazy
I remember one particular evening, around 5 pm, when Jack and I finished rounding on the telemetry unit.
