Post by Adrienne Towsen, MD

Look at that view... Through the window of exam/consult room 1 in my new office, I have the perfect view of the hospital where I worked for the last 19 years It looks nothing like when I started back in 2006. In fact all that I can see is new. The original part of the hospital is almost totally obscured by the new wing and parking garage Sadly, the original hospital seems like a distant memory in so many ways This place, while very different from when I started, was not why I left my job. In fact, since I did mostly outpatient surgery, I was only in the hospital a couple days a month to operate as well as days on call I left my practice due to private equity, but in doing so I also left the hospital and the surgery center where I spent much of my time. However, these places had become far from ideal as well...why? Corporatization This hospital was an incredible place to work for a lot of years, but like so many aspects of healthcare, once it became part of a larger system, that changed. Thankfully many great people remained, but the atmosphere was completely different as compared to when I started In recent years, there were many times I pulled into the parking garage at the crack of dawn or in the middle of the night, thinking I would rather be anywhere else but there... dreading going inside, but knowing it was my duty I'm sure I could have kept going for many more years, but at what cost to me? It was so rare to find a truly happy...fill in the blank- doc, nurse, tech, etc. It was people going through the motions and venting to each other about the system day in and day out. We still managed to take great care of patients, but it just wasn't the same For these reasons, I will enjoy the view knowing I did a lot of great work there for a long time, but also realizing it truly is time for me to move on. The good memories and lasting relationships allow me to be satisfied that it was 19 years well spent...Onward