Table of Contents

1. Preface

2. Main Article

3. Readers’ Favorite

4. Stuff

Preface

Number 99!

That’s the last double-digit number. The next time the number of digits will change (#1000) will be in 18 years…

And let's stop this line of thought here 😀

Last week, I wrote about my Garmin watch and received some questions about the Apple Watch. It seems people who use the Apple Watch like how it functions as a phone. They can even take it with them for a jog and leave their phone at home.

Can my Garmin watch do that?

Nope.

It can connect to the phone when you take it with you, but unlike the Apple Watch, it doesn’t have its own SIM card.

Would I want my Garmin watch to have a SIM card?

Absolutely not.

I almost never leave it connected to my phone.

I don’t want to receive any phone calls or messages when I'm out running. NONE.

All the messages I get are related to my run, such as: “warm up,” “cool down,” and “great job!” Actually, it’s more like “fair,” or, “you have room to grow.”

Which is Garmin’s way of telling me I’m in terrible shape 😆.

But you have to start somewhere, right?

Speaking of phones and connectivity, I recently returned my pager 📟. You know, the beeping device that enables your hospital to send you urgent messages wherever you are. Some call it a "beeper."

But for me, this pager signified something much deeper than just getting messages.

For me, it signifies a childhood dream.

Ninety-nine!

Let’s do this!

Main Article

A 14-Year-Old Kid’s Dream

When I was 14, I had five favorite TV shows: The Simpsons, Northern Exposure, Seinfeld, Friends, and ER.

I even recorded each episode on our VCR to watch them again over the week. Those were the wholesome days before the internet changed everything.

But there was one TV series that changed everything for me:

ER

ER portrayed the life of a doctor. From what I heard at the time (and what I know today), it is spot on. This is EXACTLY what life is like as a doctor.

And as a 14-year-old kid, that was my dream—to become a doctor.

Like Batman

As a 14-year-old kid in the 1990s, I witnessed the arrival of the first cell phones: the huge Motorola, followed by Ericsson and Nokia. At first, only very important (or very rich) people had cell phones.

Pagers were different. They were issued by the employers of very important people—those who knew how to do very special things—doctors, police officers, and government officials—people who left everything behind to help others.

As a 14-year-old kid, I watched ER. I saw the doctors on TV receive a page and rush to save the day.

Like Batman.

It seemed magical to me. If only I could have a pager 📟.

Riding the Ambulance

At 15, I joined the medical emergency services as a volunteer (”MDA”) 🚑.

Most of the time, I didn’t have a pager. But I rode ambulances.

With time, I took on more responsibilities, including the ICU ambulances, instructor, and head instructor. I was called in for some horrific events, but as a kid, your role in the treatment is limited.

You’re not Batman.

Reading Harrison

I wanted to be a doctor so much. To a point where my birthday present was a pocket version of "Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine."

The doctors in the crowd must be smiling now 😃.

Harrison!

For those who don't know what "Harrison" is, it's like the Bible of medicine. It's the book with all the diseases and all the important stuff you need to know as a physician.

So, I read it. As a kid.

I Hate This Ringtone!

Fast forward, I’m a resident in Oral and Maxillofacial surgery.

As a resident, you’re on call.

You sleep at the hospital.

By the way, this is why it’s called a RESIDENT— you live at the hospital.

You rush to the ER and take care of your patients.

As a resident, I didn’t have a pager. Instead, I had a cell phone dedicated to hospital calls (separate from my private number).

And how I hated the ringtone of that phone.

You know how you hate the sound of your alarm clock? Now multiply it by 100.

In the rare cases you go to sleep, they wake you up with phone calls.

Oh, those 4:30 am calls. Twenty minutes after you went to bed. Absolutely horrible.

But you’re living the dream. This is what you wanted at age 14.

Well, most of it.

Finally, My Own Pager

Fast forward, I'm a fellow—this time, in the USA.

In the US, hospitals use pagers, not cell phones.

It's actually pretty nice. I prefer it over the invasiveness of the cell phone.

So, for two years, I carried a pager everywhere I went.

Batman 🦹

As a fellow, you don't get paged as often as a resident. But when you're paged at night or over the weekend, it usually means something REALLY urgent has happened. Time to rush to the hospital. On some occasions, I actually RAN 🏃.

Just like the doctors I saw on TV.

Dreams and Reality

Let me tell you something.

This pager is LOUD.

And if you forget to change the battery before it drains out, it will beep at 4:00 am to remind you to replace the battery!

I think it’s a sick joke made by the designer of these pagers: “Let’s wake those doctors who are too lazy to change the battery!”

So that was the dream. And that was the reality.

I can’t say that I hated the pager like I hated my phone's ringtone.

It was indeed a dream coming true.

But after two years, the first night after returning the pager felt different.

I didn’t have the pager next to my pillow.

And I turned off my phone. Yes! Off!

I haven’t turned it off for two years straight!

I slept so well. I hadn’t slept that well for two years.

Dreams, and reality.

Readers’ Favorite

I receive many questions from friends and colleagues considering a fellowship, post-doc, or residency.

In Friday’s Digest #80, I shared my responses.

Stuff

💡Gear I use - Apple EarPods. Not AirPods, EAR pods.

They are my go-to for Zoom calls. Their microphone quality is excellent, better than any wireless headphones.

For $17, they offer great value. I always carry them in my bag.

They can connect to any device via USB C, including Android. There are also Lightning and 3.5 versions.

Epilogue

If you received this newsletter from a friend and would like to join Friday's Digest, visit https://newsletter.shaysharon.com

That’s it for this issue.

Hope for better times.

Shay