
February 9, 2025
by Dr. Plastic Picker
It’s Sunday late afternoon at 4:21 pm. It’s an unusual time for me to blog, and I’ve been blogging less and less. I’m grateful for life these days to be surrounded by so many who are trying to be climate activists and advocates. They are trying to help and find meaning, and also to move forward with their own lives and careers. So many pediatricians and so many premedical students and medical students. Finally one is almost launched off to medical school after the second application cycle, and two more I’m meeting this week to go over a presentation. Another one we have a presentation at the end of the month at a regional conference. These are real students with real career aspirations, and I’m their real mentor. Like any responsible pediatrician, I’ll see them toward the artificial end goal post of any premed mentor – admission to medical school or decision to pursue a different path.
But I realized something this morning, after several instances where I had to redirect the energies of a particularly energetic and well meaning premed – enough is enough. I’m done taking any additional students. We have many many more still left that I’ll make sure to mentor toward their goals. Still many years of climate work to do and to happily collaborate with them. But today I realized that it’s time for me to say no. I don’t need to recruit anymore. I’ve recruited enough people to this climate work. I’m not helping any of my current students by taking on additional students.
It’s been absolutely freeing realizing that. We have three students now in medical school, and about 3-4 every year that are applying under our collaborative group. But honestly, it’s mostly me. It’s mostly me and a handful of other physicians. And it’s time for me to move on. I never meant for this to be forever. It was meant to be a decade of advocacy and I’m almost at year 5 or was it 6?
I started to say no. I said no to a big premedical conference talk, because I don’t need to recruit anymore students and this is all on my free time. It’s on a day that I’m already scheduled to work, and I’d rather go to work and not have to change shifts with someone else. I didn’t even ask them to ask me next year. I’m probably going to not attend on of the talks that one of my other students is giving that is not related to climate. I’m so proud of them for this talk and actually advised them to apply to give this talk. But they have many other mentors that can help them, and it’s not related to climate and they have been launched. I have been their supplemental advisor anyway, never was paid but did it because it was the right thing for the earth. It was a magical and meaningful collaboration for the last three years. But they were mentored, and had multiple presentations and abstracts and letters of recommendations – from a premedical advisor that was all volunteer. I realized yesterday in a state of panic during a disaster that was barely averted, that I don’t need some of the stress that mentoring so many students has given me. Too enthusiastic. Too giving. All of us. It’s all meant to be, and I’m so proud of them and it all ended up fine. But I took it as a sign that it’s time to slowly finish the climate projects one by one.
I still have about 3-4 years worth of students and climate projects to complete. I’m really happy to start saying no. Everything comes to an end. Our girl scout troop is coming to an end soon, as the girls finish their Gold Awards. I have a meeting with one of our troop members, and I really owe it to her and her family to help with her Gold Award. This is a young woman who I actually know well and in real life, and she deserves my attention.
But what won’t end is that I’m still a pediatrician who now realizes I love to practice medicine. I’ve learned so much letting everyone know that climate affects health and environmental pollution affects kids. I’ve gotten so many awards, and been on TV and published papers and invited to conferences to speak. I’ve met so many interesting people.
But the truth is that in the end it began because I was burned out and I started picking up trash. And then I was better and I realized the climate crisis, and realized I should get involved in doing impactful legislative work on climate and health. And it was because I love my children so very much and I care for my patients, and pediatricians aught to try to save the earth for them. And that’s what thousands of pediatricians across the country have been trying to do – trying to stop global heating.
But one person can’t do it all. One person can’t pick up all the trash on the beach. I had this super human strength and motivation for the last few years, but it’s starting to naturally wane and that is okay. There are so many ways to help the climate movement and I’ll continue to do it. But I realize that our advocacy group has become somewhat unsustainable. Really what I need to do is make sure all our mentees actually grow up and finish their projects and move on with their lives.
So that is what I’m doing, just concentrating on the students in front of me that I know now. I’m not looking for more. And the truth is that this entire endeavor was always volunteer, two $20 websites. It was born out of love and need for connection, and wanting to show the world what could be done when one puts climate and children at the center. After almost 50 talks and media interviews, I’ve said it enough. And I have someone special waiting for me to hang out – to talk about something other than climate.
