February 21, 2026

by Dr. Plastic Picker

It’s Saturday and I worked the late shift last night. The late shift is not as late as it used to be, and many many years ago when I was Assistant Boss – I had a large part to do with improving our schedules. Now I’m lucky to benefit from those changes. I’m in the trenches and a worker-bee now. I’m happy, and I’m content. I had an emotional outburst in the lunchroom, venting some of my pent-up frustrations being a woman leader. Baking brownies, organizing parties, mentoring when you aren’t ready, endless committees that are not of your choosing – these are the pitfalls that many young women fall into at the cost of their own professional development and their own personal lives. Burn-out is very real, and even now during the premedical process and the medical school and residency training process – it’s a very real threat to our profession.

I think about burnout and professional development a lot. I’m lucky to mentor and be surrounded by these amazing idealistic young premedical, medical students and trainees. I worry about them. I worry about their mental health. I worry about their future. I worry about our profession. I worry about our country and of course I worry about the climate.

But in general I worry a lot less than before. I’m very present these days in clinic, and enjoy the flow of patients that come and go from our hallway. Life seems to ebb and flow smoothly these days, despite doing a lot of climate and health organizing. I’m still almost full time in clinic. But I closed all my charts yesterday and mostly answered all my messages and did my results! If you are an actual physician, you know how wonderful that feels.

But I think what I’m most grateful for is the next 10 years. I get to be a pediatrician for 10 more years. After having been in the same office for almost 16-17 years, that is another 10 years of getting to watch kids grow up. I get to be involved in the community and with children, and try to keep them safe and healthy. It’s such an honor to see a child at their last visit after they have almost reached or just passed 18 years of age, and gently remind them “make good choices! I am so lucky to have been your pediatrician.” That last hug with their parents in the hallway, and with their last sticker in hand – is the best hug ever.

And that’s the greatest gift that being drplasticpicker has given me.