What’s Important: Breaking Bread Together, Finding an Extracurricular Pursuit

Most health-care practitioners pursue a vocation in medicine to help others. It is the collective goal shared by members of medical teams, just as the Jesuit mantra states, “Be a man for others.” We dedicate our time, energy, attention, and lives toward taking care of patients; it has the potential to become consuming. This is why it is critical to find an extracurricular pursuit. There are unique passions within each of us, and it is important to cultivate these passions when not caring for our patients. Why should we intentionally dedicate our coveted private time to something other than rest, recuperation, and continued refined practice? First, it’s good for you. Engagement in hobbies has been shown to be associated with greater general happiness levels and longer life expectancy1. Second, it will make you a better provider. Innovative behavior and positive engagement in activities have been shown to improve employee mental health and job performance2. Furthermore, you may find a friend. I certainly did. I was ecstatic to begin my fellowship and excited about the case volume and variety, the mentorship, the coverage opportunities, and the overall preparation being offered to me before beginning a career as an attending physician. The year has been spectacular, even better than advertised or imagined. I am fortunate to have found a program that offered what I wanted and delivered on its pledge. This year has been one of growth, development, maturation, and confidence fortification. Unexpectedly, this year also flipped the script on me, as the teacher became the learner, and the apprentice took on the role of expert. I was sitting in clinic, wrapping up note-writing for the morning, when my off-service attending physician approached me. “I hear you make bread,” he stated. This began a 20-minute conversation about sourdough, yeast, dough rise, hydration, bannetons, Dutch ovens, and boules. It was at this point that my year took on a different “flavor.” I had a passion outside of orthopaedic surgery, sports, and academia, which was revealed and shared with others. Shortly thereafter, I shared all of my sourdough recipes: starter, levain, bread, bagels, English muffins, pizza, and cinnamon rolls. Conversations in clinic and the operating room (OR) revolved around sourdough (Fig. 1). In fact, I was summoned from my OR one day to “meet [my attending physician] in the break room.” I was finishing a case, but hurried over when I was able. I found him in his OR mid-dissection—he had moved on from the break room. He paused and told me there was a tin foil package in the refrigerator for me. In it I found a chunk of delicious homemade bread. He had been inspired by our discussions and made 2 loaves of bread with his brother, who was visiting from out of town. This newly discovered fondness was allowing him to connect in novel ways with his family too!Fig. 1: Back of the napkin-style notes offered regarding the process of sourdough bread baking between cases in the ambulatory surgery center.As the year continued, bread facilitated a connection that “bred” familiarity and comfort. It allowed me to speak more freely without fear of seeming inept. I asked more questions, I gained more clarity, and I accumulated confidence. We made plans to bake together, which evolved quickly into an organized dinner for several fellowship programs, hosted by my attending physician and preceded by stretching and folding our sourdough loaves (Fig. 2). In a punny way, our initial interest in sourdough was developing the “gluten” in the relationships across the program. Residents, fellows, nurses, scrub technicians, athletic trainers, anesthetists, and orthopaedists were bonding over bread and inviting others to do the same.Fig. 2: The final baked product beside a hand-crank bread-slicing device.In short, pursue and share your passions. Humans are innately social beings, continuously seeking fulfillment. You may be surprised by who takes an interest in your penchant.