It is a special day!! Today, September 15, 2010, is my 2-year anniversary at DoctorsNow Walk-In Care! I still remember the excitement and anticipation I had when I landed my NEW job. It has been an amazing time and I am grateful for the opportunity to have a job and serve my patients. Two years later and I am still going strong.

Since my anniversary fell on a Wednesday, I am not at work to celebrate. Is it ridiculous to celebrate anniversaries at work? "Oh hey, Dr. J, congratulations on sticking it out another year! Here's your bronze medal. Next year you get a silver medal and the year after that a gold medal."

Personally, I do not think anniversaries are ridiculous. An anniversary gives me an opportunity to appreciate both how far I have come and how far I can continue to go. Anniversaries can be a wonderful time to celebrate another year of engaged employment.

The road to becoming a doctor is a long and difficult one. In fact, doctors go through more education and training than almost any other type of professional. At the very minimum, it takes eleven years to become a doctor...4 years of college, 4 years of medical school, and 3 years of residency. For some specialties, residency training may take up to 8 years before they are fully trained. Still, most doctors love their work and believe it was well worth the years of effort.

An anniversary is a beautiful thing. I will think of it as celebrating myself as a thriver rather than a survivor! Bring on the medals!