In an age where work-life balance is increasingly difficult to obtain, one surgical resident is struggling to keep up with the demands of both his job and his home life. He outlines his dilemma in a viral Reddit post.
*This is a work of non-fiction sourced from social media discussion boards and verified experts/specialists.*
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The author, a 27-year-old man, begins by explaining that he’s a surgical resident working long hours, often more than 80 hours a week. That said, the author and his wife have recently come into conflict over how to spend his occasional days off. He clarifies:
“A few days ago, I worked a 24-hour shift at the hospital and got Monday evening off. My wife wanted us to go out for dinner, but I told her that I'd prefer staying at home with our infant daughter. That way, I can spend time with both her and our daughter, who I don't see nearly as much as I want to, and also get some rest.”
According to data from the Mayo Clinic, medical residents face a high degree of stress due to the long hours and intense workload associated with the profession. Additionally, a report by The American Academy of Family Physicians found that medical residents often struggle with mental health issues such as depression and anxiety as a result of their demanding schedules.
The author’s wife wasn’t pleased with his refusal to go out for dinner, as he details further:
“I told her that I understand being cooped up all day at home can be very boring, so we could do something quick (<30 minutes) but that I want to spend most of our time at home. She was pretty upset by this.”
That said, the resident is at his wit’s end, feeling dangerously close to burnout from the physical and cognitive demands of his job. He concludes:
“Don't get me wrong, my wife is a wonderful mother and wife, and taking care of a newborn is certainly not easy. But she is also supported by my parents who live with us. It would be hard to continue functioning at this pace without any rest. Besides, I don't want to compromise a single second with my baby for anything else unless I absolutely have to. I'm not spending nearly as much time with her as I should.”
What do you think?
Is the author justified to want to stay home with his baby and wife after spending so much time working, rather than going out for dinner with his wife exclusively?
Or does he not appreciate how exhausted his wife is from being a stay-at-home mom, and he needs to cut her some slack and give her a break by taking her out for a nice meal?
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