As a cardiologist I enjoy the long-term relationships Ibuild with my patients. I may initially meet someone when they come to thehospital with a serious, sometimes life-threatening heart condition.Thankfully, we have great treatments for cardiovascular disease. I then enjoyseeing people as outpatients with an emphasis on cardiovascular diseaseprevention so they hopefully won’t need further hospitalization or procedures.  What do I like the least? Iam strong advocate of patient-centered, scientifically-driven, cost-effectivecare. I am worried that the way physicians can best achieve these universalgoals is not fully taken into account by healthcare policy-makers.

I remember being on-call my first night as an intern atMassachusetts General Hospital,  admitting patients to the Intensive Care Unitand realizing I loved clinical medicine. During my fellowship at BIDMC, Itrained under a world-expert in electrocardiography, who taught me to not justread a test using memorized criteria, but to really think about what each testcan tell you about the individual patient and their condition.

 Make it a goal to exercise for 150 minutes a week. Even those weekswhere you don’t have the time, try to do a minimum of 75 minutes ofexercise a weekEat in moderation, and whenever possible eat real foods - such afruits, vegetables, complex grains, and lean sources of protein. Avoidanything that comes in a neon wrapper, or the ingredient list reads likean advanced chemistry experiment.Don’t smoke cigarettes, you’ll be healthier and think of all themoney you’ll save.

Cardiology is extremely rewarding but it requires a lotof hard-work that doesn’t end once you finish your formal training. You arealways learning, but not just by keeping up with the latest scientificbreakthroughs. Listen to your patients - they’ll teach you a lot and they’llmake you a better doctor if you take the time to hear their message.