Good Times, Bad Times, Time to Get Out Alive: Ruminations of a Retiring Critical Care Physician

Preparation for a career in critical care medicine started from the onset of my internal medicine residency during the early 1980s. Whereas I greatly enjoyed the intellectual challenges presented by patients on the general medical ward, I quickly grew to appreciate the cognitive as well as the direct hands-on skills needed to care for the most critically ill patients. The attending staff rewarded my passion by allowing me to do elective rotations in the intensive care unit, as well as offering instruction in advanced resuscitation techniques.