• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Association for Academic Surgery (AAS)

  • Home
  • About
    • AAS Staff
    • Contact Us
    • Foundation
  • Membership
    • Apply For Membership
    • New Member List
    • Membership Directory
    • Check Dues Balance / Pay Dues
  • Jobs
    • AAS Job Board
    • Post a Job
  • Resources
    • Assistant Professor Playbook
    • Partners
    • AAS Resources
    • Resident Research Funding Primer
  • Grants/Awards
    • AAS/AASF Fall Courses Award
    • AAS/AASF Research Awards
      • Basic Science/Translational Research Award
      • Clinical Outcomes/Health Services Research Award
      • Trainee Research Fellowship Award in Education
      • Global Surgery Research Fellowship Award
      • Joel J. Roslyn Faculty Research Award
    • Travel Awards
      • AAS/AASF Student Diversity Travel Award
      • Senior Medical Student Travel Award
      • Visiting Professorships
    • Awards FAQ’s
  • Meetings
    • Academic Surgical Congress
    • Surgical Investigators’ Course
    • AAS Fall Courses
    • International Courses
      • Fundamentals of Surgical Research Course and Scientific Writing Workshop
    • Resident Research Funding Primer
  • Publications
  • Webinars
    • Fireside Chat – Maintaining Balance & Control
    • Diversity, Inclusion & Equity Series
      • Allyship
      • PRIDE: The LGBTQ+ Community in Academic Surgery
      • Racial Discrimination in Academic Surgery
    • Academic Surgery in the Time of COVID-19 Series
      • How to Optimize your Research During the Pandemic
      • How to Optimize Educational Experiences During the Pandemic
      • Virtual Interviews
    • The Transition to Practice – Presented by Intuitive
  • Leadership
    • Current AAS Leadership
    • AAS Past Presidents
    • How to Chair
    • Committee Missions & Objectives
    • AAS Officer Descriptions
  • Blog
    • Submit a Post
  • Log In

February 1, 2018 by Nader Massarweh

Off the Grid

I’m now mid-way through my fourth year as faculty and I did something this year for the first time over twelve years spanning medical school, general surgery residency, fellowship, and the first few years of my faculty position—I’ve never completely unplugged from work and really allowed myself to become immersed in vacation.  Maybe part of it is because my wife and I had not previously been in a position to travel internationally to more remote parts of the world where cell phone reception and the internet aren’t readily available.  But, this year we did and let me say it really was an effective way to recharge the battery.

We live in an age where if you aren’t checking email on your phone, then you’re on Facebook seeing what everyone else is doing, or you’re busy on Twitter, or you’re posting on Instagram, or maybe you’re sending a message on SnapChat, etc, etc, etc.  My point is, technology has become such an integral and readily accessible part of our lives, it is often the first thing we reach for when we wake in the morning and the last thing we do before we put our head on the pillow at night.  I personally have a hard time putting my phone down when I leave work because there is always something to follow-up on, an aspect of my research to finish, or a smoldering fire to be dealt with.  However, this year I believe I’ve learned an important lesson—not everything, but by in large the VAST majority of things will either take care of themselves or the issue can wait.

Earlier this year, my wife and I were very fortunate to travel with friends to a place where there was no cell phone reception at all and a stable WiFi connection was a pipe dream.  So, I spent 4 days completely unplugged.  At first, I will admit that it felt a little weird not being able to find out how my patients were doing or to check emails.  But, then I remembered two important things:  1.) I have incredibly dedicated, capable partners who I respect and would trust to take care of me if I were sick, so I didn’t really have to worry about my patients; 2.) I was in an amazing place with my wife and great friends, so was there anything in my email that could be more important than that?  It turns out there wasn’t.

I spent the first couple of years as faculty feeling compelled to always keep work in the back of mind and to constantly be available.  I worried that if I didn’t I would be viewed as selfish for wanting time away or that my patients might view me as not being dedicated.  It turns out I was wrong on both counts.  With regard to the former, taking time away and completely unplugging from the technologies that kept work at my fingertips helped me to really and truly relax for the first time in a decade.  Regarding the latter, when I told my patients I would be away on vacation, they were always incredibly understanding and supportive.

I don’t know why it has taken me twelve years to realize, implement, and learn that it is ok for me to take time away from work for myself and my family.  For those who haven’t yet made this a regular part of your life, you should.  For my part, I’m incredibly grateful that I am now willing to get off the grid.  Better late than never I suppose.

  • Bio
  • Latest Posts

Nader Massarweh

Dr. Massarweh is an Assistant Professor of Surgery in the Michael E. DeBakey Department of Surgery at Baylor College of Medicine. He works full-time as a Surgical Oncologist at the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center where his clinical interest include the surgical care of patients with various solid organ malignancies with an emphasis on utilization of minimally invasive techniques. His academic interests include surgical health services research and the evaluation of surgical quality improvement initiatives.

Latest posts by Nader Massarweh (see all)

  • Finding the Good in Establishing a New Normal - May 20, 2020
  • Sweat Equity or Serendipity? - April 25, 2019
  • The Last Person I Would Have Expected To Do That - August 3, 2018

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Print

Other Posts from The Academic Surgeon:

“I am interested in research, but I don’t know how…” – The 11 Steps to Conduct Outcomes Research
Writing Tips for the Busy Academic Surgeon

Primary Sidebar

Log In

  • Lost your password?

AAS Commitment to Diversity in Academic Surgery

Save the Date: 2023 Academic Surgical Congress

Save the date for the 18th ASC!
February 7-9, 2023
Hilton Americas-Houston
Houston, TX
More information coming soon.  Learn more>>

2023 AAS Fall Courses

Save the Date! Saturday, October 21, 2023 Boston , MA Courses will take place immediately prior to the ACS Clinical … More Information » about Fall Courses

Footer

Association for Academic Surgery
11300 W. Olympic Blvd, Suite 600
Los Angeles, CA 90064
Phone: (310) 437-1606
Email: [email protected]

Follow Us

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Instagram

© 2023 · AAS - Association for Academic Surgery