By Robert Harold Ablove, MD

“If I am not for myself, who will be for me? If I am not for others, what am I? And if not now, when?”

The above quote is from Hillel the elder, a second century Rabbi. It has largely informed my career. The purpose of my career has been to be of service: to my patients, my coworkers, my staff, and my students. When I was twelve, I went to work with my father who owned a small plumbing supply business. He told me he wanted me to learn how to run the business in case anything happened to him. In addition to developing a fear of my father’s demise, I received a thorough education in customer service, plumbing, inventory management, and accounts receivable and payable. Years later, he told me he never wanted me to follow him into “the business,” he simply wanted me to learn what it meant to work for a living, how to treat people, and how we all depend on each other.

It has been the same in my orthopaedic education. I gravitated towards great mentors, wrote down pearls, figured out what I wanted to do, and formulated a plan to get it done. I have become better at listening to my patients. I have learned more from my failures than my successes and tried to emerge stronger. Inside the OR and out I have always tried to be as specific with my goals as possible. Vague plans are much harder to execute. I have tried to be honest with myself about what I know, and, more importantly, what I don’t know. I was never afraid to pick up the phone and call one of my mentors. You don’t have to train under someone for them to be your mentor. Some of my greatest teachers are people I have met through being part of a practice, traveling, serving on committees, joining societies, and attending meetings. It has given me the opportunity to constantly learn new things, refine my practice, and provide better care. It is never too late but you need to keep going. To quote the great football coach Marv Levy: “If you say you plan to retire in two or three years, you’ve already retired.”

What has emerged for me is a strong sense of self trust and it has made me a better physician, mentor, and teacher.