Aw, Doc! I'm sorry you feel this way. I think many of us have gone through those feelings as well.

Is there another place you can work that has more flexible hours and yet not the stress of private practice? Could you switch and only do consult work? I know several people both in and out of the medical field that have switched over to consulting for various reasons - mostly less stress and more flexibility. It has worked well for them. I switched from working in the hospital to doing a small amount of medical transcription at home. It's working out well for me as I do have that flexibility that I need. Another friend of mine switched from hospital work to home health nursing. Another who now works as a school nurse. And yet another who only works a couple of days a week at a children's home on the overnight shift. Several of my nursing friends have also switched from floor nursing to quality care. And one of my dr friends switched from surgery to owning his own construction company. He got tired of the hours and stress.

Remember, when 1 door closes, another always opens. We just have to look to see the new door opening up; sometimes, we have to search for it but it is always there.

Hang in there and let us know how you are doing.