What happened to the American work ethic?

I have a friend who told me he was making rounds with several medical students and residents when, after seeing a few patients, one of the students asked, "When do we take a break?"

There’s a question dividing the medical practice right now: Is being a doctor a job, or a calling?

I find it increasingly hard to find someone to do something right the first time at the time they initially agreed to do it. We are the in the post-COVID era of the dog ate my homework.

One work around is to try to fix things yourself, but we all know how that works. YouTube won't get you there.

The American work ethic has a long history that dates back to the religious foundations of our republic and its impact on capitalism.

What would Tocqueville or Weber think of America today? In place of thrift, they would find a nation of debtors, staggering beneath loans obtained under false pretenses. In place of a steady, patient accumulation of wealth, they would find bankers and financiers with such a short-term perspective that they never pause to consider the consequences or risks of selling securities they don’t understand. In place of a country where all a man asks of government is “not to be disturbed in his toil,” as Tocqueville put it, they would find a nation of rent-seekers demanding government subsidies to purchase homes, start new ventures or bail out old ones.

Consider:

1. Refusal to work is something new in the U.S.
2. The Gen Z work ethic
3. The FIRE movement
4. When one spouse retires and the other wants to continue working
5. The death of the work ethic is not something new
6. What happens when AI eliminates work?
7. Doctors of the world, unite
8. The perils and pitfalls of DIY medicine and skimpflation
9. The emergence of non-clinical careers and side hustles
10. Friday is the new Saturday
11. Love and work
12. Fire me, please

Automation has historically impacted blue-collar jobs first, whereas white-collar jobs benefited. The wave of remote work brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic further empowered white-collar workers with more autonomy through remote work. However, generative AI is changing this narrative. Remote workers are now more susceptible to automation due to their tasks being digital and thus more easily automated, but also indicates large potential productivity benefits. But three larger forces are going to drive far more extensive gen AI automation than most expect: ease of use, firms have self-primed for gen AI automation, and growing gen AI autonomy. This means that while some remote workers will lose their jobs, many, many millions of them will soon experience extensive job change that will require reskilling, particularly in management and AI-specific skills, to adapt to the changing job landscape and maintain productivity.

Can artificial intelligence actually increase human productivity?

Of course, with every change there is opportunity. The?American Joint Replacement Registry?(AJRR), the cornerstone of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons?(AAOS)?Registry Program, published its?2022 Annual Report?on hip and knee arthroplasty procedural trends and patient outcomes today. The ninth annual report demonstrates an overall cumulative procedural volume growth of 14% compared to the previous year and includes over 2.8 million hip and knee procedures since 2012 from over 1,250 hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs), and private practice groups submitting data.

Who are the highest paid doctors in the US?

Neurosurgery $763,908

Thoracic Surgery $720,634

Orthopedic Surgery $654,815

What would you do with a universal basic income of $1000/month?

If you want to learn the keys to success, champion athletes offer ideal lessons.

Try the 10-20-30 plan to play harder, not work harder. Of course, there is always the 4-Hour Workweek, Expanded and Updated: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich

Arlen Meyers, MD, MBA is the President and CEO of the Society of Physician Entrepreneurs on Substack