Was there an aspect of the residency program that was unexpected and required adaptation on your part?

• No.

• The management of easy cases that we do not see in residence.

• Nothing unexpected, but it is a constant adaptation. To new environments, new people, new bosses, new pathologies…

What is your favorite alcoholic drink?

• Not a fan of alcohol, but I would say Sambuca

• wine and whiskey 

• Wine both red and white

• Wine

What do the pathologies you treat look like? 

• Chronic diseases (diabetes mellitus, hypopituitarism, adrenal insufficiency, hypogonadism) often affecting several systems that are rarely curable.  We therefore develop a long-term relationship with the majority of patients in order to improve or restore their quality of life.

• Pituitary endocrine diseases (tumors -prolactinomas -cushing-acromegaly and others-hypopituitarism), hyper/hypoparathyroidism-osteoporosis, type 1 diabetes, hyperthyroidism, gestational diabetes

• Type 1 and type 2 diabetes, primary dyslipidemias, thyroid cancer, pituitary diseases

• Fertility disorders, diabetes, thyroid, pituitary and phosphocalcic problems. In short, very varied.  

What does a typical day look like?

• Most often two half-days of outpatient clinics with 1 hour of verification of examination results and return calls from patients. When on call, more variable with consultations for hospitalized patients, pre-operatively, in hemodialysis and in the emergency room, in addition to seeing in the outpatient clinic the urgent consultations of patients who do not need to be hospitalized.

• Outpatient clinic for most endocrinologists and in our middle student supervision. Personally clinical and academic management (meetings or meetings/discussion with professors), academic development. Otherwise hospital consultations and a few hours of follow-up and email. 

• External clinic with mostly learners

• Ultrasound in the morning, meetings at noon, outpatient clinic in PM, often with supervision of residents and externs. And lots of paperwork and emails in between.  

How many hours of work per week on average for the average doctor?

• 50 to 55 hours

• 65 hours per week (I have several tasks in addition to my clinical tasks)

• 40-50 depending on environment and practice or more 60-70  according to interest and academic or research tasks

• 60-70

• In endocrinology, approximately 45-50 hours / week 

• About 65 hours per week

• 45-50

• 45

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What personality traits are typical of your profession?

• Intellectuals (people who like reasoning challenges) patience and communication and helping relationship

• Cerebral specialty, Cartesian, good sense of communication because many chronic diseases

• Be cautious and enjoy solving puzzles

• We like to reflect and understand what is happening. Curious  

What do you dislike most about your practice?

• The significant amount of results tracking to be done.

• Follow-up of laboratory results

• The limitations of the RAMQ in the accessibility of treatments (online forms) but this is a small part in total

• The response to telephone messages from patients and it is often the same patients who always call back the secretary

• Non-compliant, non-compliant patients. 

• The paperwork, really made it too heavy.  

What specialty would you never do? Why?

• Rheumatology.  I really don't like musculoskeletal although I like calcium phosphate!

• Orthopedics. Too mechanical / technical and not physiological

• Pathology, unable to spend hours on a microscope

• Ophthalmologist. The eyes, it sickens me. I could also say patho, the microscope is not for me

During your medical studies, what did you do on a Friday evening?

• Cinema/walk/dinner with friends

• Dropping out, Anything except studying (cinema, restaurant, sport, parties, family)

• In any case, no studies. I didn't miss a party during my medical class (even the one with sand (Beach party) in the teachers' lounge)

• Dinner with friends. Good company, good wines

What are the difficulties, the least pleasant aspects that you encounter in your specialty?

• Denying inappropriate treatment to a patient who wants that treatment. See patients who don't take care of their chronic illnesses and who are going to have complications afterwards.

• What irritates me the most is when there is a lack of resources for follow-up or treatment and I feel that I am not doing or can do the best I can for the patients.

• Lack of adequate support from a multidisciplinary team for the management of chronic diseases

• Lots of lab follow-ups, which adds a lot of pts to remember on top of the busy day

What car do you drive?

• Acura MDX

• Mitsubishi phev hybrid

• Subaru Crossteck plug-in hybrid

• Electric Kona

How do you plan your vacation?

• Usually a few months in advance, at the hotel with the children and seeing the country (or other countries).

• I have a lovely wife who takes care of that quite a bit. We decide on the destination, she takes care of the logistics.  I am and I drive the vehicle.

• In advance, to align them with school holidays. We are several colleagues, it is generally not too complicated to take the holidays that I want.