The minutiae of clinical work intrude upon me at all times. The ping of an email announces a new message asking for a prescription refill, an urgent appointment, a question to be answered. The anachronistic vestige of the medical profession beeps angrily at me when the hospital operator pages me to call the pathology laboratory because of a mislabeled specimen. The yellow bar on the electronic medical record flashes an inescapable reminder that I have results to follow up on. In the clinic room with a patient, I struggle to remain focused as my eyes drift to the clock that relentlessly ticks away and into the next patient鈥檚 appointment time.