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COVID-19 is a time of coming to terms with meaning in our lives and tolerating uncertainty

Conditions and Diseases

October 19, 2020

Initially, after completing my master’s degree, I felt a bit lost. Being very busy, juggling different roles, focusing on areas of interest to the exclusion of other areas of life has long been my comfort zone. The stillness of having completed an intensive project while working full time would have been challenging enough. But in the middle of a pandemic, I found myself wandering around my house, confined, without a …

All intensivists are not created equal

Debbie Moore-Black, RN

Conditions and Diseases

October 19, 2020

I’d like to preface this story by saying that the majority of the intensivists I have worked with have been exceptional, caring, and professional. We had all established a good camaraderie, and we had mutual respect for each other. We worked well together.

But there always seemed to be one that was the exception.

And as I drive some long miles on a recent getaway to the mountains, the flashback came back …

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All intensivists are not created equal

Is COVID a turning point for sustainability in hospital supply chains?

Genevieve Silva and Cassandra Thiel, PhD

Conditions and Diseases

October 19, 2020

Scarcity has, in many ways, defined the COVID-19 experience in the U.S., from shortages in personal protective equipment to ICU ventilators and hospital capacity, to COVID test kits, to drugs like Remdesivir in hard-hit states. These shortages have added impetus and new dimensions to existing conversations around health care supply chains, some of which had …

Help us make equality an American ideal once again

Kellie Lease Stecher, MD

Health Policy

October 19, 2020

As physicians, we have a unique perspective on racial justice. As an OB/GYN, I am trusted by women, the LGBTQ community, and people of all ethnic backgrounds to take care of them when they are at their most vulnerable. America is at a health care crossroads, and the decisions we make today will affect generations to come.

The very principle of equality is at the heart of these issues. We need …

Medical aid in dying is not assisted suicide

Roger Kligler, MD

Physician

October 18, 2020

In the KevinMD article, “Assisted suicide: a change of heart,” the author contends that there is salvation in suffering, but not everyone believes that is true. While I support the author’s ability to decide how she wants to die, I do not believe that her personal beliefs should dictate how I die.

I retired as an internist a few years ago because of declining health. I …

Medical school in the age of Zoom

Zachariah Tman

Medical Education

October 18, 2020

What has medical school been like in the age of Zoom? Before I was a student doctor, I was an undergraduate student pining after the halls of medicine and the truthfully looking forwards to the rigors of medical school. Upon acceptance to medical school at the University of California, San Diego, I celebrated via Zoom with family. Orientation week was a hybrid model of Zoom and on-campus socially distanced activities. …

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Medical school in the age of Zoom

The vulnerability of abortion access and training

Shereen Jeyakumar

Medical Education

October 18, 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed how vulnerable access to abortion care is in the U.S. health care system. Abortion is one of the most time-sensitive, potentially life-altering procedures an individual can undergo, however, lawmakers since March have explained it away as an elective and non-essential procedure. Bans and restrictions were instituted in 12 states in March and April, with most overturned thereafter or removed once elective procedures were allowed to …

It’s time to change the way we approach the mental health care of physicians

Courtney Markham-Abedi, MD

Physician

October 18, 2020

I recently published an essay on physician suicide: “Doctors are killing themselves, and who is taking notice?” My intent was to bring awareness to this issue and honor a fallen colleague. I want to continue the discussion.

I realized that year after year, I fill out the medical licensure recertification without much thought. I live in Kentucky and have since I was initially licensure and the recertification …

This physician is tired, and he’s not alone

Edwin Leap, MD

Physician

October 18, 2020

I have a lot of energy. I have been going and going and going for so long.

And today, it hit me.

I’m tired.

I began this pursuit of medicine in 1983 when I decided to be a zoology major. I worked and went to medical school. And I went to medical school and worked. Then I worked and went to three years of emergency medicine residency and worked hard for those three …

Reflections on caregiving from a nursing school dropout

Debra A. Shute

Conditions and Diseases

October 17, 2020

My first—and last—clinical rotation was at a newly built nursing home attached to a community hospital near school. I didn’t have a car on campus, and hitched rides from classmates who were typically commuters with night jobs.

They were a tougher, more sophisticated breed of young women than I was used to in my hometown. They smoked, but their voices still seemed naturally lower-pitched than mine. They never squeaked …

The importance of rehabilitation in COVID-19 patients

Waneta Carter, RN and Christine Lau, MD

Conditions and Diseases

October 17, 2020

COVID-19, first diagnosed in China in December 2019, has since spread across the world and affected over 37 million individuals. While most people infected with COVID-19 experience mild to moderate illness and recovery without the need for hospitalization or medical intervention, some require intensive care for weeks to months. Despite an estimated 28 million individuals who have “recovered” from COVID-19, there is increasing evidence of persistent symptoms and even organ …

Doctors in tech cities are losing the rat race

Smart Money, MD

Physician Finance

October 17, 2020

Populous cities are populous, well, because people want to live there. Whether the appeal comes from greater career opportunities or simply being closer to family, these places have continuously grown over the last few decades.

The growth is seemingly self-sustaining — certain industries and businesses exist because there is a population that desires these services. In return, these businesses require workers, so they attract people to the region. Add nice weather …

The inconvenient truth: We need to learn how to live with COVID-19 and here’s how

Jesse O'Shea, MD

Conditions and Diseases

October 17, 2020

Since the small cluster of cases broke out in Wuhan, China nine months ago, the world has profoundly changed. With each passing moment, there seems to be a new COVID-19 milestone. 1 million deaths worldwide. 215,000 deaths in the United States. A White House outbreak. Rather than tell you reassuring lies or downplay the virus, I am going to tell you inconvenient truths. But if …

Suicide in veterinary medicine is a huge problem right now

Garret Pachtinger, VMD

Physician

October 16, 2020

I am a veterinarian. More specifically, I am a veterinary specialist, board-certified in emergency and critical care. I don’t play with puppies and kittens. I treat the worst of the worst in a specialty hospital setting with a state-of-the-art ER and ICU. Despite years of education, including veterinary school, internship, fellowship, and residency to obtain this education and specialty board certification, I was not prepared for the emotional toll of …

Make music out of the sounds that life presents

Anthony Fleg, MD

Physician

October 16, 2020

Way back when humans listened to music without Spotify, AirPods, or smartphones.

In those BSP (before smartphone) days, people would actually get off their tooshies (the medical term for the gluteal area) and walk over to a thing called a stereo to adjust the sound using something called an equalizer. Crazy huh? Millennials reading this are already distractedly Googling all of this to verify I am not spinning tall tales.

Let’s use …

Physician wellness and how doctors can take care of themselves

Todd Skertich

Physician

October 16, 2020

Oftentimes, when thinking of “wellness,” people first think about the physical health of the human body. And while wellness does include a healthy body, it also encompasses mental health. Just like it is important to take care of your body, it is just as vital to take your mental wellness into consideration. According to Meagan W. Vermeulen MD, co-author of the Career and Life Planning Guidebook …

America is a patient and she is sick

Earl Stewart, Jr., MD

Physician

October 16, 2020

The trees are briskly bare. The weather is changing. The days of sunshine are a thing of the past.

A virus is raging in vehement form and remarkable fashion throughout the land, and we are so moved. We are moved to anger. We are moved to change. We are moved to transition in time and to a new season of promise. The clouds are taking a new shape. The sky is …

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America is a patient and she is sick

What are the limitations of COVID-19 testing?

Christine Lau, MD

Conditions and Diseases

October 15, 2020

COVID-19, first identified in December 2019 and declared a global pandemic in March 2020, has taken a toll on everyone around the world. After months of varying levels of lockdown and quarantine, people are developing pandemic fatigue, and craving human contact and normalcy again. This, coupled with the reopening of the nation, businesses reopening, and schools back in session, many people are relying on COVID-19 testing to say they are …

Attacks on osteopathic medicine are attacks on all physicians

Joshua D. Lenchus, DO, RPh and Bradley Flansbaum, DO, MPH

Physician

October 15, 2020

It was distressing to hear and read recent and ongoing disparaging comments about osteopathic medicine, attacking one of our own, from remarks by Rachel Maddow to tweets by Cher and a derogatory video, since removed, portraying a female DO by Figs Scrubs.

Navy Commander Dr. Sean Conley, DO, serves as the Physician to the President. This emergency medicine-trained combat veteran graduated from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine and is well-qualified …

Unconventional residency interview tips

Vybhav Jetty, MD

Physician

October 15, 2020

I’ve done a lot of interviews on my road to becoming a cardiology fellow. Here are a few topics that people don’t talk about enough.

Speed dating

I think of interviews like speed dating. Everyone puts on their “first date.” Everyone behaves their best; therefore, you can’t trust everything people say. Your job is to really listen to what people are saying, how they’re saying it, when they pause, when they fish …

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Unconventional residency interview tips

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