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Physician

Sometimes doing no harm means doing nothing

A couple of years ago, I took care of a 12-month-old boy with a cough. He had been seen by three other doctors over the last two days. Initially, he was seen by his pediatrician, who told his mother that…

A couple of years ago, I took care of a 12-month-old boy with a cough. He had been seen by three other doctors over the last two days. Initially, he was seen by his pediatrician, who told his mother that it was “just a virus” and that his symptoms would go away on their own. Unsatisfied with this answer, she left the pediatrician’s office and drove immediately to an urgent …

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Sometimes doing no harm means doing nothing

Physician

Why America fails at psychiatric care

An article released in the JAMA sites evidence that the suicide rate in America has risen by 24 percent in the last 15 years associated with a significant reduction in the numbers of psychiatric beds available. The U.S. has had…

An article released in the JAMA sites evidence that the suicide rate in America has risen by 24 percent in the last 15 years associated with a significant reduction in the numbers of psychiatric beds available. The U.S. has had a lower capacity for psychiatric patients than comparable countries in Europe for years, but between 1998 and 2013 that number dropped even further.

Waiting in the ER for …

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Why America fails at psychiatric care

Physician

Where is the research to inform policy on gun violence?

Over the 2016 Christmas weekend, 27 Chicago citizens were shot, of which, 7 were shot fatally. While studying in a Chicago medical school in 2011, I saw the effects of gun violence first. It saddens me to realize that six…

Over the 2016 Christmas weekend, 27 Chicago citizens were shot, of which, 7 were shot fatally. While studying in a Chicago medical school in 2011, I saw the effects of gun violence first. It saddens me to realize that six years later, little, if anything has changed. This past year, Chicago has reported a total 745 homicides, a 56 percent increase since last year and the first time in over …

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Where is the research to inform policy on gun violence?

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Physician

7 for ’17: New Year’s resolutions for health care professionals

Yes, suggestions for improvement are coming at you from every angle. Administrators, your patients, your colleagues, your mother, yourself. It’s quite possible that the last thing you feel you need are resolutions. But for those of you that are looking…

Yes, suggestions for improvement are coming at you from every angle.  Administrators, your patients, your colleagues, your mother, yourself.  It’s quite possible that the last thing you feel you need are resolutions.  But for those of you that are looking to make some concrete changes in 2017, here are some to consider:

1. Take care of yourself as well as you take care of your patients. 2016 has proven to us …

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7 for ’17: New Year’s resolutions for health care professionals

Medical Education

A commemoration for the cadavers

At the start of the first week of the medical school at the American University of Beirut, Lebanon, students get introduced to the anatomy lab, and by the end of the week, the first dissection occurs. Students study muscles, blood…

At the start of the first week of the medical school at the American University of Beirut, Lebanon, students get introduced to the anatomy lab, and by the end of the week, the first dissection occurs. Students study muscles, blood vessels, nerves, and other structures on dead bodies they dissect under the instruction of Dr. Abdo Jurjus, the anatomy course coordinator and instructor.

First-year medical students spend around 3 hours a …

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A commemoration for the cadavers

Physician

Overdose on news? These 6 tips will help.

The drama in Syria captivates much of the world. We sit and watch horrified as innocent civilians and children suffer. The pictures coming out of the devastated city are truly heart-wrenching and the fabric that nightmares are created out of.…

The drama in Syria captivates much of the world. We sit and watch horrified as innocent civilians and children suffer. The pictures coming out of the devastated city are truly heart-wrenching and the fabric that nightmares are created out of. As if to add to that unbelievable suffering, a bomb exploded in a Coptic church in Cairo, Egypt targeting women and children. Their only crime was going to attend the …

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Overdose on news? These 6 tips will help.

Medications

California’s vaccine mandate is working. More states should adopt it.

On June 30, 2015, California’s Gov. Jerry Brown signed into law Senate Bill 277 (SB277), which tightened requirements so that parents could no longer opt out of vaccinating their children if they were attending state licensed schools, daycares, and nurseries.…

On June 30, 2015, California’s Gov. Jerry Brown signed into law Senate Bill 277 (SB277), which tightened requirements so that parents could no longer opt out of vaccinating their children if they were attending state licensed schools, daycares, and nurseries.

Dr. Richard Pan (D-Sacramento), a pediatrician, sponsored the legislation, which quickly became a nationwide litmus test on the debate over personal liberty versus public health in the aftermath of the large, …

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California’s vaccine mandate is working. More states should adopt it.

Physician

Dear Lena Dunham: Check your abortion privilege

Lena Dunham is under fire because of comments she made on her Podcast Women of the Hour. The episode, entitled Choice, begins with a thoughtful discussion of choice and how pro-life is a misnomer because those who self-identify that way…

Lena Dunham is under fire because of comments she made on her Podcast Women of the Hour. The episode, entitled Choice, begins with a thoughtful discussion of choice and how pro-life is a misnomer because those who self-identify that way are just anti-choice.

You can listen to the episode here.

The comment that has some up in arms is around the 14:40 mark. Dunham discusses how she was approached by a woman …

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Dear Lena Dunham: Check your abortion privilege

Physician

Doctors have feelings too

As an intern, I once cared for an elderly gentleman who came in with heart failure. In no time, we grew fond of each other. It was almost like he looked forward to my visits. He sometimes called me “sunshine.”…

As an intern, I once cared for an elderly gentleman who came in with heart failure. In no time, we grew fond of each other. It was almost like he looked forward to my visits. He sometimes called me “sunshine.” I am not sure if he meant it in a way that meant that I woke him up every morning.  He was almost ready to go back home when he …

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Doctors have feelings too

Physician

What pediatrician mothers want you to know

As a pediatrician who has been practicing for fifteen years, the most frequent non-medical question that patients' parents ask me is, "Doctor, do you have children of your own?" Their questions show that although they value my medical education and…

As a pediatrician who has been practicing for fifteen years, the most frequent non-medical question that patients’ parents ask me is, “Doctor, do you have children of your own?”

Their questions show that although they value my medical education and expertise, they want to know if I’ve had first-hand experience with the worries and difficulties of having a sick child, making decisions regarding vaccinations, and raising children in general.  I answer …

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What pediatrician mothers want you to know

Physician

EMR alert fatigue: Can we learn from the aviation industry?

Anyone with a computer or smartphone is well aware of the incessant alerts that flash across the screen, often accompanied by a beep or exclamation point. The alert may be for an upcoming appointment, a reminder of an acquaintance’s birthday…

Anyone with a computer or smartphone is well aware of the incessant alerts that flash across the screen, often accompanied by a beep or exclamation point. The alert may be for an upcoming appointment, a reminder of an acquaintance’s birthday — or a just-announced sale at your favorite online retailer.

How many of these alerts are really important? It’s easy to ignore a media news flash — but what if you …

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EMR alert fatigue: Can we learn from the aviation industry?

Medical Education

How should you choose a medical specialty?

Many people know that an important part of medical school is choosing a specialty — the field of medicine that you plan to practice for the rest of your career. However, fewer people know just how many different factors weigh…

Many people know that an important part of medical school is choosing a specialty — the field of medicine that you plan to practice for the rest of your career. However, fewer people know just how many different factors weigh on this decision. As my classmates and I navigate through third year, I thought I would share several of the factors that enter the balancing act:

Clinical interest: The simplest, yet …

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How should you choose a medical specialty?

Physician

The successes make the challenging cases more bearable

I first met her in the urgent care at the cancer center when I was on call one night. She was beautiful: 53 years old, four adult sons, and in incredible pain. She had stage 4 breast cancer, and unbeknownst…

I first met her in the urgent care at the cancer center when I was on call one night. She was beautiful: 53 years old, four adult sons, and in incredible pain. She had stage 4 breast cancer, and unbeknownst to her, she had a metastatic lesion in her femoral neck, which she had fractured about four weeks ago. But she’d just had a spine operation for mets in her …

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The successes make the challenging cases more bearable

Physician

Barren walls: When passion becomes a business

I bought my first house a few days before starting my second year of residency in St Louis. It was a townhome: two bedrooms, one and a half baths, hardwood floors and lots of wall space. So much wall space,…

I bought my first house a few days before starting my second year of residency in St Louis. It was a townhome: two bedrooms, one and a half baths, hardwood floors and lots of wall space. So much wall space, in fact, that I immediately began to look for ways to adorn all those barren surfaces.

After visiting some local art galleries, I came to two conclusions. I knew exactly what …

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Barren walls: When passion becomes a business

Medical Education

The debate over how many hours an intern can work misses the point

I still don’t know how I did it. I don’t know how I got through life as a lower-level neurosurgery resident. I vividly remember the horrific call nights and weekends. There are certain sensations you get when you have gone…

I still don’t know how I did it.  I don’t know how I got through life as a lower-level neurosurgery resident.  I vividly remember the horrific call nights and weekends.  There are certain sensations you get when you have gone weeks without more than two or three hours of sleep at a time.  It wasn’t the foggy thoughts that bothered me most, or continually feeling cold, or even when I …

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The debate over how many hours an intern can work misses the point

Physician

My primary care doctor sent me to the emergency department

My wife who is eight months pregnant went to a routine prenatal appointment last week. She told the OB doctor that she was concerned she had pink eye. OB providers, along with pediatrics, family medicine, and internal medicine all constitute…

My wife who is eight months pregnant went to a routine prenatal appointment last week. She told the OB doctor that she was concerned she had pink eye. OB providers, along with pediatrics, family medicine, and internal medicine all constitute primary care providers (PCP) and pink eye is a common primary care condition.

Surprisingly, the OB physician referred her to the nearest acute care facility. Attributing this provider’s recommendation as rare …

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My primary care doctor sent me to the emergency department

Physician

Obesity and empathy: A physician’s New Year’s resolution

Empathy is the cornerstone of quality patient care. It is no surprise that the fundamental moral code that has facilitated human kindness for thousands of years is what drives physicians to commit to their oath today: Treat others as you…

Empathy is the cornerstone of quality patient care. It is no surprise that the fundamental moral code that has facilitated human kindness for thousands of years is what drives physicians to commit to their oath today: Treat others as you would have yourself treated.

When it comes to the disease that is obesity, I can empathize. I’ve struggled with obesity for as long a time as I can remember. There are …

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Obesity and empathy: A physician’s New Year’s resolution

Physician

An order of ceviche, please. With a hospital visit on the side.

It's October, and I'm a second-year medical student. My best friend Carly and I have just finished a backpacking trip through South America. We fly out tomorrow from Lima, Peru, and we have just one thing left to do: eat…

It’s October, and I’m a second-year medical student. My best friend Carly and I have just finished a backpacking trip through South America. We fly out tomorrow from Lima, Peru, and we have just one thing left to do: eat shrimp ceviche, the classic South American dish of raw seafood marinated in lime or lemon juice, oil and spices.

We wander along the busy streets until we find the restaurant our …

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An order of ceviche, please. With a hospital visit on the side.

Medical Education

A millennial’s guide to medical school

When I started medical school, I believed the challenges would be purely academic: a rigorous four-year chapter in my life, with a shiny MD on the last page. I had no idea it would alter the very core of how…

When I started medical school, I believed the challenges would be purely academic: a rigorous four-year chapter in my life, with a shiny MD on the last page. I had no idea it would alter the very core of how I approach the world.

I came to medical school immediately after undergrad — a path increasingly less common as admissions committees tout the values of “real life experience.” While I should …

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A millennial’s guide to medical school

Physician

3 ways you can advocate for better health care

Being sick is a horrible enough time without having to worry about how much it’s going to cost you. Unfortunately, the United States is unique among developed nations in not ensuring that the populace has a safety net that will…

Being sick is a horrible enough time without having to worry about how much it’s going to cost you. Unfortunately, the United States is unique among developed nations in not ensuring that the populace has a safety net that will protect them against exorbitant personal health care expenses. It’s a terrible thing to have to deal with as a physician. I went to medical school to learn how to take …

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3 ways you can advocate for better health care

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