Physician

The unspoken grief of doctors: How losing a patient changes them forever

Physician
November 22, 2024

I didn’t know
when I placed my stethoscope on your chest,
listening,
that I was listening for the last time.

I didn’t know
that you said,
“when the doctor sees me, I will be fine.”

I wish I had held you longer.
If I had known it would be the last time,
I would have listened
to your heart
for a few more minutes.

I am sorry you had to go
too soon.
It still hurts so much when I lose,
and death steals
my patient.

Over …

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Resilient heart: a journey through medicine and life

Physician
November 21, 2024

Prologue: a life forged in resilience

If you had asked me in the early days of my life where I thought I would end up, my answer would have been straightforward—a career in medicine like my mother, a family of my own, and perhaps a path well-traveled. But life rarely follows the lines we draw for it. Instead, it takes unpredictable turns, tests our strength in ways we never expect, and …

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Is the Goldwater Rule hindering us?

Physician
November 21, 2024

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will likely be the next Secretary of Health and Human Services. He has said things that are not true about vaccines, autism, raw milk, and more that we do not have to list here. Furthermore, I do not want to waste time with facts about his opinions. The health professionals who are reading this essay already know that RFK Jr.’s opinions are not supported by facts.

If …

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How life’s biggest lessons shape us: a journey through struggle, loss, and resilience

Physician
November 21, 2024

Life has a way of teaching us through the most unexpected experiences, often in moments that feel daunting. I reflect on this often, especially when I consider my own journey—a journey shaped by illness, loss, inspiration, and a constant hunger for knowledge. One lifetime can feel too short to absorb everything there is to learn, yet the most meaningful lessons often emerge in this brevity.

As a child, I never imagined …

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How one health care family is using fiction to inspire real change in medicine

Physician
November 20, 2024

American health care is broken. There are decades of literature detailing the physician shortage, burnout, moral injury, administrative bloat, devaluing of physicians, the shift from fee-for-service to real value unit (RVU)–based compensation, as well as the challenges of electronic medical records. No discernible and substantive changes have been made.

Coming from a health care family, I was familiar with the challenges I would face as a physician. My father, John Denman, …

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How a chief resident’s battle with stress and toxic politics revealed an untold story of resilience

Physician
November 18, 2024

Almost three years ago, I was the chief resident of our training program. The chief resident was primarily responsible for designing curricular activities in collaboration with the faculty, attending and representing the department and the residency program at the majority of hospital and administrative meetings, providing regular updates on resident performance, designing the on-call schedule and rotations, and supervising juniors.

It was the most difficult job for me. I found it …

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Why physicians can’t let go of the golden RVU ring

Physician
November 17, 2024

There is something strangely captivating about the RVU (relative value unit) system in medicine. It’s as if it has become our own “precious”—a golden ring that offers power and financial viability, yet comes at a great cost. Just like the One Ring in Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, the RVU system exerts a powerful, almost mesmerizing hold on the medical profession. It promises us control—of our practices, our autonomy, …

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How doctors can minimize harm: the essential duties of patient care

Physician
November 16, 2024

Primum non nocere, “first, do no harm,” is the prime directive of medical ethics for all physicians. It is also the first thing that comes into question when maleficence by a doctor is suspected.

The standard of care is how any prudent and competent practitioner should exercise their duty to, “first, do no harm,” when managing a specific medical condition. The standard of care is empirical and adjusts to circumstances that …

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The influence of intergenerational trauma in families of Chinese descent on perceptions of microaggressions

Physician
November 16, 2024

“Do any of you have children?” the patient’s mother asked each of my team members during rounds. I (STG), as the attending, quickly jumped in and mumbled, “Yes, I have (as a foster parent),” and redirected the conversation back to the medical management of her child.

It was not until a week later, when I was attending a talk on microaggressions, that I realized my team members may have perceived the …

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Finding happiness in the challenges of neurosurgery

Physician
November 14, 2024

I have found that many physicians are not happy. I wanted to share with them some ways to find “amrita” in life. Then we can face life with joyful countenance, ready to receive the Maker when we hear the knock, as described in Revelation 3:20. It is important to associate with virtuosity. La Chaim!

The excitement: Albert Camus said that the “struggles that one encounters in life are by themselves the …

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Protecting boundaries in private practice: a vital key to sustainable success

Physician
November 13, 2024

After more than a decade in private practice, taking care of tens of thousands of patients—everything from preconception to hospice care—I’ve learned how important it is to set and protect your boundaries. I’ve worked in various environments throughout my career, from running my own multidisciplinary medical center to being part of other practices. If I had to choose, I would prefer to be part of an established practice. Running my …

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Trust in American health care: What’s driving the decline?

Physician
November 12, 2024

Trust is vital to the provision of quality health care. Quality outcomes have shown a correlation with exceptional health care experiences, with patients associating higher trust in health care professionals with “more beneficial health behavior, fewer symptoms, and improved quality of life.” Sadly, trust in American health care is on the decline. Stress placed on the health care system by the COVID-19 pandemic amplified growing concerns, with forty-eight …

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Why the RVU system is failing health care and how to fix it

Physician
November 12, 2024

In medicine, when something isn’t working, we tend to fix it. Whether it’s a treatment plan that isn’t delivering results or a clinical process that’s creating inefficiencies, we identify the problem, adjust the approach, and find a better solution. But when it comes to the RVU (relative value unit) system—the very framework that dictates how physicians are compensated—we seem to be stuck. Despite growing evidence of its flaws, its inherent …

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Pediatrician shortage reveals deeper health care crisis impacting all physicians

Physician
November 12, 2024

There was an article published recently addressing the shortage of pediatricians. Though the article focused on this specific shortage, it actually raised many additional questions regarding the physician workforce in general. It is difficult to disagree that continuing to decrease reimbursement, increasing maddening payment schemes, and increasing regulatory requirements to pediatricians and physicians in general will have predictable results. There will be physician shortages, and patient access will be compromised.

Hospitals …

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The long walk home to a better health care system

Physician
November 11, 2024

Like him or not, Bruce Springsteen’s albums have served as the soundtrack to our lives, writing songs that are a reflection of ourselves, challenging our assumptions, and helping us make sense of our messy, chaotic lives. People from all walks of life and from all over the world have found meaning in his music. So, it was no surprise that several months prior to the 2024 presidential election, while on …

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How this young physician’s job search uncovered hidden sexism in health care

Physician
November 11, 2024

Sometimes in life, we experience feelings of desperation, uncertainty, confusion, or curiosity.

I was desperate and wanted to explore my options regarding employment after completing two fellowships, one in oncology and the second one in palliative care.

I don’t have many opportunities in my city due to the limited number of oncology centers. So I started considering other centers, especially in the surrounding cities.

I was thinking about the nearest city, which is …

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A hike filled with color is mind magic

Physician
November 10, 2024

Sure, going on a hike is great exercise. Every step brings you closer to your healthiest body. But did you know, hiking confers brain benefits? What’s more, if you do it right, hiking is magic for your mind. If you’re feeling scattered and your mind is drifting without direction, a properly curated hike can lead you to the right mental path. The color of your hike (green, blue, or red) …

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How better physician leadership can benefit our health care systems

Physician
November 9, 2024

All physicians are leaders, not just those with designated leadership titles, such as department chief, chief medical officer, or CEO. Leadership – i.e., influencing behavior to achieve a desired result – is foundational to the role of doctor.

But we aren’t routinely trained as leaders. More critically, as brand-new physicians, we aren’t explicitly told we are leaders. Typically, we think a “physician leader” is someone who has been promoted to an …

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How I conquered fear and reclaimed my life—a doctor’s story

Physician
November 8, 2024

Up until a few years ago, I was living my life entirely in fear. In my earliest years, I remember lying awake at night judging if the creak I heard was significant enough to mean someone was breaking in. I was scared of basements, scared of strangers, worried if my parents would come home safely—the usual collection of childhood fears. During adolescent years, the fears of my approval-seeking self focused …

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From doctor to patient: a life-changing lesson in empathy

Physician
November 8, 2024

An excerpt from Our Connected Lives by permission of Texas Tech University Press. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

I used to think that as an active oncologist for thirty-five years, I was well-versed on the subject of empathy. But I was wrong. It was only when, in a matter of seconds, I went from doctor …

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