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12,636 articles · Since 2006

Articles, page 169

Giving ourselves grace as physicians

“We must give others the dignity of their own path.” – Judith Orloff, MD As the Delta variant surges, few words can underscore what we as a physician community are grappling with. We struggle to make sense of humanity around…

“We must give others the dignity of their own path.”
– Judith Orloff, MD

As the Delta variant surges, few words can underscore what we as a physician community are grappling with. We struggle to make sense of humanity around us. As physicians, we trust and believe science. We understand the data. For us, the answer seems simple and obvious: just get vaccinated! Yet, we are dealing with a population unwilling to …

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Giving ourselves grace as physicians

As we wait for the joy to return to medicine

We liked science and wanted to help people. "I'll help people," we said, "I'll be a doctor. I'll do no harm and try my best." We studied and studied and were terrified on our first months on the wards. Finally,…

We liked science and wanted to help people.

“I’ll help people,” we said, “I’ll be a doctor. I’ll do no harm and try my best.”

We studied and studied and were terrified on our first months on the wards.

Finally, we made it. We passed through medical school and residency.

So early into the excitement of our careers, the virus has come, and we are scared.

Everyone else is staying home and sheltering in place, …

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As we wait for the joy to return to medicine

To my fellow physicians who are struggling with suicidal ideation

Thanks for gathering today in this anonymous detached space. Since it’s unlikely that we’ll ever publicly convene in a circle on metal folding chairs, I’m reaching out through this letter. You can peruse this in private and perhaps see a…

Thanks for gathering today in this anonymous detached space. Since it’s unlikely that we’ll ever publicly convene in a circle on metal folding chairs, I’m reaching out through this letter. You can peruse this in private and perhaps see a piece of yourself here.

As a non-practicing physician who speaks openly about my decades of suicidal ideations, I know there’s a thirst for connection on this topic. Colleagues pull me aside …

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To my fellow physicians who are struggling with suicidal ideation

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20 years after 9/11, we face another tragedy

As Delta numbers soar, I yearn for an escape from the daily discussions about why you should get vaccinated and why a mask is necessary, an escape from the daily worry that our six-year-old asthmatic son’s cough is just that,…

As Delta numbers soar, I yearn for an escape from the daily discussions about why you should get vaccinated and why a mask is necessary, an escape from the daily worry that our six-year-old asthmatic son’s cough is just that, and not more, and when can we get him a vaccination, and when can I get a booster as I edge past the 8-month anniversary of my first round of …

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20 years after 9/11, we face another tragedy

The most patriotic thing you can do right now is get vaccinated

15

I am so tired of the freedom argument with it comes to vaccines. So tired. It didn't really hit me until I learned more about medicine, government, and public health, just how much freedom is taken for granted. I get…

I am so tired of the freedom argument with it comes to vaccines. So tired. It didn’t really hit me until I learned more about medicine, government, and public health, just how much freedom is taken for granted.

I get it. I don’t like it when people try to tell me what to do with my body. All my life, I feel like I’ve gotten an onslaught of advice or orders …

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The most patriotic thing you can do right now is get vaccinated

How becoming a mother made me a pediatrician

For years, I hated when patients would ask if I had children. I consider myself to be a good pediatrician and trained at a highly rated medical school and residency. I work hard and I care for my patients. I…

For years, I hated when patients would ask if I had children. I consider myself to be a good pediatrician and trained at a highly rated medical school and residency. I work hard and I care for my patients. I can, however, be socially awkward and did not start dating until later in life. At its most innocent, the question triggered inadequacies about my social and personal life. At its …

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How becoming a mother made me a pediatrician

As doctor burnout climbs, can we save primary care?

2

It should come as no surprise that primary care physicians are looking for careers outside of medicine. That 40 percent of primary care clinicians are concerned their field won’t exist and that 21 percent plan to leave primary care in…

It should come as no surprise that primary care physicians are looking for careers outside of medicine. That 40 percent of primary care clinicians are concerned their field won’t exist and that 21 percent plan to leave primary care in three years.

Doctor burnout has reached epidemic levels. Primary care physicians feel like mice on a wheel, running faster without gaining ground. If

…

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As doctor burnout climbs, can we save primary care?

Should you stay or leave medicine?

I left my primary care practice earlier this year to focus on life coaching. Why did I leave? Because I wanted to do more and make a bigger impact. I remember how eager I was to complete medical training as…

I left my primary care practice earlier this year to focus on life coaching. Why did I leave? Because I wanted to do more and make a bigger impact. I remember how eager I was to complete medical training as I approached the light at the end of the tunnel. I thought I could finally relax and enjoy life as an attending after all the delayed gratification from becoming a …

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Should you stay or leave medicine?

A doctor’s fear of depression

I was in my fourth year of medical college in psychiatry electives. I remember my professor discussing a young boy, an A-grade engineering student diagnosed with depression one year back and now was admitted in the psychiatry ward with severe…

I was in my fourth year of medical college in psychiatry electives. I remember my professor discussing a young boy, an A-grade engineering student diagnosed with depression one year back and now was admitted in the psychiatry ward with severe depression with psychotic symptoms. I saw the boy, a tall, dark, handsome face — just like my brother. A different kind of fear hit me that day. I saw my …

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A doctor’s fear of depression

Terror in the family medicine office

5

An excerpt from The Real Drama—Incredible Medicine. It was an ordinary day in my family medicine practice many years ago. A variety of patients, many longstanding and from various generations of whole families, were filling the waiting room. Back then,…

An excerpt from The Real Drama—Incredible Medicine.

It was an ordinary day in my family medicine practice many years ago. A variety of patients, many longstanding and from various generations of whole families, were filling the waiting room. Back then, I had four very efficient and nice women working for me, with various duties. We had 3 examining rooms and a small lab. (I’ve cut back since but …

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Terror in the family medicine office

Scenes from a pathology resident’s day

An excerpt from Animals of Undetermined Significance. The “LIC-man” was at his usual post at the “Ultra Fastest Ever Laser Cassette Inscriptor 2XFL” known as the UFELCI- 2XFL, which was on a side counter near the Miami Beach grossing station.…

An excerpt from Animals of Undetermined Significance.

The “LIC-man” was at his usual post at the “Ultra Fastest Ever Laser Cassette Inscriptor 2XFL” known as the UFELCI- 2XFL, which was on a side counter near the Miami Beach grossing station. He was a tall, thin man who had never really wanted to work in the field of lab and medical equipment but had failed to find a job …

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Scenes from a pathology resident’s day

Medicine’s culture of betrayal

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An excerpt from Physician Betrayal: How Our Heroes Become Villains. A mass casualty event begins with one act of betrayal. By one person. A person with power. In medicine the assault weapon—doctor’s orders. One act of betrayal by one doctor…

An excerpt from Physician Betrayal: How Our Heroes Become Villains.

A mass casualty event begins with one act of betrayal. By one person. A person with power. In medicine the assault weapon—doctor’s orders.

One act of betrayal by one doctor may lead to an unstoppable cascade befalling all colleagues downstream in rapid succession.

Physician betrayal always begins with self-betrayal—the act of …

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Medicine’s culture of betrayal

My journey to the root of empathy and why we must try to teach it

2

“Are there specific ways empathy will be tested in the standardized patient exam?” a medical school classmate of mine earnestly asked following a lecture years ago. I laughed, thinking that teaching empathy was impossible. As an optimistic and naive medical…

“Are there specific ways empathy will be tested in the standardized patient exam?” a medical school classmate of mine earnestly asked following a lecture years ago. I laughed, thinking that teaching empathy was impossible. As an optimistic and naive medical student, I had thought of myself as naturally empathetic. During those days, I was able to spend hours with patients, gaining their confidence while hearing their stories and concerns. I …

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My journey to the root of empathy and why we must try to teach it

The emergence of direct specialty care

3

One day, a primary care physician located about two hours away called my office in a desperate attempt to find a rheumatologist. His lovely 64-year-old patient, very healthy otherwise, recently developed a severe and disabling inflammatory arthritis. After conservative treatments…

One day, a primary care physician located about two hours away called my office in a desperate attempt to find a rheumatologist. His lovely 64-year-old patient, very healthy otherwise, recently developed a severe and disabling inflammatory arthritis. After conservative treatments failed, he tried to refer the patient to the traditional medical system. However, they could not get a sooner than six months appointment. This is a symptom of a broken …

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The emergence of direct specialty care

A person-to-person strategy is needed in the pandemic war

3

In June 2020, I wrote a short piece about the COVID vaccine that turned out to be prophetic. I said that the vaccine’s immunity might wane over time, that there might be bothersome side effects immediately, and that the public…

In June 2020, I wrote a short piece about the COVID vaccine that turned out to be prophetic. I said that the vaccine’s immunity might wane over time, that there might be bothersome side effects immediately, and that the public might ignore social distancing and mask-wearing once they were vaccinated. I worried that there would be political pressures to focus more on the economy than on public health.

And I wrote, …

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A person-to-person strategy is needed in the pandemic war

How to heal and revitalize our beloved profession

A few weeks ago, my longtime friend and personal physician refused to grant any more prescription refills for the two medications that I have taken regularly for close to a decade. In a very professional tone, he firmly (and appropriately)…

A few weeks ago, my longtime friend and personal physician refused to grant any more prescription refills for the two medications that I have taken regularly for close to a decade. In a very professional tone, he firmly (and appropriately) pointed out that it had been more than three years (please don’t judge me) since I had been examined or subjected to any routine screening lab work. Having now been …

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How to heal and revitalize our beloved profession

Your best defense? Don’t play by the rules in a medical malpractice case.

Unfortunate outcomes are inevitable even when practicing quality medicine. Most are random events, but some are medical errors. The majority of physicians have been sued and those, who have not, will be. Common to all defendants is that the lawsuit…

Unfortunate outcomes are inevitable even when practicing quality medicine. Most are random events, but some are medical errors. The majority of physicians have been sued and those, who have not, will be. Common to all defendants is that the lawsuit is totally fallacious.

To be fallacious, the outcome of a medical intervention must be an unpreventable random mal-occurrence. This is the only alternative to a medical error. Nevertheless, there is a …

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Your best defense? Don’t play by the rules in a medical malpractice case.

COVID and Afghanistan: a war on 2 fronts

I've faced this disease since it arrived. I flew into the storm in order to face it head-on, leaving behind my family and a hospital filled with denial and petulant resistance to the horror that was to come. While in…

I’ve faced this disease since it arrived. I flew into the storm in order to face it head-on, leaving behind my family and a hospital filled with denial and petulant resistance to the horror that was to come. While in New York, I worked alongside men and women who were working at the edge of their capabilities in a heroic and inspiring way. I watched what can happen when a …

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COVID and Afghanistan: a war on 2 fronts

Exposure in surgery is everything

An excerpt from All Bleeding Stops. 42nd Surgical Hospital Phu Bai Republic of Vietnam August 1967 They hear them before they see them, the deep, thudding whump of the rotors pounding in their brains, booming in their chests. The choppers…

An excerpt from All Bleeding Stops.

42nd Surgical Hospital
Phu Bai
Republic of Vietnam
August 1967

They hear them before they see them, the deep, thudding whump of the rotors pounding in their brains, booming in their chests. The choppers come at them, rising over the wall of trees, leaking oil, dripping blood, enlarging, becoming darker, louder, filling the sky with their deafening roar. They hit the ground in a whirlwind of …

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Exposure in surgery is everything

One day we will face our own mortality, and need someone to listen to our stories

I am sitting in a hospital room in Birmingham, Alabama. My 87-year-old father lies in a bed, frail, thin, and weak. This once physically strong and imposing man is a shell of who he was, of who he will always…

I am sitting in a hospital room in Birmingham, Alabama. My 87-year-old father lies in a bed, frail, thin, and weak. This once physically strong and imposing man is a shell of who he was, of who he will always be in my mind – a larger-than-life Ranger infantry officer. A man who served two combat tours in Vietnam – my hero. I, too, wanted to be like him. That …

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One day we will face our own mortality, and need someone to listen to our stories

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