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Communications consultant and attorney Heather Hansen discusses her article, “Why every doctor needs a translator.” Drawing on her background as a medical malpractice defense attorney, she explains the “curse of knowledge,” where …
Overcoming the curse of knowledge: Why doctors need to translate medicine [PODCAST]
When physicians accept a job offer from a hospital, they are often enticed with a signing bonus in the form of a forgivable loan.
Given the complexities of looking for a job and negotiating an employment contract, it’s easy to see the words “signing bonus” and overlook the term “forgivable loan.”
However, while this may seem like an attractive deal, it carries significant tax implications that …
Signing bonuses and taxes: What physicians should know
In medical training, we were taught to trust protocols, patients, and data—but not our own bodies. The body was something to overcome.
Tired? Push through.
Hungry? Ignore it.
Sore? Work harder.
Sick? Keep going.
This way of being seeps so deeply into us that many physicians stop hearing the language of their own bodies.
We become experts at …
Learning to trust your body again: Healing the hidden wounds of medical training
In our modern world, we often find ourselves caught in a cycle—balancing the demands of work, family, and personal well-being. For those living with marginalized identities, this exhaustion is compounded by societal expectations, a lack of understanding, and a pervasive sense of isolation.
Dr. Nicole Perrotte knew I was a pediatric physical therapist, and she shared with me her experience as the mom of an “atypical” child. Through …
Love, empathy, and the triangle of exhaustion: Why humanity must come first
Over the past two months, I embarked on a mission to complete two reading tasks: A journey in service, the autobiography of Nigeria’s former military dictator, General Ibrahim Babangida, followed by Dream count, the latest work by the world-renowned writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Unfortunately, I have barely progressed beyond the opening chapters of either. My focus, the essential ingredient for deep reading, has remained elusive.
I first realized the extent of …
How smartphones are stealing your focus—and what you can do about it
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Palliative care physician and author Alen Voskanian discusses his article, “Discover the secrets to regaining joy in medicine,” based on an excerpt from his book. Drawing from his personal experience with burnout …
Practical advice for physicians seeking joy and well-being [PODCAST]
The Pitt, a medical drama set in a fictional Pittsburgh trauma center, captures the human connections forged in emergency medicine. The show follows a team of residents and medical students through a relentless 15-hour shift under their seasoned attending, Dr. Michael “Robby” Robinavitch (Noah Wyle). Unlike melodramatic predecessors, The Pitt finds drama in the emotional toll of ER work, emphasizing resilience amid exhaustion. Its commitment to Read more…
Unleashing the kraken: What The Pitt gets wrong about psychiatric care
I love being a doctor. But I almost walked away from medicine entirely—not because I did not care, but because it almost killed me.
I am a neurodivergent, African-American woman who grew up poor and beat the odds to wear a white coat. But nothing in my medical training prepared me for the business of medicine. In fact, I would argue the system was designed to keep me from learning it.
We …
Why every physician needs business skills to thrive
If you’ve ever published or read scientific research, you’ve likely encountered the phrase non solus — subtly attached to over 720,000 research articles in 2024 alone. It’s Latin for “not alone.” In 1620, a Dutchman named Isaac Elzevir believed this phrase reflected the symbiotic relationship between authors and publishers — neither could succeed without the other. He incorporated non solus into his family’s publishing logo, alongside an image of a …
Why academic publishing is broken — and how researchers are fighting back
I grew up in Pickens, South Carolina—a small, poor Appalachian town burdened by health struggles.
In school, I saw food insecurity long before I had the vocabulary for it. Classmates ate honey buns and chips for breakfast, and lunch trays held processed food, pre-packaged meat, and syrupy fruit. For many, it was their only meal of the day.
Years later, while shadowing physicians in nursing homes and hospitals, I began to hear …
The school cafeteria could save American medicine
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Internal medicine physician Edward Hoffer discusses his article, “Can rural health care be saved?” He outlines the significant health care disparities facing rural communities, including higher death rates from major diseases, increased …
Addressing the crisis in rural health care access and outcomes [PODCAST]
Driving through South Dakota after visiting the Badlands, I entered the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. As a medical student at GCSOM in Scranton, PA, I rarely see Native American communities. I was shocked by the poverty and neglect. How had I never heard of Pine Ridge?
Pine Ridge Reservation was established as a prison camp before a deadly massacre.
Pine Ridge Reservation was established in 1889 as Camp 334 for …
Native communities deserve better: the truth about Pine Ridge health care
This beautiful Saturday morning began like many other mornings with a heart full of love and hope. Gentle rays of sunlight filtered through the windows. Their warm glow whispered hope and promise of another good day. This morning, like many others, I woke up early. But little did I know the day would bring a flood of emotions for which I was unprepared. Indeed, as the morning unfolded, my spirit …
When grief hits all at once: a morning of heartbreak and love
So much of the world is centered around looking out for ourselves. We get caught up in our own problems, our own routines, and sometimes, we forget to stop and think about what someone else might be going through. It’s easy to do—we’re all busy, all trying to figure things out. But when we step outside of our own lives, even just for a moment, we start to see the …
Small acts of kindness can change someone’s world
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Health care attorney Dennis Hursh discusses his article, “What every physician should know before buying into a medical practice.” He emphasizes that while receiving an offer to buy into a practice is …
Buying into a medical practice: key legal and financial checks for physicians [PODCAST]
I’ve been listening to Viola Davis’s memoir, Finding Me, and it’s been sitting heavy on my mind. She vividly describes how being both Black and poor isn’t just a struggle—it’s a one-two punch that shaped every aspect of her life. It’s not just about lacking resources; it’s about being trapped in a system that was never designed to let you win.
That message keeps hitting me because I’ve …
Why Medicaid is failing Black children despite record spending
One of my friends from school studied with me in 9th grade. She was exceptionally pretty, the kind of beauty that stood out. She was the only daughter and had a younger brother. She got married at a relatively young age and had one son. After her marriage, she moved to another city. She lived in a joint family and had many responsibilities, managing a lot of issues on her …
When a friend’s mother became my patient and changed my life
Current studies identify the negative impacts of failing to diagnose and treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), which contributes to well-described impairment, morbidity, and mortality. Timely diagnosis, acceptance, and treatment do, in fact, improve outcomes. Benefits include a decrease in negative impacts on self-esteem, depression and other mood disorders, substance use disorders, suicidality, motor vehicle crashes, and criminality. These consequences result from easy distractibility and impulsiveness, which can be damaging …
Why ADHD isn’t just a childhood disorder and what that means for adults
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Child psychiatrist and entrepreneur Marissa Caudill discusses her article, “How a customer relationship management tool (CRM) can help physicians regain control and beat burnout.” She argues that a significant driver of physician …
I’m a family medicine-trained doctor working in a rural ER. I drive 90 minutes to get there, and I do it because if I don’t, no one will. The county I serve has seen its nearest hospital close. The OB unit is long gone. Specialist referrals are hit or miss. And the patients? They’re sick. Sicker than they should be. Because when access to health care disappears, what follows is …
Rural hospitals are vanishing—and lives are vanishing with them
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