My heart goes out to the doctors who write about the unbearable burdens of doctoring in a corporate setting, feeling driven to see more patients than they want to within the span of an 8-hour clinic day. They’re tasked with dividing their time into shorter and shorter clinic visits, devoting more time to inputting data points into the EMR rather than engaging in meaningful patient conversations.
I have experienced both ends …
“Should I get a PSA?”
It depends. Who is asking, and why?
If the question is being asked by a 45-year-old man, the answer is going to be different than if it’s being asked by a 75-year-old. If a primary care clinician is asking, he/she may be confused about current recommendations regarding screening for prostate cancer. The answer is complicated and fraught with bias. Unfortunately, the controversy over PSA screening for prostate …
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We’re joined by Landen Green, a family physician with a passion for transforming health care. Discover the game-changing concept of direct primary care (DPC) as Landen sheds light on its benefits – from accessible same-day appointments to …
Regular mass shootings are a uniquely American phenomenon. The United States is the only developed country where mass shootings have happened every year for the past 20 years, according to Jason R. Silva, an assistant sociology and criminal justice professor at William Paterson University. According to the Gun Violence Archive, by the end of June 2023, there were more mass shootings in the United States than days in 2023 — at …
Where do you start to update a system so deeply mired in antiquated technology and a culture so resistant to change?
Here’s where:
Health records requests. Why should I have to request my own medical records? When I do make a request, why does it take days to get them? Why do I have to physically pick them up? Why do I get a stack of papers, or, if I’m lucky, a CD? …
An excerpt from A Caregiver’s Love Story.
My husband was diagnosed with cognitive decline in the last three years of his life. I was desperate for understanding and help and referred to the following source.
Here are ten tips for communicating with the cognitively declined individual from the Caregiver.org website …
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Join Amy Baxter, a clinical associate professor of emergency medicine, as we explore the intricate balance between physicians’ roles in perpetuating the crisis, addressing systemic factors, and the influence of pharmaceutical industry-sponsored education. Discover the brain’s response …
Science fiction writer Ray Bradbury and I attended Los Angeles High School, separated by 15 years. He once spoke there and quelled the rumor that he failed English: “I got a C!”
His writings extend beyond the realm of reality into a dimension of creativity and hope. Oftentimes, we think mankind has reached the limits of understanding, but in reality, there are things we don’t know regarding the eternity of outer …
When it comes to personal finance and wealth-building, the phrase “time in the market beats timing the market” is often touted as an unshakable truth. The concept suggests that consistently staying invested in the stock market, regardless of market fluctuations, is the surest path to long-term financial success. However, as with any financial advice, it’s essential to critically examine its validity and consider the nuances involved. Let’s delve into the …
Are you solely relying on your income as a doctor? You might feel safe operating like this, but what if there’s a way to make your financial future even brighter?
In this fast-paced financial age, having more than one income stream is no longer just a smart move—it’s crucial to securing your financial future.
In this article, I’ll uncover the exciting potential of diversifying your income in today’s medical landscape from a …
I am writing to vehemently argue against out-of-office infusions for my patients. There are many general reasons for this, which I will enumerate. There are also often patient-specific reasons, such as frailty, chronic noncompliance with recommendations (which do not reach the level of a psychiatric issue but which make offsite infusions less safe), and patient-perceived intolerance of infusions (even if we see no objective signs of a reaction). While these …
After nearly a year of planning my exit strategy, my final day as a hospital-employed physician was June 30th, 2023. How surreal to finally be independent! In a recent phone call, a dear friend and fellow physician asked what drove me to my decision.
“Because I felt like a failure every day,” I disclosed to my normally sympathetic colleague. To my dismay, he responded with a chuckle. I asked why he …
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“Are you sure you’re supposed to be here?”
It was the first day of my subspecialty rotation. I’d left my husband, friends, and my home to spend the next six weeks some 2500 miles away. Like most third-year medical students on the first day of a new rotation, I felt a mixture of anxiety and anticipation for the challenge ahead.
Arriving on the twelfth floor before dawn, my badge did not work. …
As I clicked onto the homepage of Amazon Clinic, I got a little bit nervous. Low up-front costs, straight-forward medical decision-making, bread and butter medicine at the patient’s fingertips. Have a UTI? As long as it is simple, no problem, here’s your antibiotic. Just a few clicks. Male pattern baldness? Click. Erectile dysfunction? Click.
Just barebones medicine without the pesky face-to-face human interaction. And with easy-to-follow “guidelines,” we don’t even need …
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Meet Altelisha Taylor, a family medicine physician, and get clear insights into student loan repayment options. We discuss the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Program and discuss options to address medical school debt as a new attending.
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As I sit here contemplating the beginning of this unsent letter, I find myself questioning its intended recipient and purpose. The truth is, I don’t have the answers just yet. Perhaps, by the end of these few paragraphs, some clarity will emerge.
When I left my home country to come to the United States, I envisioned hospitals here as being on par with what we would consider “first-world country” institutions. I …
If you are a practicing physician, then you have definitely come across patients who want something that you feel is unnecessary. Sometimes those conversations escalate and become contentious, and sometimes you reluctantly give the patient what they request even though you know it’s not “best practice.” These demands and interactions can weigh on us and leave us emotionally drained.
In the pediatrics office, that can look like this:
Money, a topic often shrouded in secrecy and discomfort, has the power to shape our lives and influence our opportunities. Whether we like it or not, finances play a pivotal role in our personal and professional endeavors. However, our fear of talking about money can become a significant hindrance, limiting our potential for growth and success.
In many ways, discussing finances has become a social taboo. We avoid it at family …
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As human needs continue to evolve, it is essential for our systems to adapt accordingly. One perplexing question is who bears the cost of human work. Do the systems pay for human labor, or do humans contribute to the systems, which, in turn, pay for their work? From an economic perspective, it boils down to humans paying for humans to work through human-devised systems. We won’t delve into the idea …
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