Decoding burnout: the complex symptoms and hidden tolls in health care

Physician
July 5, 2024

Deciphering burnout can sometimes feel like interpreting the orders of your favorite attending physician. Though I don’t consider myself “old,” I started my medical career before electronic medical records, when paper charts were the norm and computers were rare. We carried little pocket notebooks filled with essential information because at 2 am, after weeks of little sleep, that crucial detail always seemed to slip our minds.

Back then, we relied on …

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Success reinvention: a guide for health care professionals

Physician
July 5, 2024

Success in the health care industry often demands technical expertise, a resilient mindset, and an unwavering commitment to personal growth. We will delve into key lessons, focusing on how health care professionals can leverage these insights to excel in their demanding careers.

The importance of a strong “why”

Motivation. In health care, the “why” often stems from a deep-seated desire to help others and make a difference. This intrinsic motivation is essential for …

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Abused physicians: Quitting practice only hurts yourself and your patients

Physician
July 5, 2024

Quitting your practice rarely happens when you have a backup support system in place. Have you ever wondered why so many of our physician associates are permanently leaving medical practice intentionally or rapidly jumping into medical practice employment positions without hesitation? The temptations are enormous.

Our business advisors, medical literature, and articles exposure pound us with jobs outside of medical practice on the fringes. But who wants to start a new …

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Traditional academia is not dying. It’s evolving.

Physician
July 4, 2024

“Tradition” comes from the Latin word tradere, meaning to “transmit” or “hand over.” In contrast, the word “academia” is derived from the Latin phrase acadēmīa (Greek: Ἀκαδημία or Akadēmía), which refers to Plato’s “Academy” – a school residing by olive trees where teachers and learners gathered to educate each other and share knowledge through undefined curricula of readings, lectures, debates, and discussions. “Traditional academia,” then, etymologically describes the passing …

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Thriving as a doctor: Why I still love my medical practice amidst burnout fears

Physician
July 4, 2024

I have always felt that I was in the mainstream of medical thought and actions. Recently, however, I have been subjected to a barrage of articles on physician burnout, depression, and even suicide! I am happy to be working in my medical practice. What is wrong with me?

Like everyone, it is difficult to drag myself out of a nice, warm bed each morning. But as I begin to dress for …

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The flaw with medical malpractice litigation

Physician
July 4, 2024

There is a serious flaw in medical malpractice litigation, and it is not what you may think. My post about a hypothetical medical malpractice case is not hypothetical but emblematic of the flaw. Medical staff at a major hospital in Washington, DC, did depart from applicable standards of care regarding limb salvage. The patient is actually a 78-year-old family member who suffers septic shock and a left above-the-knee amputation. There …

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Catholic hospitals in America [PODCAST]

Podcast
July 4, 2024
YouTube video

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Join us for an episode featuring Patricia A. Gabow, a nephrologist, as she discusses her book, The Catholic Church and Its Hospitals: A Marriage Made in Heaven? Patrician delves into the origins and …

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How to ensure you receive a proper Alzheimer’s screening [PODCAST]

Conditions
July 3, 2024
YouTube video

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Join us for an insightful discussion with Carol Steinberg, a journalist and patient advocate, as we explore the critical issues surrounding Alzheimer’s disease and cognitive screening. Carol shares her personal experiences with the …

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Why physicians should consider investing in residential assisted living homes

Finance
July 3, 2024

As a physician, you are accustomed to thinking about the future and planning for the well-being of your patients. However, have you considered applying the same foresight to your financial future? Investing in residential assisted living (RAL) homes is an opportunity that offers both financial security and the chance to make a meaningful impact on the lives of seniors. Here’s why RAL homes are an excellent investment now and for …

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Navigating life’s transitions: How I turned my struggles into support

Physician
July 3, 2024

I’ve historically struggled with graduations and transitions—it’s why I help people with transitions now, as I’ve learned how essential it is to have support during these often isolating and destabilizing times. While transitions can be full of celebrations, gratitude, and pride, there are also times when we may experience grief, regret, loneliness, and everything in between.

Sitting with my current transition, I acknowledged many reasons why I tend to skip over …

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Battling aplastic anemia: my journey with ATGAM equine therapy

Conditions
July 3, 2024

This paper is written from the author’s perspective after receiving ATGAM equine immunotherapy for the treatment of aplastic anemia. This journey began in 2017 with the diagnosis of T-cell lymphocytic leukemia without having achieved remission. The author experienced extreme fatigue and shortness of breath. A full cardiac and pulmonary work-up was completed, and all findings were within normal limits. A CBC revealed a hemoglobin level of 4.4! Thus, the journey …

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Historical trauma in ethnic health disparities [PODCAST]

Podcast
July 2, 2024
YouTube video

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We explore the complex factors contributing to ethnic health disparities in the United States with our guest, Melody T. McCloud, an obstetrician-gynecologist who was bestowed a Distinguished Alumni Award by Emory University School …

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From medical student to intern: Embrace your inner artist

Physician
July 2, 2024

“A message to the new generation of interns: you’re not just a doctor—you’re an artist, too.”

It’s the first day of residency. You enter the hospital, trying to recall basic medicine after months away from patient care. Gone are the days of hovering between unpaid trainees and health care providers. Gone are the days when you could deploy the instinctive, age-old adage, “I’m just the medical student.”

During graduation this year, I …

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Why doctors risk jail time to treat pain and addiction

Meds
July 2, 2024

This is a strange time in America. While tools for treating pain and addiction, unchanged essentially from the late 1800s to the early 2000s, are now being developed, daring to try to utilize these medications and the science we have learned about them can be a huge risk. Not for the patient but for the doctor. There is a stigma that has always been attached to these areas of medicine, …

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Providing clarity in behavioral health: How patients, providers, and payers can benefit from measurement-informed care

Conditions
July 2, 2024

Mental health conditions are among the most common health concerns in the United States, with 1 in 5 adults living with a mental illness. Yet those who need care have long been faced with issues of access, understanding, and stigma. While the coronavirus pandemic gave way for some of these issues to be addressed, allowing free-flowing conversations about mental health to become more commonplace, legislation to be put …

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A mother’s harrowing hospital experience

Conditions
July 2, 2024

An excerpt from NERVE: Surviving Medical Madness.

“There are moments which mark your life. Moments when you realize nothing will ever be the same and time is divided into two parts, before this and after this.”
— N. Kazan

It was a peaceful, uneventful drive—until it wasn’t. My husband and I flipped to the local news radio station and heard them discussing an extreme weather event just as we looked straight ahead …

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A doctor’s journey with Sjogren’s [PODCAST]

Podcast
July 1, 2024
YouTube video

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Join us for a conversation with Kara Wada, an adult and pediatric allergy, immunology, and lifestyle medicine physician, as she shares her personal journey with Sjogren’s. Discover how her experience as both doctor …

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An ankle away: the urgent call to listen to our bodies

Conditions
July 1, 2024

In 2017, amidst the routine of caregiving for my elderly father, I experienced a sudden and unexpected turn of events that brought me face to face with an undeniable truth: the importance of knowing and listening to our bodies. I slipped on a carpet and broke my ankle while pushing my father forward in his wheelchair. It was a moment that not only challenged my preconceptions but also illuminated a …

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Harnessing the power of AI and personalized videos: a new era in patient education and clinical care

Tech
July 1, 2024

As a physician and digital health practitioner, I have seen firsthand the challenges of ineffective patient education and the immense potential for technology to revolutionize how we inform, engage, and empower patients in their health journeys. Imagine a future where every patient, regardless of their language, cultural background, or health literacy level, can receive tailored, engaging, and easily understandable video content that empowers them to manage their health effectively. This …

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How to live when you know you are dying

Physician
July 1, 2024

We had been meeting for a number of months when she posed the question. We met in person one time, but other than that single appointment, all of our meetings were virtual. She had metastatic cancer. She didn’t actually want to know that her cancer had returned. The metastatic disease had been found when they couldn’t complete her colonoscopy and ordered a scan to see why. She helped me understand …

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