Ditch the guilt and stress: Embrace your core values like this inspiring doctor mom

Physician
March 12, 2024

Kim Downey:

I recently had an enlightening conversation with Dr. Sarah Wittry. We enjoyed learning about all that we share in common!

As a physical therapist, I was delighted to hear that Dr. Wittry’s medical career began in physiatry/PM&R.

Having friends and relatives who have benefited from hospice care, I have tremendous respect for her current work in palliative medicine and hospice.

We spoke of how it has felt to each of us to …

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High-profile legal cases: social media’s role in modern justice [PODCAST]

Podcast
March 11, 2024
YouTube video

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We explore the intersection of high-profile legal cases and social media with renowned psychiatrist and author Doug Bremner. In this episode, we’ll be discussing the impact of social media on public perception, the …

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Malpractice lawsuits: a data-driven approach to risk management

Physician
March 11, 2024

The first book I ever read was The Last Angry Man. I could never have imagined then how it would influence me now.

It is about a fictional character, Dr. Samuel Abelman. He is a general practitioner practicing in New York City during the 1950s. He is in the twilight of a career that spans fifty years of commitment to the Hippocratic Oath.

In the 1950s, the emerging professional trend is specialization. …

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Burned by the system, sparked by surgery: a resident’s odyssey

Physician
March 11, 2024

“Medicine is a form of art.” Those are the words my grandfather told me as I embarked on my journey through medical school. Medicine resembles literature; we, physicians, enter into people’s lives, and we become part of their life tales. The way we do our work influences how these stories are told. Some tales speak of loss and sorrow, while others resonate with healing and joy. It’s akin to sculpture, …

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The power of syncing life with nature’s yearly cycles

Physician
March 11, 2024

Humans are naturally attuned to various biological rhythms, such as daily (circadian), weekly (circaseptan), monthly (circatrigintan), and yearly (circannual) cycles. These rhythms not only govern our sleep, eating habits, and energy levels but might also influence the design and functioning of systems we create, like technology and organizational processes.

For instance, it’s commonly advised to restart computer systems weekly to maintain optimal performance. This practice mirrors the circaseptan rhythm, suggesting that …

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Prioritizing self-care for health care workers [PODCAST]

Podcast
March 10, 2024
YouTube video

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Join us as we sit down with general surgeon Scott Ellner to discuss evidence-based strategies aimed at improving the well-being of those on the front lines. In this insightful conversation, Scott delves into …

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The humorous essay that predicted today’s medical anxiety epidemic

Conditions
March 10, 2024

In elementary school, we read an essay named “The Man Who Was a Hospital” by Jerome K. Jerome. This is a humorous essay in which the writer describes his misadventure in a humorous way. He says that once, he was reading a liver pill circular when he suspected that his liver was out of order. He went to the British Museum Library to study the details of liver disease. He …

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Psychological safety: an overlooked factor in clinician burnout and moral injury in health care

Physician
March 10, 2024

I remember when I first decided to step away from medicine. While I wasn’t burned out like some of my colleagues whom I would later coach, I did have what I now understand to be compassion fatigue. It was a familiar feeling I had felt before, and I knew that if I continued down the path, it would take me right back to the night I almost ended my life.

Called …

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Panic button: Escaping the broken health care escape room

Physician
March 10, 2024

Escape rooms have become very popular. Entering a room of seemingly unconnected clues with a group of family members or coworkers creates a sense of fear and excitement that ultimately leads, if successful, to a great sense of accomplishment and relief. The entire experience is designed to enhance trust among team members and inspire confidence in working together to solve difficult problems. When it comes to improving the health care …

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Unlocking physician autonomy: the path to career freedom [PODCAST]

Podcast
March 9, 2024
YouTube video

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Join Tod Stillson, a family physician and entrepreneur, as he shares his journey from traditional hospital employment to forming a micro-corporation. Discover how Tod regained professional autonomy and boosted his net worth through …

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Elon Musk’s Neuralink aims to empower disabled with brain implants

Tech
March 9, 2024

As of January 29th, the Elon Musk startup Neuralink delivered its first brain implant to a human. As described in initial reports, the patient seems to be doing well and is already benefiting from increased interneuronal communication. The goal of this application is to empower those with disabilities, specifically those with sensory and motor deficits, to be able to control a keyboard or a cursor using their brain. This …

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America’s nurses have PTSD: Will anyone listen to them?

Conditions
March 9, 2024

My first clinical rotation as a nursing student was on the same floor where my mother died of cancer. And my very first patient was a young Hispanic man with four children. I was asked to tell him that he had pancreatic cancer and very little time left. I was 21 years old and the only Spanish speaker on the floor – back in those days, interpretive services were rarely …

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A surgeon said no: the catalyst for my evolution

Physician
March 9, 2024

“When are you expecting?” Eighteen months after my third child was born, I was tired of hearing this question. In addition to the embarrassment I felt, I became increasingly worried that something was wrong with me as my body stubbornly held its postpartum shape.

Within a year of delivering each of my first two children, I was able to lose most of the weight I had gained and maintain a normal …

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Health benefits under the microscope: What employers aren’t telling you [PODCAST]

Podcast
March 8, 2024
YouTube video

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Join ophthalmologist Paul Pender delves into the results of the annual KFF survey, focusing on employer attitudes towards employee satisfaction, the increasing costs of healthcare, and the emerging trends reshaping the landscape of …

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Critical care physician battles long COVID with hope and grit

Conditions
March 8, 2024

I recognize your anguish. Long COVID is new, and I will do my best to support you through this new and confusing illness. This is all I wanted to hear in my countless doctor’s visits. Some came close. The rest were baffled, given how healthy I was prior to a “mild COVID” infection.

I felt patronized by my own colleagues for trying experimental therapy. When activities of daily living are a …

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Physician employment 2.0: Unveiling the secret world of employment lite

Finance
March 8, 2024

Chance meeting

In the fast-paced world of medicine, characterized by long hours, administrative burdens, and burnout, I’d like to share a story about an OB/GYN physician who discovered a path to professional freedom that revolutionized his career. Dr. B.A. had spent almost a decade working as a W-2 employee after finishing his residency. However, just before committing to a new contract with a substantial $500,000 annual salary, he came across an …

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The burden of choice: Navigating the complexities of surrogate decision-making in medicine

Physician
March 8, 2024

“I could have saved him,” the intensivist murmured, reflecting on a recent patient’s death. His silhouette was framed against the fading evening light that spilled into the ICU. His words, heavy with regret and resignation, floated over the hum of life-sustaining machines, recounting the tale of Caleb Stratford.

When Caleb Stratford (not real name), 61, was rushed to the hospital last June, the shock trauma team at the University of Maryland …

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Physician work-life balance: How boundaries protect you and your patients

Physician
March 8, 2024

“Shideh joon, can you talk to this woman? We met her at a party, and her kid is sick.”

This request from my father exemplifies the blurred lines between personal and professional life many physicians experience. He had met a mother at a party whose child, after being diagnosed with a virus and prescribed rest and ibuprofen, was still feeling unwell. She had, however, thought it a good idea to drive …

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Putting patients first: Safeguarding health care from AI risks [PODCAST]

Podcast
March 7, 2024
YouTube video

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In this thought-provoking panel discussion, orthopedic surgeon Yoshihiro Katsuura and premedical students Kie Shidara, Maria Llose, and James Schmidt come together to examine the growing influence of artificial intelligence in the health care …

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From intern to witness: Working in a resource-limited health care system

Physician
March 7, 2024

A little anecdote

The year was 2022, and it marked the first month of my initial rotation at one of the largest tertiary care hospitals in Punjab, Pakistan. After having assisted with several procedures in the ENT operating room one morning, I found myself on call for the next 18 hours in the emergency department as the new intern.

As soon as the shift changed, a young boy landed in the ED …

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