The art of compassionate leadership during employee turmoil
Introduction: In the face of adversity, my journey from being a hospitalist to a utilization management physician advisor was not without its challenges. However, this transformation’s story is filled with hope, networking, and empathy, showcasing the power of compassionate leadership during times of employee turmoil.
Hope: Even in the darkest days, when injuries prevented me from fulfilling my duties as a physician, I clung to hope. Believing in the possibility of …
Patient respect in medicine: Ensuring well-being and trust
Treating patients with respect and dignity is essential to the medical profession. This is true even when the patient lies unconscious in the operating room. It seems unnecessary to stress the importance of creating a secure and comfortable environment to ease the patient’s anxiety and stress and develop confidence. Respect is also crucial to promote successful outcomes. By prioritizing these values, medical professionals can ensure that patients feel valued and …
Thriving through transitions: lessons from a hospitalist’s journey
We all know that life is in transition, and we all go through different changes during our careers, from personal to professional growth. We all strive for a reasonable life-work balance.
Early in my career, after completing my residency training, I was discouraged by many of my mentors from pursuing a hospitalist career. The common agreement at the time was that hospital medicine was the recipe for burnout, and a fellowship …
Programs that recruit and retain Black and Latinx students in health care fields are essential to address racial health disparities
“We need more doctors who look like us.”
I led a small group discussion with high school students enrolled in the Medical Careers Education and Emergency Preparedness (MedCEEP) ‘s Summer Pipeline Program. Our task was to brainstorm solutions to address a critical health disparity, and our group was assigned the topic of “Maternal Health.” The students, all young Black and Latina women from the Southside of Chicago, unanimously agreed that increasing …
Reshaping opioid policies: a patient advocate’s call [PODCAST]
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Join patient advocate Richard A. Lawhern as he challenges prevailing myths surrounding the opioid crisis. With insights from medical literature, he questions the link between opioid prescribing and toxicity, highlighting the need for evidence-based public health policies. …
Medical schools’ hidden crisis: the dark truth behind physician burnout
The annual suicide rate of physicians over the past few decades has amounted to about 400 highly trained and competent American physicians per year and is now increasing. That wipes out about one large medical school four-year class each year in our nation.
Our medical school education system has for the last century rejected and intentionally prevented offering an academic business education to all medical students, which has unfortunately become a …
Understanding the changes in migraine treatment
This article is sponsored by Pfizer.
As a primary care provider (PCP) specializing in headaches and migraine, I cannot stress enough the important role of PCPs in diagnosing and treating migraine disease. Almost 40 million Americans and over a billion people worldwide live with migraine and the significant burden that comes with the disease. Migraine is classified as a primary headache …
The Cactus Kid: an analogy for parents and youth who are living with mental dis-ease
Everyone has phases, stages, and degrees of mental disease throughout their lives, especially children, adolescents, and young adults. It is a part of normal growth and development to go through phases of change. Sometimes, a young person gets stuck in a phase, and it becomes something more—a mental health disorder—and they may receive a diagnosis. Often, if the young person can receive the help and support they need, this phase …
The pursuit of medicine through dyslexia
Sitting in class was always a terrifying experience, not knowing if I was going to be the next one called on to read. My mind would race ahead trying to figure out a strategy on how to get out of it. I would excuse myself from the room or blame a sore throat, anything to avoid reading in front of my peers. On the rare occasions that I was called …
Understanding nipple discomfort in breastfeeding [PODCAST]
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Join Cindy Rubin, a pediatrician and breastfeeding medicine specialist, as she discusses the common challenges of nipple discomfort during breastfeeding and the controversial use of all-purpose nipple ointment (APNO). Learn about evidence-based approaches to diagnose and treat …
Princess Diana: Unraveling the enduring fascination of gossip and our innate curiosity
“What heart surgeon did Diana date?”
According to data from a popular search trend analysis website, this is one of the most highly searched phrases about heart surgery.
According to Cosmopolitan, Princess Diana dated cardiac surgeon Hasnat Khan for years and called him “Mr. Wonderful.” Mehera Bonner did a lovely job discussing this topic.
Nonetheless, it left me to ponder the following: Why do we want to know who the Princess of …
Residency reshaped: the courageous journey of switching specialties
“Don’t leave. There are miserable people in this world, and then ones more miserable than the others. My assessment is that you’re in the second category.”
Although it has been over a decade since I resigned from my ophthalmology residency after completing my PGY-2 year, I still remember this attending physician’s words and how they reverberated in my consciousness. I was terrified at his prophecy. Earlier that week, I had requested …
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Don’t become a poor doctor
Do you know what most financial advisors say about doctors and how they manage their money?
It is not pretty.
I have been in those conversations, and stereotypical doctor stories come out.
Impulsive purchases, lack of knowledge, and easy to manipulate into poor investments are just a few of the things I have heard.
Now, in our defense, we spend ten or more years studying to become a doctor and, one day after residency, …
The secrets of shoulder bones unveiled
An excerpt from Meet Skulle.
This bone goes from the top of my sternum to the top of my shoulder. Can you name it? I have one on each side.
Did you guess the …
A love letter to the doctor I was
I recently returned to the hospital where I had first worked as an attending. Everything felt different. It seemed darker and smaller, reminiscent of the feeling when you revisit your elementary school, and the water fountains appear almost touching the ground, making you feel like a giant.
I walked through the same door I had used countless times over ten years, yet it now seemed more like a portal. The floor, …
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The case for ABIM’s maintenance of certification program
A recent post on KevinMD put forward “the case for eliminating recertification by the ABIM,” in which the author expressed a number of concerns about the relevancy, time commitment and cost of maintaining certification. I have good news for the author: His concerns have already been addressed by ABIM over the last several years.
Allow me to share my case for ABIM’s Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program.
Like the author of …
Shame behind the stethoscope [PODCAST]
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We welcome William Lynes, a urologist, who shares his powerful and personal story. William opens up about his battle with burnout, mental illness, and multiple suicide attempts. From his successful career to the devastating medical events that …
From buzzer beaters to critical care
Twenty-four is the number of hours in a day that you have to change someone’s life, and it’s also the jersey number of my favorite basketball player, Kobe Bryant. Basketball has always been a passion of mine, and my desire to compete is the source of my relentless, driven attitude. The fundamentals of basketball entail rigorous training, critical analysis of opponents, working well under pressure, and most importantly, teamwork.
At 3:30 …
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Locum tenens agreements for physicians
Locum tenens agreements can be useful to physicians in many circumstances. In addition to serving as a way to supplement your income during vacations, physicians often enter locum tenens agreements between jobs, to provide income while waiting for interviews or for credentialing to be completed at a new position.
In many ways, reviewing a locum tenens agreement is similar to reviewing a physician employment agreement, but there are unique aspects to …
Past Week
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Why no medical malpractice firm responded to my scientific protocol
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A world without antidepressants: What could possibly go wrong?
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The hidden impact of denials on health care systems
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DSM-5 doesn’t name it, but moral distress is everywhere in medicine
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Why your emotions are your greatest compass in therapy and life
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Acknowledging the silent grief of vanishing twin syndrome [PODCAST]
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Past 6 Months
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What happened to real care in health care?
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Internal Medicine 2025: inspiration at the annual meeting
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The silent crisis hurting pain patients and their doctors
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Flatline: Our nation is dying, and we’re ignoring the signs
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How to build a culture where physicians feel valued [PODCAST]
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How the CDC’s opioid rules created a crisis for chronic pain patients
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Recent Posts
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Why your emotions are your greatest compass in therapy and life
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Patients are not waiting: What MCDA twin parents teach us about shared decision-making
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Nurses are the backbone of medicine—and they deserve better
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How to change the world: Start by making your bed
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Understanding therapy beyond crisis management [PODCAST]
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Health workers deserve care too: How to protect their mental health
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Past Week
-
Why no medical malpractice firm responded to my scientific protocol
-
A world without antidepressants: What could possibly go wrong?
-
The hidden impact of denials on health care systems
-
DSM-5 doesn’t name it, but moral distress is everywhere in medicine
-
Why your emotions are your greatest compass in therapy and life
-
Acknowledging the silent grief of vanishing twin syndrome [PODCAST]
-
Past 6 Months
-
What happened to real care in health care?
-
Internal Medicine 2025: inspiration at the annual meeting
-
The silent crisis hurting pain patients and their doctors
-
Flatline: Our nation is dying, and we’re ignoring the signs
-
How to build a culture where physicians feel valued [PODCAST]
-
How the CDC’s opioid rules created a crisis for chronic pain patients
-
Recent Posts
-
Why your emotions are your greatest compass in therapy and life
-
Patients are not waiting: What MCDA twin parents teach us about shared decision-making
-
Nurses are the backbone of medicine—and they deserve better
-
How to change the world: Start by making your bed
-
Understanding therapy beyond crisis management [PODCAST]
-
Health workers deserve care too: How to protect their mental health
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