A physician in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) requires vast medical knowledge along with emotional resilience. I always thought I had a strong sense of compassion for my patients and their families until I had my own baby 1.5 years ago. It completely shifted my perspective. I started to understand parental grief and fear on a personal level, which reshaped my approach to work.
Before having a baby, I was …
The dual demands of a PICU physician
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We sit down with Laura Suttin, a family physician, to explore the emotional complexities of setting boundaries, especially in times of personal and professional pressure. Laura shares her deeply personal experience of caring …
People-pleasing is exhausting: my journey to self-care and boundaries [PODCAST]
As climate change advances, it has amplified a variety of diseases globally, especially in under-resourced countries and communities. This article summarizes three of these consequential trends. The first is that wildfires and industrial pollution are worsening respiratory diseases. Second, hotter climates are increasing the incidence of infectious diseases such as malaria, and lastly, heat waves are increasing the risk of various diseases, disrupting public services, and causing unprecedented amounts of …
Climate change is exacerbating diseases in vulnerable populations in America and abroad
When people don’t understand the depths of hell the brain can take someone to, I am relieved for them. And I am also grateful for the journey I’ve been on—I would never have understood how someone who appeared “successful” on paper could consider taking their own life and think they didn’t matter unless I had lived it.
When I developed intense and pervasive suicidal ideation, I was on top of the …
If these words can save a life, they must be spoken
An excerpt from The Problem with Men.
Gary could tell something was wrong the moment he saw me. “Come in, friend,” he said, his voice gentle. He guided me into the kitchen, a cozy, older space similar to the one in my apartment across the street, but his was painted a cheerful light yellow. After rummaging through a cabinet, he returned with a joint and lit it without hesitation.
“Here,” he …
How a friend’s kindness saved me from my darkest hour
Physician Suicide Awareness Day comes and goes each September, bringing with it the sad and perplexing realization that physicians usually top the lists of professionals most likely to take their own lives—something often described as the “silent epidemic.” I sample recent literature on the topic each year, each time noting how varied and complex the statistics and issues surrounding it are. Over the years, there have been physician suicides in …
Physician Suicide Awareness Day: a call to action against the silent epidemic
Do you begin each day with a clean slate? What if you could?
How different would the new day be if you weren’t picking up where you left off—with the stuck energy, the stale energy, the energy of being drained at the end of the shift, at the end of the day?
What if, as we walked out of the hospital, office, or clinic, that energy was left behind, and instead, we …
The clean slate approach: Transform your day with this simple mindset shift
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Join us for a conversation with Michelle Tollefson, a physician specializing in lifestyle medicine, obstetrics, and gynecology. Michelle shares her transformative experiences visiting Costa Rica’s Nicoya Peninsula, one of the world’s Blue Zones …
What Blue Zones can teach us about health [PODCAST]
“Give every man thy ear, but few thy voice; take each man’s censure, but reserve thy judgment.”
— William Shakespeare.
In the dynamic world of business, the landscape is littered with tales of success and failure. However, a recurring narrative that I see repeated over and over and that ensnares many novice entrepreneurs is the misleading promise that “you can strike it rich or be successful with all ventures.” This piece of …
The truth about entrepreneurship: What no one tells you about business success
Neurosurgery is a rapidly evolving field, with continuous advancements in technologies and techniques. For aspiring neurosurgeons, involvement in research is key to enhancing residency applications and contributing to the field’s progress. Here are some practical tips for students aiming to contribute to neurosurgery research:
1. Find a mentor who matches your research interests. Identifying the right mentor is key to starting your research journey. Look for faculty members who are active …
How medical students can contribute to neurosurgery research: tips for getting started
The modern IUD has been an option for women for 60 years now.
CDC just updated its 2016 guideline that advises physicians to discuss pain management options. This comes after continued viral TikTok patient stories about IUD insertion pain have garnered increasing attention from the medical community.
For perspective: According to OB/GYN’s Kristyn Brandi and Aliye Runyan, MD, their patients describe the insertion procedure as sometimes feeling like …
A future male OB/GYN’s commitment to patient comfort
When I took the final exam after years of pediatric training, hearing my professors say, “You are now qualified and equipped to manage a pediatric clinic; congratulations” was a deeply touching moment for me. I felt fortunate to experience the profound satisfaction of seeing my efforts to help children recognized and appreciated. With eager anticipation, I awaited the assignment to the place where I would begin my journey as a …
How a pediatrician fights vaccine misinformation in a small town
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In this episode, we celebrate Women in Medicine Month with guest Janet A. Jokela, an internal medicine and infectious disease physician. We dive into the experiences and challenges women have faced across generations …
How women in medicine are shaping the future of medicine [PODCAST]
America has a systemic and pernicious problem: health care without primary care. Just a century ago, primary care physicians were the trusted cornerstone of the U.S. health care system, providing the first point of entry into health care, addressing most ailments, and managing patients across a lifespan. This primary care “first” system has gradually eroded over the ensuing decades, and unfortunately, many citizens have fallen victim to a modern culture …
America’s “sick” secret and the need for a primary care czar
As a physician, I spent years training to care for patients, only to realize by the time I completed my education that I wasn’t truly in control of my career. Like so many of us, I had been funneled into a rigid system that pushes physicians toward employment with large health care systems rather than allowing for independent practice or entrepreneurial ventures. It felt like I had been herded—herded by …
Systemic collusion: How big business and government herd physicians into traditional employment
Recently, Bloomberg published an article titled “The Miseducation of America’s Nurse Practitioners” by Caleb Melby, Polly Mosendz, and Noah Buhayar, which brings to the public’s attention the dismal state of education for APRNs. I would like to share my own story and that of several other APRNs who attended my APRN program. This story will demonstrate many of the disturbing facts about the educational system designed to train APRNs.
I …
Nurse practitioner reveals startling flaws in APRN education: Is patient safety at risk?
In the realm of health care, artificial intelligence (AI) stands as a beacon of transformative potential. With its ability to process vast amounts of data, AI promises to streamline diagnostic processes, enhance treatment precision, and revolutionize patient care. Yet, it’s overshadowed by various ethical concerns about perpetuating existing biases and systemic discrimination.
AI development is ultimately influenced by the datasets it’s trained on, making it vulnerable to biases present in that …
How AI could widen health disparities without stronger policies
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We sit down with Ben Reinking, a board-certified pediatric cardiologist, medical educator, and certified physician development coach, to explore the challenges and rewards of medical training. We dive into themes of delayed gratification, …
How delayed gratification in medical school can make or break your career [PODCAST]
Walking through the narrow alleyways and past artisanal businesses in the Lake Atitlán region of the Guatemalan highlands, a swarm of children followed us as if we were a parade or a moving tourist attraction. As a global fellow through the Stanford Freeman Spogli Institute (FSI), I served as an interpreter and interviewer in this underserved region with extreme poverty a few …
The little boy who taught me the power of education in the Guatemalan highlands
I have a problem with some of the continuing medical education courses offered by large health care institutions, even those like Harvard and Mayo, which have outstanding reputations for evidence-based medicine. That’s because what they teach, although scientifically sound and in line with the Department of Health and Human Services and CDC recommendations, can get you prosecuted and convicted by the DEA. If you get targeted for practicing the way …
Doctors beware: the hidden legal risks of following CME guidelines
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