Unmasking the truth: the shocking reality of the opioid epidemic and who’s really to blame

Physician
June 7, 2023

An excerpt from Burden of Pain: A Physician’s Journey through the Opioid Epidemic.

Glide your hand over a piece of velvet and you notice the smoothness. You feel its aggregated smoothness, not the individualized roughness of each fiber. Each fleeting fiber, a prick of truth, is nullified, synthesized, and then magnified into the silky fluency of general perception—propaganda containing within it a concoction of ambiguities and assumptions, cooked with a …

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Discover your true north: Navigating life’s confusions and embracing your path to success

Physician
June 7, 2023

At age 18, my buddy David and I scaled the outside stucco of a hotel in Cancun, Mexico, and soon found ourselves ten stories up, lying on our backs on the hotel roof, looking at the night sky. It was a terribly stupid idea—one of many we had back in those days. But once we were up there, David taught me the major stars and constellations of the summer sky: …

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A revolution in patient empowerment: Working together to save our medical system [PODCAST]

Podcast
June 6, 2023
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Join Ann M. Hester, board-certified internal medicine physician, in a thought-provoking podcast episode. Explore the challenges of the health care system, including the shortage of doctors and the nursing crisis. Ann shares valuable insights on the importance …

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Revealing America’s expansion: the dark truth of Native American suffering and unjustified abuses

Physician
June 6, 2023

It is nearly universally agreed that the United States of America is a “great nation” with the world’s strongest economy, an expansive international presence, and being physically one of the largest countries in the world. The groundwork for this expansion, both in size and economically, was grounded in our concept of “manifest destiny” – the belief that as a nation, we were intended to span from ocean to ocean. For …

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Unlock financial freedom: The physician’s guide to lucrative multifamily syndications and wealth accumulation

Finance
June 6, 2023

In the realm of real estate investing, multifamily syndication has garnered significant attention as a lucrative and rewarding investment strategy, particularly among physicians and other high-income earners. Primarily, its appeal lies in its ability to offer attractive returns while simultaneously generating passive income and long-term wealth-building opportunities.

Given the unique characteristics and benefits of multifamily syndications, it has rapidly become a popular investment vehicle among investors looking to diversify their income …

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From Moscow Mule to the opioid crisis: Unveiling the tragic legacy and urgent solutions

Meds
June 6, 2023

The Moscow mule, a mix of ginger beer, an ounce of vodka, and a squeeze of lemon, has become one of the favorites among cocktail aficionados across the United States. It delivers on all that it promises, namely, an easy-to-make tasty drink, except it has nothing to do with the Russian capital whose name it bears. The birthplace was New York’s Chatham Hotel in Lower Manhattan, and the year was …

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From journalism to medicine: Unveiling the untold stories of patients’ medical conditions

Physician
June 6, 2023

Doctors come from different backgrounds, and we all start medical school with various life experiences. Few people know that I actually started off life as a journalism major. I wanted to write about other people and their life stories. I wanted to travel and photograph what the world had to offer. Then, having lost my journalism job and getting hired at a nursing home as a receptionist, I ended up …

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Unlocking resilience: a powerful journey from trauma to transformation [PODCAST]

Podcast
June 5, 2023
YouTube video

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Join us for an inspiring podcast episode as we delve into the world of trauma, resilience, and personal transformation. Our guest, Rebecca Fogg, consultant and author of Beautiful Trauma: An Explosion, an Obsession, and a New Lease …

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Overcoming the lies of depression: Senator John Fetterman’s struggle with mental health

Conditions
June 5, 2023

In February, just a few months after being elected to the United States Senate, Pennsylvania politician John Fetterman entered into a treatment program for depression. In an interview with CBS News show Sunday Morning last month, he recounted suffering a stroke in May 2022, then fighting through a grueling Senate race that severely impacted his mental health. “You may have won,” he recalled thinking, “but depression can absolutely convince you …

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Master the ABIM Certification exam with effective strategies: insider tips for success

Education
June 5, 2023

The ABIM (American Board of Internal Medicine) Certification exam is not always about the assessment of your knowledge but also about knowing the right strategies, which are keys to success. I passed the ABIM Board Certification Exam without any review course. I had to sign up to work as an attending physician on July 1st due to my financial and visa limitations.

In this article, I will discuss effective preparation methods …

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A mentor’s legacy in medicine, leadership, and embracing evidence-based care

Physician
June 5, 2023

As a graduate of Temple University’s medical school and psychiatric residency program, and as a current faculty member, I had the good fortune of studying under highly respected physicians who served not only as chairpersons, but also as presidents, CEOs, and chief medical officers. Anthony (Tony) F. Panzetta, MD, was one of them. Panzetta passed away in 2021 at age 87. As with all great mentors, he had multifaceted talents …

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Breaking free from restrictive covenants to combat burnout

Physician
June 5, 2023

Hospitals have the duty to ensure that their physicians are professionally content, both physically and mentally to provide the highest quality of care. But they also have a responsibility to prevent physicians from leaving work for competing institutions. The paradox between the use of restrictive covenants in physicians’ contracts and hospitals’ concerns about physician wellness arises from a tension between two important objectives.

Restrictive covenants, which are clauses in contracts that …

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Fixing the system and prioritizing patient care [PODCAST]

Podcast
June 4, 2023
YouTube video

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Join us for a thought-provoking episode as we sit down with Cindy Rubin, a pediatrician and breastfeeding medicine specialist. Cindy opens up about the challenges faced by physicians in the current health care system, particularly the constraints …

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From medical student to intern: Discovering a deeper connection with patients

Physician
June 4, 2023

As a medical student with a limited knowledge base and limited exposure to taking care of a high volume of patients, my idea of being the physician I hoped to be involved in spending time at the bedside and really getting to know my patients as people and hearing their stories. As I was learning my way around how the medical world worked as clerkship student, this was perhaps the …

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A physician’s typical day, as envisioned by a non-clinician health care MBA: a satire

Physician
June 4, 2023

My alarm goes off at 3:30 a.m. for some early charting. I love these pre-work hours, even though it’s my own unpaid time. I went into debt for hundreds of thousands of dollars to have the need for sleep trained out of me. A neat side effect of this is that it also wiped away my will to resist inane admin tasks.

While I’m pre-charting, my family wakes up, or at …

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Unveiling the global pandemic threat: insights into risk factors and urgent measures for prevention

Policy
June 4, 2023

As the current COVID-19 pandemic continues to rage across the globe, many are left wondering when the next pandemic will occur. The reality is that pandemics are not a new phenomenon, and throughout history, we have seen numerous instances of infectious diseases causing widespread devastation.

While we cannot predict with certainty when the next pandemic will occur, there are certain circumstances under which they are more likely to occur.

One such circumstance …

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Decoding name displays in health care: Privacy, identification, and compliance unveiled

Physician
June 4, 2023

There are three versions of name displays in health care institutions, each tailored to different groups of individuals. For physician staff, full names are typically shown, including both first and middle names, along with their highest educational level. This helps establish their presence and expertise within the health care institution.

On the other hand, non-physician staff usually have only their given names displayed in full, followed by the rest of their …

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Empowering Black nurses for lasting change [PODCAST]

Podcast
June 3, 2023
YouTube video

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Join us for an enlightening episode as we sit down with Kashica J. Webber-Ritchey, an assistant professor of nursing, to discuss the pressing issue of equity in health care, particularly for Black nurses. Kashica shares her first-hand …

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Master time management with 7 productivity strategies for optimal results

Physician
June 3, 2023

Do you know what one thing is common among all of us, regardless of our wealth or age?

Time.

Every human being in this world has 1,440 minutes every day. However, while we all have the same amount of time, some people are more productive than others. Time management is a skill that doesn’t come naturally and requires effort and planning. Below is a list of seven important strategies that will help …

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Proposed USPSTF guideline update: Advocating for earlier breast cancer screening at age 40

Conditions
June 3, 2023

Pop Quiz: At what age do medical experts recommend women of average risk for breast cancer begin receiving screening mammograms?

  1. 40
  2. 45
  3. 50
  4. All of the above.

If you answered “D,” you are correct. Confused? I don’t blame you. Medical societies and independent task forces do not agree on when to begin or end screening mammograms for women at average risk of developing breast cancer. This has led to confusion and …

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