The Dark Knight of health care: a doctor’s tale of gift cards and patient satisfaction
I was surprised when I began receiving gift cards to a national chain of coffee shops in recognition of positive patient satisfaction comments from my emergency department patients.
Reviewing them in my provider report card genuinely felt good, especially when someone remembered my name in a follow-up phone call while saying something positive. Still, the token incentive met with disapproval for several reasons.
In particular, the most meaningful comments expressed gratitude for …
The regret of leaving an old friend behind
I once knew a lady who eventually died of pancreatic cancer. She must have been by then in her early seventies. Her name was Marilyn, and I went to grade school with her son Tom. we went back a long way. I guess I was in my early thirties by the time what happened, happened.
Marilyn’s husband, Forrest, had died a few months earlier. I knew him, too. She missed him …
The cost of overpreparing: my experience with the USMLE and what I learned
“It’s all in your head.”
When my friends, family, and mentors said these five words to me in the days leading up to the pre-pass/fail USMLE Step 1 exam, they meant it literally: everything you need to know to succeed is already in your head. When my internal dialogue repeated those words, they took on a different meaning. The question banks had been answered, and the …
Trauma in an interview: a not-so-perfect personal statement
I have to write a “perfect medical school personal statement.” I have to write about learning and growth. I want to show empathy and grit. Most of all, I must resonate with the medical school admissions committee reading my story.
The overwhelming consensus around Student Doctor Network, the forum of terrible but successful premeds, is: don’t make waves. Adcoms can be radical feminists or religious fundamentalists, born from wealth or recently …
The hidden illness: Understanding and overcoming depersonalization-derealization disorder
A strange mental health issue affects millions of people every year. Yet, almost no one in the medical community is aware of it. Many suffer in silence without having the right guidance and support. In this article, I’d like to help you understand what depersonalization-derealization disorder is and how you can overcome it.
Depersonalization-derealization disorder, often referred to as DP/DR, can be a debilitating and scary mental health disorder for the …
Navigating complex medical issues: one family’s story of advocacy and hope [PODCAST]
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In this episode, we have a special guest, Laura Fernando, a patient advocate, who shares her heart-wrenching story of her daughter Lily’s medical journey with COVID-19 and other health conditions. Joining her and Lily is Linda Bluestein, …
Why patients choose who they trust: Understanding the psychology of health care relationships
Most people, should they be in need of a transcatheter aortic “valve-in-valve” replacement procedure for a failed aortic valve replacement, would be delighted to have one of the world’s foremost experts (who has performed over 6,000 of these procedures at one of the world’s foremost heart hospitals) perform the procedure.
But not my father, despite having dyspnea on mild exertion owing to a trans-valvular gradient of 50 mmHg.
Naturally, he wanted a …
Can personalized medicine live up to its hype in health care?
The genius of Henry Ford was in his perfection of mass production. Ford’s assembly lines produced oodles of Model T, with economies of scale so that the cost of each car fell to the point that even those working in those lines could afford them. His method was copied by other car manufacturers and ultimately by other industries as well.
The pharmaceutical industry was one of them. The industry mass produces …
Assess your tech health in 2023: How screen use is affecting your life and ways to improve
My patient, a retired teacher, looked embarrassed as he said it.
“I don’t have a smartphone. I don’t have a computer.”
I had to check the readings — somehow, despite this lack of technology in his life, his heart rate was perfectly normal. His oxygen reading was also in the normal range. Skin color looked perfectly healthy. He even wore a smile on his face.
Quickly, trying to keep him from noticing, my …
Mostly miserables: a physician-mother’s struggle during COVID-19
It was the year 2020 — the month of March. The world shifted on its axis in ways we could not imagine. The job of a physician-mother is one of never-ending tightrope walking while juggling batons on fire and crystal figurines, all while herding cats.
You see, the physician and mother are so intertwined in our being, one cannot leave either role for the other at their respective doorway. There is …
The tragic case of the anguished physician
In his “Nicomachean Ethics,” the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle points out that anger is not always a moral failure. To be sure, it is usually wrong to give in to it, but situations can arise when a good person naturally experiences a sense of moral indignation. The human mission is not always to hold anger at bay but sometimes to feel it appropriately – why, with whom, when, where, and …
Breaking the communication barrier: a survival guide for doctors, nurses, and patients [PODCAST]
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In this episode, we sit down with attorney and author Michael J. Grace to discuss his book, The Mumbo Jumbo Fix: A Survival Guide for Effective Doctor-Patient-Nurse Communication. As a defense lawyer representing health care providers, …
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Discover the power of occupational therapy: a solution for doctors and patients
Many of us physicians are starting off 2023 with various new resolutions, including efficiency and “doing better,” but how do we get there? Our variable training experiences may prevent us from working with health professionals around us who can make our life easier and more efficient. Occupational therapists (or OTs) are that magical unicorn you may have overlooked.
Occupational therapists are regulated health care professionals with advanced training in physical and …
Don’t neglect the power of clinical examinations in modern medicine
I intended to write an essay endorsing the clinical examination (CE), but recent personal events have made me reconsider. I had outpatient sinus surgery and developed chest pain the next day, leading me to my local rural hospital’s emergency department (ED). The ED physician diagnosed atrial fibrillation, and a CT scan revealed a small pulmonary embolus. I was then transferred to a city hospital and eventually cardioverted to sinus rhythm.
Despite …
5 simple ways for physicians to create mindfulness and improve well-being
Physicians hit the ground running every day with myriad tasks related to patient care that place us in a hyper-stressed state. Let’s not forget that life’s stressors outside work are equally demanding and beyond equally important.
What are physicians to do?
The myriad of little (and sometimes not so little) frustrations that we encounter daily can drain our energy and impact how we perform. Physicians need focused energy to power through their …
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From diagnosis to digital health advocate: Navigating lupus in the era of technology
It’s been over ten years since my life changed forever. In 2012, I was out to dinner with a friend when I developed a rash across my face. Little did I know, this was an early sign of what would soon be a life-altering discovery; I have lupus. Receiving this diagnosis was both challenging and overwhelming and showed me the importance of being your own advocate. It took a fainting …
Against all odds: How two cities tackled the COVID-19 crisis
An excerpt from On Medicine as Colonialism.
In Central Falls, Rhode Island, where I work, the COVID-19 pandemic hit hard. People who live in Central Falls, the smallest and poorest city in Rhode Island, live in densely packed houses, often eight or ten people to a two-bedroom apartment, sharing one bathroom …
Don’t fall for the Medicare Advantage hype: the realities of coverage for low-income enrollees [PODCAST]
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We’re joined by Aniyizhai Annamalai, an internal medicine-psychiatry physician. Dr. Annamalai’s patients are mostly indigent, not employed due to disability, and have serious mental illnesses. Most of them qualify for Medicaid. In this episode, Dr. Annamalai shares …
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Earning trust in anesthesia: How recognizing limitations can improve patient safety
Working with and supervising residents takes a certain degree of trust. Empowering residents with trust can be a difficult proposition for educators. There’s a moment early in the career and education of an anesthesia resident where they earn the trust of their faculty and supervising attendings. This moment is not contingent upon the memorization of a textbook or the demonstration of intubation skills. It doesn’t depend on the recitation of …
Past Week
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Pope Francis dies at 88. What his care reveals about America’s failing hospitals.
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Practical advice for physicians seeking joy and well-being [PODCAST]
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What a doctor felt when his neighbor was shot
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Reuniting with a colleague reminded me why I love being a doctor
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The altar of equity: a cautionary tale from the temple of healing
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Fitness, mindset, and nutrition: Unlocking longevity after 60 [PODCAST]
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Past 6 Months
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How trade wars could destroy the U.S. health care system
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How hospitals are quietly taking control of physicians
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The silent crisis hurting pain patients and their doctors
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What happened to real care in health care?
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Doctors don’t need yoga, they need time to smoke
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How the system hunts physicians who refuse to kneel
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Recent Posts
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Practical advice for physicians seeking joy and well-being [PODCAST]
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Unleashing the kraken: What The Pitt gets wrong about psychiatric care
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Why every physician needs business skills to thrive
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Why academic publishing is broken — and how researchers are fighting back
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The school cafeteria could save American medicine
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Addressing the crisis in rural health care access and outcomes [PODCAST]
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Past Week
-
Pope Francis dies at 88. What his care reveals about America’s failing hospitals.
-
Practical advice for physicians seeking joy and well-being [PODCAST]
-
What a doctor felt when his neighbor was shot
-
Reuniting with a colleague reminded me why I love being a doctor
-
The altar of equity: a cautionary tale from the temple of healing
-
Fitness, mindset, and nutrition: Unlocking longevity after 60 [PODCAST]
-
Past 6 Months
-
How trade wars could destroy the U.S. health care system
-
How hospitals are quietly taking control of physicians
-
The silent crisis hurting pain patients and their doctors
-
What happened to real care in health care?
-
Doctors don’t need yoga, they need time to smoke
-
How the system hunts physicians who refuse to kneel
-
Recent Posts
-
Practical advice for physicians seeking joy and well-being [PODCAST]
-
Unleashing the kraken: What The Pitt gets wrong about psychiatric care
-
Why every physician needs business skills to thrive
-
Why academic publishing is broken — and how researchers are fighting back
-
The school cafeteria could save American medicine
-
Addressing the crisis in rural health care access and outcomes [PODCAST]
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