Streamlining your life is the key to career fulfillment
When my kids were born (3 within 19 months), one thing became very clear: there was only one way that I could possibly accomplish all of my goals. I wanted a fulfilling, successful career, with big aspirations. I also wanted to be really happy and present in my personal life. I didn’t want to sacrifice my career and didn’t want to sacrifice my personal life. I wanted success and fulfillment …
It’s time to ditch cultural competence
A pregnant Somali woman was determined to have a vaginal delivery. Unfortunately, labor wasn’t progressing as expected, and the health care team recommended a C-section. The patient declined the recommendation and said it’s in God’s hands. After some persistence, the health care team convinced the patient to get a C-section. After the C-section, the patient felt disappointed that her wishes weren’t considered. The OB team, however, didn’t understand why the …
Balancing employee needs and fair pay during federal holidays
Our previous post discussed how a full-time equivalent equals 2,080 work hours annually. To further clarify, we would like to explain how work hours during federal holidays can be calculated. One approach is to offer employees an incentive by counting each work hour after-hours as 1.5 and each work hour during federal holidays as two during the calculation of payable annual work hours. This can encourage employers to expect …
Why sharing your complete medical history with your clinicians is important
It’s your first visit to a cardiologist because you’ve had occasional episodes of an irregular heartbeat. As you fill out your pre-appointment paperwork, you carefully list the symptoms you’re experiencing and the treatments your primary care physician has recommended before referring you to a specialist. You don’t mention that you recently started taking Lexapro (escitalopram) to treat depression because you’re focused on your heart issue.
But that accidentally omitted information could …
When the doctor’s advice isn’t enough: a caregiver’s perspective [PODCAST]
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In this episode, Nancie Wiseman Attwater discusses her husband Bill’s struggle with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Despite the doctor’s advice to change his diet, Nancie realized that it was probably too late for that to make a difference. …
The empathy gap: How a lack of understanding is fueling poor outcomes and health disparities
I recently watched The Color of Care, a documentary highlighting the disparate and inequitable care received by Black and brown individuals during the COVID-19 pandemic. During the movie, Executive Producer Oprah Winfrey opined that one of the primary health care issues is the “empathy gap.” Upon hearing the phrase, I shot up in my chair, as it felt eerily (and painfully) similar to what I described in …
Gun crisis in America: Youth fatalities on the rise
In 2020, firearm fatalities displaced motor vehicle accidents as the leading cause of death of U.S. youth (ages 1 to 19). We long ago dramatically reduced infectious deaths (though vaccine hesitancy threatens to upend this victory), and the “big five” have been auto accidents, firearms, cancer, suffocation, and drug overdose – accidental in the youngest and intentional or accidental in teens.
Between 2000 and 2015, firearm deaths remained steady at about …
How minimizing treatment burden can help patients with chronic conditions
An older patient recently told me that she spent 80 days over the past year in a doctor’s office. This represented over 20 percent of her life. She was relatively well but had several chronic medical conditions that required frequent office visits. In addition to these visits, she navigated scheduling, prescriptions, laboratory testing, and copayments.
Her experience is not unusual. For example, among patients with diabetes (a common chronic medical condition), …
The power of physician-administrator partnership
Arianna Huffington recently wrote on LinkedIn, “45% of U.S. workers wouldn’t wish their job on their worst enemy. We’re in a crisis of purpose and meaning, not just burnout.”
This occupational phenomenon has also reached crisis proportions in the health care industry. In a recent study on physician burnout, Dr. Christine Sinsky reported the highest rates of burnout (>60%), emotional exhaustion, and the …
90 days and counting: the uncertainty of being an employed physician [PODCAST]
Cancer as a model of diversity: To be an ally, ask
I was brought to tears today, suddenly, unexpectedly, by the ringing of a bell. I had passed a small sign earlier, and I knew that the ringing signified the completion of someone’s chemotherapy. As I heard cheers, I thought how amazing this group of individuals (who I could not see, closeted as I was behind a curtained space) had a shared experience of crossing the finish line.
There is a lot …
Faced with yet another variant, epidemiologists must act more like silicon valley start-ups
With yet another highly contagious COVID variant sweeping the East Coast, it’s never been more clear that we need a systems approach to reforming epidemiology in the U.S. Several legislative approaches, including the PREVENT Pandemics Act and public health loan forgiveness, offer a promising start, but as a scientist who was on the ground during COVID, it is clear to me that much more is needed. Specifically, the CDC, …
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Why primary care physicians should be the quarterbacks in patient care
“There are, in truth, no specialties in medicine, since to know fully many of the most important diseases, one must be familiar with their manifestation in many organs.”
– Sir William Osler, MD.
I agree with this statement to an extent. However, I wholeheartedly respect and admire many subspecialists whom we all rely on. Disease does not usually wave a red flag and manifest extravagantly in one organ system. It usually is …
Health care leadership: Making medicine a team sport
Americans give lip service to the importance of teamwork. But most often, we credit success to individuals. Perhaps nowhere is this “MVP mindset” more apparent than in medicine.
The brilliant lone physician — gallantly battling to save a patient’s life — is the TV-inspired image most of us conjure up when we think of the medical profession. While that archetypal hero was, in fact, the best hope for patients in the …
End-of-life choices: Why Medicare needs to change [PODCAST]
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New York nurses strike for dignity and respect on the frontlines
As a PA, I’ve worked in some of the city’s busiest emergency departments. While they differ in practice styles, patient population, and architecture, they all have one thing in common: the nurses are overworked. As thousands of them go on strike and thousands more threaten to do the same, it should come as no surprise to anyone who has witnessed their plight.
I have seen NYC RNs be spit on and …
Where have all the pediatric beds gone? The consequence of strict admission criteria.
In the tale of the Pied Piper of Hamelin, the piper tunefully leads the children astray and to their doom.
Well, the piper has returned. Actually, he has been back for several years, but few noticed. This time he is not making off with the children but rather the beds they lie in, specifically pediatric hospital beds. This was not really obvious except to pediatricians until the recent calamitous “triple epidemic” …
Cervical health awareness month: Unveiling inequities in cervical cancer outcomes
According to the World Health Organization, cervical cancer is among the most preventable and treatable gynecological cancers. Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination and longitudinal screening are highly effective modes of prevention and detection, respectively. While statistics on the efficacy of vaccination and screening are promising, the realities surrounding cervical cancer outcomes are anything but. A closer look at the diagnosis and mortality rates paints quite a bleak picture.
The United States’ …
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Saving mothers: How technology can aid in the fight against preventable maternal deaths
Maternal morbidity and mortality rates in the United States are among the highest in the developed world—impacting roughly 50,000 women each year and taking the lives of 700 mothers annually. Three in five of these deaths are preventable, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Last year, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (U.S. HHS) announced $350 million in awards to …
Past Week
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Why removing fluoride from water is a public health disaster
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When did we start treating our lives like trauma?
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Mastering medical presentations: Elevating your impact
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Why the fear of being forgotten is stronger than the fear of death [PODCAST]
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Why what doctors say matters more than you think [PODCAST]
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The hidden incentives driving frivolous malpractice lawsuits
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Past 6 Months
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Why tracking cognitive load could save doctors and patients
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What the world must learn from the life and death of Hind Rajab
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The silent toll of ICE raids on U.S. patient care
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Addressing the physician shortage: How AI can help, not replace
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Why medical students are trading empathy for publications
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Bureaucracy over care: How the U.S. health care system lost its way
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Recent Posts
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Why the fear of being forgotten is stronger than the fear of death [PODCAST]
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How a rainy walk helped an oncologist rediscover joy and bravery
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How inspiration and family stories shape our most meaningful moments
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A day in the life of a WHO public health professional in Meghalaya, India
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Why women doctors are still mistaken for nurses
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How home-based AI can reduce health inequities in underserved communities [PODCAST]
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Past Week
-
Why removing fluoride from water is a public health disaster
-
When did we start treating our lives like trauma?
-
Mastering medical presentations: Elevating your impact
-
Why the fear of being forgotten is stronger than the fear of death [PODCAST]
-
Why what doctors say matters more than you think [PODCAST]
-
The hidden incentives driving frivolous malpractice lawsuits
-
Past 6 Months
-
Why tracking cognitive load could save doctors and patients
-
What the world must learn from the life and death of Hind Rajab
-
The silent toll of ICE raids on U.S. patient care
-
Addressing the physician shortage: How AI can help, not replace
-
Why medical students are trading empathy for publications
-
Bureaucracy over care: How the U.S. health care system lost its way
-
Recent Posts
-
Why the fear of being forgotten is stronger than the fear of death [PODCAST]
-
How a rainy walk helped an oncologist rediscover joy and bravery
-
How inspiration and family stories shape our most meaningful moments
-
A day in the life of a WHO public health professional in Meghalaya, India
-
Why women doctors are still mistaken for nurses
-
How home-based AI can reduce health inequities in underserved communities [PODCAST]
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