It felt like a monumental moment when I started my career in medicine. I grew up largely on the borderline of poverty; my parents lived check to check with my sister and me. Neither of them had gotten a college education, and they sacrificed much of their lives to support my ambitions. So to see their son realize his dream was a proud moment for them. But as a Hispanic …
The hidden toll of racism in medicine: a doctor’s perspective
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In this episode, we welcome Nicola F. De Paul, a clinical psychologist and health systems leadership consultant. Together, we dive into the topic of burnout among health care leaders. The COVID-19 pandemic has put immense stress on …
Leading through burnout: How health care executives can address burnout in the workplace [PODCAST]
Oh, the stories we hold.
As physicians, we sit in the front row for many defining events in a person’s life. In our offices and hospitals, we bear witness: to whispered fears, hopeful moments, trauma unfolding, death, birth, and life events we could not make up. Whether that is a privilege or a burden depends on the instance or the telling.
And only one person can tell your story.
Many have …
How physicians can use writing to share their expertise and impact the lives of others
If you did not know all that I know about feet, you would think geriatricians (doctors for patients 65+ years old) have a foot fetish. We are obsessed with feet, but in a good way. You see, feet play a big role in balance and preventing falls. We really care about our elder patients’ health, which is why we care about what our patients wear. Falls kill, and if one …
Geriatric foot care 101: How shoes can help reduce the risk of falls
It is common to get some nipple discomfort at the start of breastfeeding. Babies and moms are learning how to do this new skill, and sometimes they just don’t get it right, and nipple damage can occur. If caught and adjusted early, this can clear up quickly, but in the meantime, women can have cracks, bleeding, and extreme sensitivity to their nipples.
All-purpose nipple ointment – otherwise known as APNO – …
Say “no” to APNO and say “yes” to breastfeeding medicine
It can be uniquely difficult as a physician when your loved one needs medical care, and you can’t help them in the way you would like.
Many feelings arise (failure, anger, anxiety, frustration) and the sense that you are letting them down.
As with anything, speaking about the commonality of an experience and normalizing it can help us generate self-compassion, a useful emotion that does not readily come to most …
When a loved one is a patient: Navigating the emotional burden for physicians
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In this episode, we talk to Claire Unis. She reflects on her experiences as a pediatrician and how small moments of contentment and satisfaction, like seeing a healthy baby or a budding tree, led her to realize …
How an eye for detail can save lives [PODCAST]
“Be the change you want to see in the world.”
– Gandhi
In Canada, the vast majority of physicians are part of the public health system. One of the biggest complaints among these physicians is the administrative burden they face, including filling out forms for insurance companies, workers’ compensation boards, and the government. This problem is not new, and despite decades of complaints, little has been done to reduce the burden on …
The solution to Canadian physicians’ administrative burdens: Invest in human resources
This article is sponsored by the Academy for Continued Healthcare Learning, an independently owned and operated full-service medical education company that has been developing certified health care education for nearly twenty years.
With a special thanks to NAMI Chicago, the accompanying CME activity designed for clinicians …
How can a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease help patients and their families?
It started with an early morning drive to the golf course on the day before Father’s Day. It was a beautiful spring day in the Southwest, and the Man had it all to himself. However, the second half of the day would belong to others — his wife, his kids, his house, and his job. He was hoping for a quick 18 requiring no mental gymnastics beyond that of a …
A Father’s Day golf game to remember
Violence, in particular, firearm violence, has been a specter of American culture for decades, and its impact on public health has been shrouded in the shadows for nearly as long, thanks to political lobbying by gun manufacturers. An NPR article entitled “How The NRA Worked To Stifle Gun Violence Research,” published in April 2018, provides some history on the topic. A short summary? The Dickey Amendment, passed in 1996, …
The silencing of gun violence research: a decades-long campaign
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In this episode, we dive into the physician-nurse relationship and explore the different communication styles and preferences of physicians. Our guest, Ronald Hirsch, is a medical director for case management at a community hospital and shares his …
Improving the physician-nurse relationship: insider tips from a physician advisor [PODCAST]
Speech recognition software is an important part of my clinic workflow. I use the industry-leading application, which has saved me at least 1,000 hours of documentation time over the last decade. My typing is much slower than my speaking, and since my goal is to leave the office at a reasonable hour every day, using it is the obvious choice for …
Transcription troubles: the hilarious and alarming consequences of speech recognition in medicine
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The United States and Canada started a movement that began as medical cannabis and quickly exploded into adult-use cannabis markets. However, the North American operators failed to properly regulate the processes from growing to manufacturing to compete in a global pharmaceutical-level market. Europe has taken the lead as the heavy-weight producer of truly medical-grade pharmaceutical cannabis flowers and products. Notably, many operators in the U.S. and Canada claim to produce …
Why North American medical cannabis can’t compete globally
To the quiet physician who keeps her head down and powers through her days while secretly calculating the ratio of BS-to-be-tolerated versus time-to-retirement:
I have some tough love for you.
You are in a toxic relationship.
How do I know? I’ll let you in on my secret: I was in a psychologically and emotionally manipulative marriage for over twenty years.
At the start of our relationship, I felt blissfully lucky …
Let me tell you that being a doctor in the family can be a tricky business! On the one hand, you’re the go-to person for all things medical, so you’re never short on people to talk to at family gatherings. On the other hand, you’re also the go-to person for all things medical, so you’re never short on people to talk to at family gatherings. That can get old very …
The challenges and rewards of being the doctor in the family
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In this episode, we are joined by Harry Nima Zegarra, a critical care physician, as we dive into the world of real estate syndications. This type of group investment, where several people come together to acquire a …
Investing in real estate syndications: Is it right for you? [PODCAST]
The pager beeps early on the first day of my inpatient pediatric neurology service week. The pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) would like us to perform a brain death examination on a young boy before potential organ donation. An apparently healthy boy who had an unexpected clinical course that led to his current state.
As a pediatric neurology resident, I often have difficult conversations with our patients and families, but the …
A heartbreaking yet heartwarming story of a pediatric neurology resident’s struggle and empathy
In 2021, I spent the year before starting medical school calling and counseling the patients of a busy urban emergency department on the results of their sexually transmitted infection (STI) tests.
“What exactly is gonorrhea?” some would ask. “Is there a cure?”
“No one ever taught me about this,” one older gentleman lamented when we discussed using condoms to prevent the transmission of infection.
Stories like his reflect our society’s hesitancy to discuss …
The rise of at-home STI testing: a solution to America’s growing problem or a risky gamble?
Emergency departments have their share of regulars. The patients come back time and time again. Some you don’t mind. Some of you inwardly cringe and say, “Oh, God, them again.” Seriously, George, this is the second time this shift.
They come and go until you notice that you haven’t seen someone in a while. You don’t say their name because there’s an unspoken superstition that, like saying “Beetlejuice” three times, they’ll reappear. …
The struggle to save the unpredictable: a look inside emergency departments
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