“Holly, we’re really worried about you. You’ve been sleeping for days. Let us take you to the school clinic.”
I looked up at a figure in the bedroom door surrounded by a light that hurt my eyes. It was my college roommate, a sweet girl from North Carolina who had put up with my shit for most of our senior year. I wanted to bounce up and smile, to jump into …
Balancing the roles of patient and healer
She was 82 years old — sweet, frail, and maybe four feet eight inches tall.
She had many beloved children, grandchildren, and even a few great-grandchildren
They all grew up knowing that family was their core — their base, their home where love resided.
It was only a few days before Christmas, and Mrs. Mary entered our ICU.
COPD.
She lived with this for a long time. But this time, it crippled her. We gave …
The Christmas miracle and the music box
A prominent celebrity named Stephen “tWitch” Boss of the Ellen DeGeneres Show took his life at 40. Boss’ contagious love of dancing, carefree spirit, and milewide grin brought joy to millions. From the outside looking in, we saw a gentle soul – a successful actor and dancer with a wife and three children.
Just days before his passing, Boss shared a joyful video on social media of him dancing …
Stephen “tWitch” Boss’ tragic death highlights the importance of mental health
As I drove home from work and turned right onto the familiar street that would eventually wind around like a smile to my home, I briefly closed my eyes and tilted my face to the sky, enjoying the butterscotch sunlight still peeking through the leaves framing the street. I noticed with contentment the various groups of people clustered alongside one another, walking at a leisurely pace on the adjacent sidewalk.
It …
Overcoming the epidemic of loneliness
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“We can all work to improve our empathy towards those who differ from us. Please continue to keep an open mind and consider true allyship.”
Nkem Asianua is a physician assistant student.
She shares her story and discusses the …
What does it mean to truly be an ally? [PODCAST]
As winter approaches and life slows down, it’s a time to pause and reflect on all everyone has had to endure these past few years. To those involved in health care, it has been an especially difficult time… a test of both resolution and inner strength. With my hope that all will see brighter days ahead, I offer the following as my means of giving thanks to all of you …
A blessing for health care workers
I saw two positive lines on the home test kit. My body felt like I had been beaten with a jackhammer and the buzzing in my head reminded me of a hangover, the likes of which I had not seen for at least 20 years. Somehow, I organized my thoughts enough to call employee health and then updated the primary care clinic where I work as a physician. Clinic …
Lessons from employer-mandated COVID leave
An excerpt from The Resilient Life: Manage Stress, Prevent Burnout, & Strengthen Your Mental and Physical Health.
According to a recent study published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings, “a dramatic increase in burnout and decrease in satisfaction with work-life integration occurred in U.S. physicians between 2020 and 2021.” This isn’t a …
Understanding your personal risk factors for burnout
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“Both pain and obesity can have a multitude of causes. Therefore, reducing pain and body weight should be approached in a multifactorial way; nutritionally, physically, mentally, and emotionally. Failure to do so may result in short-term success …
Nutrition’s impact on pain and obesity [PODCAST]
When I transitioned into a new role as a training faculty member at an academic medical center a few years ago, it didn’t take long to realize that the program had a problem with psychological safety. There wasn’t much.
As I got to know the trainees and heard specific feedback, I began to understand why. The trainees felt criticized and unsupported by the training faculty. And every time there was a …
Leaders who elevate diverse employees create psychological safety
After record-setting sales of $889.3 billion last holiday season, the National Retail Federation predicts that Americans will spend between $942-960 billion this year. Deloitte forecasts that each American will make $1,455 worth of holiday-related purchases individually.
It is possible to have your holiday spending support impactful companies and causes while getting the gifts you want your loved ones to enjoy.
What is ethical consumerism?
Business Insider defines ethical consumerism as “the practice of spending …
Ethical consumerism: How to shop responsibly for the holidays
People might think having a medical degree can help you get a home loan. But it’s more complex and nearly impossible for physicians. Medical professionals, especially recent graduates, often have a high debt-to-income ratio because of student loans, making it difficult to qualify for conventional home loans. Doctors also have trouble when they don’t have any savings.
Fortunately, there is an alternative tailored explicitly for physicians called …
Everything you need to know about a physician mortgage loan
“Between stimulus and response, there is space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.”
– Viktor Frankl
In the post-pandemic practice environment, the autonomy-squishing “big ask” within many organizations is for providers to see more patients and improve practice efficiency with dwindling resources so as to buffer the bottom line and allow for system recovery. This mandate may make us …
How clinicians can respond to the “big ask”
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I’m saddened to hear of the passing of Stephen “Twitch” Boss. He was a talented DJ and dancer who brought joy to many with his infectious personality and smile. He will be remembered for his incredible talent and the joy he brought to those around him. He leaves behind his wife and three children.
The truth is that psychiatry is a challenging …
Remembering Twitch: a star who shone bright
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“Our primary care systems should be designed for all the kids and families they are intended to serve. Incorporating system navigators to support the needs of our most vulnerable families is a feasible step in the right …
Why Black and brown kids are falling through the cracks [PODCAST]
I screen patients for skin cancer on a regular basis, and one of my research interests is to find new biomarkers of cancer prognosis – to be able to separate out cancers that won’t actually do someone any harm versus cancers that could very well spread, grow unchecked and uncontrolled, and potentially end a life. I know that cancer treatments have advanced beyond my imagination in recent years, with …
Sweet bitter: a doctor’s cancer diagnosis
When I married my husband, I had no idea there would be a mistress one day.
When I met the man who would become my husband, he was not yet a doctor. He was 22, a black belt, a waiter in a fancy restaurant, and very handsome. He knew all kinds of things about champagne and paté, cocktails, and sushi.
We met in our college martial arts club. I was 19 and …
In a report published by the Commonwealth Fund and released in August 2021, the performance of the U.S. health care system was compared to that of other high-income countries. The results were stunning: despite investing far more of its gross domestic product in health care, the U.S. ranks dead last overall and last on access to care, administrative efficiency, health equity, and health …
The solution to a crumbling primary care foundation is direct primary care
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“A good history and physical, including screening, can prevent consequences that burden a patient’s daily life and increase health care costs. Assessing cardiovascular risk is a key part of the evaluation. Transgender individuals may have a compounded …
You need to ask these questions to teens starting hormone therapy [PODCAST]
At least two million people in the United States are incarcerated in 122 United States prisons. Little is known about the prisoners themselves. Did their background condemn them to bad behavior? Or did they just make grievous mistakes? Do they suffer from a mental illness masquerading as criminal behavior? Can they change their life path? A mental health specialist with 25 years of direct …
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