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 regret of leaving an old friend behind
“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 …
The cost of overpreparing: my experience with the USMLE and what I learned
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 …
Trauma in an interview: a not-so-perfect personal statement
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 …
The hidden illness: Understanding and overcoming depersonalization-derealization disorder
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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, …
Navigating complex medical issues: one family’s story of advocacy and hope [PODCAST]
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 …
Why patients choose who they trust: Understanding the psychology of health care relationships
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 …
Can personalized medicine live up to its hype in health care?
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 …
Assess your tech health in 2023: How screen use is affecting your life and ways to improve
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 …
Mostly miserables: a physician-mother’s struggle during COVID-19
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 …
The tragic case of the anguished physician
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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, …
Breaking the communication barrier: a survival guide for doctors, nurses, and patients [PODCAST]
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 …
Discover the power of occupational therapy: a solution for doctors and patients
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 …
Don’t neglect the power of clinical examinations in modern medicine
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 …
5 simple ways for physicians to create mindfulness and improve well-being
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 …
From diagnosis to digital health advocate: Navigating lupus in the era of technology
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 …
Against all odds: How two cities tackled the COVID-19 crisis
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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 …
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 …
Earning trust in anesthesia: How recognizing limitations can improve patient safety
As a current medical student, I often encounter students considering a health care career. Understandably, this career is appealing. Being a physician lets you make a positive impact on people’s lives, along with many other benefits. However, becoming a physician is not a straightforward decision and requires a lot of thought, consideration, and sacrifice. This blog post, written for anyone considering medical school, will explore the pros and cons of …
Is medicine right for you? Exploring the benefits and challenges of a health care career.
An excerpt from Why We Forget and How To Remember Better: The Science Behind Memory.
“I’m so worried about my memory,” says the 82-year-old accountant and mother of three. “All of my friends are having memory problems. Many of them have dementia, and some even have Alzheimer’s disease. I think I’m …
Understanding the memory loss of aging: How to tell normal forgetfulness from brain disorders
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