This article is sponsored by Sandoz, a Novartis division, and global leader in generic pharmaceuticals and biosimilars.
When I started working in the health care industry over 25 years ago, I was compelled by a passion to make a difference and improve the lives of those around me. Ultimately, that mission …
It’s the day of my last case presentation for my neurology rotation. Hearing the subway doors shut, I run up the stairs just in time to see them close. Breathless, I walk to the center of the platform. Noting the next train isn’t coming for another seven minutes, I groan in frustration and pull out my notes to spend the time to prepare.
I see a woman approaching me from the …
The power of advocacy: a medical student’s journey to helping an uninsured immigrant
The new American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines for childhood obesity have shifted from a “watchful waiting” method to “early and aggressive treatment.” Coverage of the guidelines in the Washington Post, the New York Times, and other reputable news outlets have readily accepted this new depiction of childhood obesity as a disorder in need of immediate, aggressive intervention and has given little or no attention to what …
The middle road to childhood obesity treatment: Empowering kids with healthy habits
Repeated media articles continue to inform the public that we don’t have enough physicians to handle our health care, and it’s worsening. We have at least 174 accredited medical schools in our nation that are still producing medical doctors and about 22,000 annually from all medical schools who enter a medical practice of some kind.
That must be a satisfactory number because they aren’t building medical schools much anymore. The existing …
The consequence of neglect: the lack of business education in medical schools
During the COVID pandemic health care workers needed to work tirelessly to correct the false information that politicians easily spread through the country. The President made claims that the virus was not real, that physicians were getting financial kickbacks from using COVID on death certificates, and that health care workers were benefiting from the pandemic. Physicians, nurses, and staff needed to talk to patients about COVID, and it really took …
Why are doctors sued and politicians aren’t?
When I finished my pediatric residency almost 20 years ago, I embarked upon a career in general pediatrics because I didn’t enjoy any particular subspecialty enough to commit my career to it. After spending several years in a mostly outpatient setting (peppered with child abuse consults, circumcisions, and an unsatisfyingly small number of hospitalized patients), I knew I had to change and move across the country to pursue pediatric hospital …
The recent decision by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter to transition to hospice brings much-needed attention to this crucial part of health care. Hospice care is an essential and compassionate component of modern medicine, providing support and care to patients and families during the most challenging time of their lives. Historically, hospice care has been long stigmatized as giving up on treatment. However, the truth is the opposite. Hospice provides …
Jimmy Carter brings attention to hospice care: the compassionate side of modern medicine
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In this episode, we welcome clinical research assistant professor, Maranda C. Ward, to discuss the importance of routine screening for both HIV and COVID-19 in primary care. During the COVID pandemic, we became familiar with answering questions …
Breaking the stigma: Making HIV and COVID screening routine in primary care [PODCAST]
Until recently, mainstream science has not recognized the field of spiritual science because the consensus has been that science and spirit (soul) are like oil and vinegar — they do not mix. Science is all about facts and evidence relative to the hypothesis, theory, and actual proof. At the same time, it is said that the spirit and the soul cannot be proven and are solely based on faith.
However, thanks …
The rise of spiritual science: Uniting the soul and science
With the recent news of ChatGPT artificial intelligence successfully passing the United States Medical Licensure Exam (USMLE), we have been catapulted into a new era in medicine and medical education. What has always been regarded exclusively as a human skill and profession has now been demonstrated to be technically mastered by artificial intelligence. Rightfully, the detractors today will say that passing a board exam does not make …
From AI to love: the key to a better future in medical education
According to a study published in Pediatrics, it is estimated that between 2010 and 2019, more than 70,000 emergency department (ED) visits in the United States were related to battery ingestion, mouth exposure, and ear or nasal insertion among children under 18 years old. ED visits occurred more frequently among children ages five years and younger. Button-type and …
From toys to tragedy: the threat of button batteries to children’s health
Canadian physicians, like many other Canadians, generally support the country’s publicly funded health care system, which is designed to provide universal access to medical care.
However, despite its strengths, there are some areas where the public system falls short, and there is growing evidence that a combination of public and private health care could help address some of these shortcomings.
One of the main benefits of a mixed system, as seen in …
Ensuring universal access and quality care: the advantages of a mixed health care system in Canada
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Today, we’re discussing the news about actor Chris Hemsworth and his genetic test results. Hemsworth announced that he is taking a break from acting after learning that he has a heightened risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. Our …
Chris Hemsworth and personalized medicine: How genetic testing can impact your health [PODCAST]
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 Dark Knight of health care: a doctor’s tale of gift cards and patient satisfaction
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
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