There was nothing unusual about my hotel in Anchorage, Alaska, when I checked in, but when I headed down to check out the laundry facilities and saw police swarming the lobby and parking lot, I knew it was time to move.
Thankfully, experiences like that have not been common during my time working as a locum tenens (physicians who work in temporary assignments to fill critical gaps in care) for over …
How to stay safe as a traveling physician
Recently, a group of researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, reported that they may have found the holy grail of pain management. They accomplished this by performing “the first-in-human, long-term direct brain measurement of chronic pain-related neural activity.”
Physicians have long sought a reliable way to detect and track the presence of chronic pain and its response to treatment but have failed completely so far. Old tropes like …
A breakthrough in chronic pain detection?
Sir Isaac Newton dedicated as much, if not more, of his time to the study of alchemy than he did to the natural order of the universe, but most of his work as an alchemist remained unpublished until long after his death when a metal chest full of his belongings was auctioned in 1936. The great man of science, the first of the Age of Reason, was simultaneously the last …
Halloween is almost here. Why aren’t you writing?
This could be the mythical and mystical tale of organized health care. Humans and their systems may become organized to evolve as large and stable entities, as disorganized ones may never grow large and may remain perpetually unstable, risking disintegration. However, once they reach the status of being “too big to fail” and become self-aware of this situation, the lines between ethics, morality, and legality may begin to blur. This …
Too big to fail: health care’s moral quandary
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Join Nicole Cifra, an adolescent medicine physician, as we delve into the often-underestimated but invaluable role of medical students in patient care. Nicole shares her personal journey, experiences, and insights, shedding light on how medical students play …
Exploring medical students’ vital role in patient care [PODCAST]
“All I know is how to be a doctor.” That’s the story many physicians tell themselves when they feel pulled to pivot from direct patient care. Through working with a coach, therapist, or mentor, doctors see there are always other possible paths forward. Sometimes, it’s what you need to do to take care of yourself, short or long term, and there is nothing more important than that…
Charity Hix, MD
I knew …
Pivot from clinical work? Sometimes the answer is yes, and that’s OK.
Early in your career as a physician, with a good income, but often significant debt, physicians can make critical financial planning mistakes that follow them their whole career.
Avoid them!
Early career physicians face unique financial challenges, from student loan debt to the need for investment and insurance planning. In this article, we will provide a comprehensive guide to financial strategies tailored for physicians in the early stages of their careers, with …
Financial challenges for early career physicians
As an allergist/immunologist, the spectrum of mast cell disorders, including mastocytosis, idiopathic anaphylaxis, chronic hives, and angioedema, is not a new concept. That said, in recent years, we have seen an uptick in patients presenting with a spectrum of symptoms attributed to misbehaving mast cells. Although the medical community has acquired extensive knowledge of these more established diagnoses over time, the newer entity mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS) is not …
Challenges faced by patients with mast cell disorders
How should a patient deal with medical patient abandonment? A Japanese saying is, “It is better to fix the problem than to blame.” This invites a learning and growth opportunity for those with less knowledge and experience. Based on this, let us look at problem-solving for medical abandonment, neglect, and errors. The principle behind this philosophy follows the desire to allow an adversary to maintain face. If they take the …
Dealing with medical abandonment, neglect, and errors
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Join Diane Shannon, an internal medicine physician and physician coach. Explore the evolving landscape of physician autonomy and discover actionable insights on how health care professionals can regain agency and empower themselves for a more fulfilling career …
Secrets to reviving physician autonomy [PODCAST]
My first job as a physician assistant was in a neuro-oncology department. I was young, newly certified, and eager to interact with patients. The physician who mentored me there made sure I had the opportunity to counsel patients, and provide guidance and comfort after a new diagnosis. These are situations where a clinician needs time and space to be empathetic.
On one occasion, I spent nearly 45 minutes in the exam …
Why I left medicine – and why AI might convince me to return
Happiness is a widely discussed and sought-after topic. This dream, or the ideal world of happiness, is something many people claim they want but struggle to find. So, what exactly is happiness? According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, happiness is a state of well-being and contentment.
Do you remember your happiest moments? As I write this, I reflect on my happiest moments—such as the birth of my first child. Then, as I …
Achieving happiness: practical strategies for physicians
After she developed a serious complication, she wanted to know the facts plainly stated. I told her the treatment would change her quality of life; it would be hard but doable. To this, she replied, “Now, don’t bullsh*t me, I don’t like bullsh*tters.”
These words were uttered by my resilient, 75-year-old patient undergoing peritoneal dialysis. She had recently developed one of the most dreaded complications of this treatment: calciphylaxis.
Her strong will …
A patient’s resilience and the challenge of dialysis
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Join Rida Jawed, an emergency medicine resident in Pakistan. Rida shares her invaluable insights and experiences from her journey in the emergency department. We delve into essential rules for thriving in this demanding field, from self-care to …
Navigating the demands of emergency medicine [PODCAST]
An excerpt from A Caregiver’s Love Story.
Many people will become caregivers in their lifetime, or on the other hand, may need one. A “caregiver” is anyone who gives basic assistance and cares for someone who might be ill, disabled, or frail. There are a wide variety of tasks …
Essential caregiver roles and self-care tips
Did you know that promethazine with codeine cough syrup had a high risk of diversion and high risk of addiction? I didn’t.
From my experience, this is the only effective prescription cough medicine available. Sure, you can prescribe what is essentially over-the-counter dextromethorphan. But be ready when the patient throws a fit because that’s what they’ve been using for the last several days or weeks, and it wasn’t effective. Tessalon Perles …
Codeine cough syrup: a controversial classification
On many occasions, patients have asked me whether it’s OK to eat fruit. They’re worried about whether they should be eating foods high in sugar. Is fruit in that category? No, it is not. Does anyone really believe that fruit is what’s causing the paired epidemics of diabetes and obesity? This scourge is not being caused by fruit.
Let’s think about this. As long as the sugar in the food you …
Fruit and sugar: Debunking the myths
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Join Theresa Mahon, an obstetrician-gynecologist, as she discusses her transformative journey in prioritizing postpartum care and the critical importance of the often-overlooked fourth trimester. Theresa shares her experiences and insights into improving the postpartum experience for new …
Redefining postpartum support [PODCAST]
I am perplexed by two different needles which, when viewed together, illustrate the irrational themes which dominate our shared humanity. They inform me that, despite being a doctor for more than twenty years, I honestly feel dumber each day about human behavior. If, unlike me, you have somehow figured out more along the way, good for you.
The first needle which vexes me was the one stuck in my arm on …
COVID vaccines and weight loss medications: a tale of 2 needles
As technology advances, the health care sector perennially seeks innovative solutions to enhance patient care, diagnostic capabilities, and accessibility. OpenAI’s ChatGPT-4, with its pioneering vision feature, has emerged as a potentially transformative tool, enabling myriad applications that traverse beyond textual interactions and delve deeply into the visual realm.
Elevating user interactivity in health care consultations. They were integrating visual capabilities in ChatGPT-4 ushers …
ChatGPT: Charting the future of health care with visionary AI
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