The pandemic exposes critical gaps in Canada’s health workforce planning

Policy
February 20, 2021

Health workers in Canada experience endemic levels of burnout directly related to understaffing and work overload. Leaves of absence from work for mental health and stress-related issues are 1.5 times higher among health workers than the rest of the population. Increasingly, health workers are significantly reducing their hours worked to cope or leaving their jobs altogether.

That was before the pandemic. With COVID-19, we are witnessing levels of stress, overload, and burnout …

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Expanding the osteopathic concept for the health of all things [PODCAST]

Podcast
February 19, 2021
YouTube video

“We are all interrelated.

This is the foundational basis of osteopathic medicine. Whether considering internal relationships of the systems of the body or the external relationships of a person with the world around them, connection is a key principle at the core of osteopathy.

Developed at a time when the baseline medical practice …

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It’s never too late for physicians to change directions and land new jobs

Physician
February 19, 2021

Changing direction once established is not easy, but it can be rewarding. I recently read the essay on KevinMD (“How this physician escaped the system“) from a physician who shifted gears to her own business after some discouraging experiences in “the system.” During her residency, her attending physician asked her what her purpose was in becoming a physician. To her credit, she said that her goals …

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How chess can make you a better physician

Education
February 19, 2021

“Checkmate,” she whispered. A silent wave swept across the tournament area. Players turned their heads in our direction, eager to see who had lost 30 seconds into the round. It was me—I had fallen victim to the infamous four-move checkmate.

My opponent, a five-year-old girl who could barely reach the other side of the chessboard, extended her hand to shake. My seven-year-old self was mortified. In the chess world, nothing is …

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Telehealth in underserved populations needs telecommunication expansion [PODCAST]

Podcast
February 18, 2021

“COVID-19 has propelled the nation into widespread telehealth services to provide consumer-based care, especially for those who access this technology. Equity issues arise when using digital communication because many underserved populations lack access to digital and/or mobile services. Inevitably, this brings up the greater concern of an unintentional exacerbation of disparities because low-income …

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The opportunity to connect with another person on the most human of levels

Education
February 18, 2021

One of my most impactful experiences during my third year of medical school was spending time with my patients and getting to know them. I went into medicine because I believed in the special relationship between doctor and patient. As I was shadowing in college, I was amazed by how within minutes, a stranger would reveal physical and psychological details about their life they might not even share with their …

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A dermatologist reflects on his career [PODCAST]

Podcast
February 17, 2021
YouTube video

“At that point, I realized Thanksgiving came early this year, and I missed it. It was a reminder of why many of us go into medicine. I didn’t go into medicine for glory or fame. Nor did I go into medicine for financial reward. Still, I often told the resident physicians I …

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COVID tragically took a young orthopedic surgeon

Physician
February 17, 2021

Before getting dressed for work this morning, I stood in my kitchen, marveling at the ice crystals, or “tree diamonds,” as my mother calls them, from the window above the sink. As I waited for the coffee to brew, I scrolled through the text messages sent to my phone overnight until I saw my friend’s forwarded news link: “Doctors suspect COVID delayed immune response in young surgeon’s death.” I clicked …

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Boundaries as a woman physician

Physician
February 17, 2021

When I think about boundaries, I am struck by how individual, varied, and unique each of our own personal definitions of boundaries can be. For one person, it is the physical boundary between the external world and our property. For another, the emotional and relational boundary between physician and patient. For many, the physical, emotional, and energy boundary between work and home. And often the most difficult, the boundary between …

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To MBA or not to MBA as an MD [PODCAST]

Podcast
February 16, 2021
YouTube video

“The first thing my husband said when I told him about MBA school was, ‘the NBA has a school?’  It didn’t help that we first had our conversation about MBA school during the NBA playoffs but really – NBA school?  I quickly overcame this moronic start to the conversation by saying ‘M’ …

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Suicide in veterinary medicine is a huge problem right now [PODCAST]

Podcast
February 15, 2021
YouTube video

“I am a veterinarian. More specifically, I am a veterinary specialist, board-certified in emergency and critical care. I don’t play with puppies and kittens. I treat the worst of the worst in a specialty hospital setting with a state-of-the-art ER and ICU. Despite years of education, including veterinary school, internship, fellowship, …

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Managing stress with coping strategies for the perfectionist-driven physician

Physician
February 15, 2021

As doctors, we are taught the art of assessing our patients through the doctor-patient relationship. We learn a series of open-ended questions to gain insight into our patients’ values and thoughts regarding their personal health. We learn how to evaluate lab values and make diagnoses. Through all of this, we strive to make optimal decisions for our patients to avoid the legal ramifications of medical errors and because physicians thrive …

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Infertility and the physician journey [PODCAST]

Podcast
February 14, 2021
YouTube video

“I am a medical doctor—a hospitalist working in an environment with many talented professionals. We share our knowledge and our approach to medicine with one another in ways that profoundly affect our patients and other personnel in the hospital.

At our best, we are a community whose foundation is a willingness and …

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I’m the best anesthesiologist there is

Physician
February 14, 2021

A moment in medical school that left a huge impression on me was when we had chairman’s rounds with the department of medicine’s chair.  He was a renowned breast oncologist and researcher and described a bit of his process when interacting with a patient. The process he had developed over his years of experience was so fine-tuned that there was not a single movement, action, word, or breath that was …

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Train in the United States. Practice medicine abroad. [PODCAST]

Podcast
February 13, 2021
YouTube video

“Oh, Canada! Every presidential election cycle, my colleagues joke that if the election result is not to their liking, they will move to Canada. On election night 2016, ‘move to Canada’ trended on Google, and the Canadian immigration website crashed. This election cycle America is having an existential crisis. What does …

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Women in medicine need to have each others’ backs. Too often, they don’t.

Physician
February 13, 2021

The recent controversy and backlash surrounding Kamala Harris’s Vogue cover shows that it is still fashionable to diminish powerful women.  It also is the latest example of the sad fact that no matter how far we have come, women are still held to a different standard—by both men and women.

As a female vascular surgeon, I have spent my career pushing back on ideas about what …

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Why teachers aren’t going back to school: a physician’s take

Policy
February 13, 2021

All across the United States, elementary and secondary school teachers are refusing to go back to school. Before you join the growing lynch mob that’s going after these teachers, you may want to consider why they’re staying home.

For starters, many school boards make their decisions based not on what is best for students, teachers, or the community they’re supposed to serve, but on the vested interests of the …

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Empty chairs at the table this pandemic holiday season [PODCAST]

Podcast
February 12, 2021
YouTube video

“It is often difficult to reflect on the holidays when we are grieving positively. One thing to keep in mind is that the loved one/ones we lost would want us to remember them fondly and enjoy the holiday season. The holidays are rare occasions when families who are often separated by long …

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Changing the national conversation on wound care

Conditions
February 12, 2021

We all think we know what a bruise looks like. Black and blue, brownish around the edges. But depending on the circumstances, the same bruise can look different from one person to another.

To a well-loved child who skinned her knee, a bruise might look like a bad memory of an epic tree-climb attempt. To a patient with diabetes, a similar bruise might look like the onset of a life-threatening emergency. …

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