The rise and fall of Hahnemann University Hospital

Physician
March 28, 2021

In March, thousands of medical students received their residency match results. For most specialties, match rates for graduating U.S. MD seniors have typically remained above 90 percent. This almost certain job security is what allows most medical students to consider taking on astronomical amounts of student debt.

The individualist message is clear throughout medical school: Focus on yourself, your achievements, and hope for the best.

Absent from these …

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Physicians can practice medicine and build wealth through passive real estate investing

Finance
March 28, 2021

I am a trained neurosurgeon with decades of experience. However, I also have a passion for real estate.

So far, I have managed to amass a real estate investment portfolio of over $250 million in assets by working with our investors and co-development partners.

As a medical professional, I can relate to your current financial standing. You’ve managed to work your way into your current, high net-worth position(s) and are earning “good …

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How divorce helped this physician [PODCAST]

Podcast
March 27, 2021
YouTube video

“I now say getting divorced was one of the best things that ever happened to me. Through that painful circumstance, I rediscovered me. I learned more about myself and my ability to do hard things than at any point in my life since medical training. I’m not the same person that I …

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Moral injury in medical school

Education
March 27, 2021

I’ve been searching for a way to describe my experience as a third-year medical student until recently, when I stumbled upon two new terms: moral injury and emotional labor. Moral injury is a phrase coined to describe an insult to a person’s moral conscience or values. It happens as a result of actions that transgress his or her “deeply held moral beliefs and expectations.” It was originally used to describe …

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Under-addressed mediators of adherence: personality in patients

Education
March 27, 2021

When novice medical students such as myself learn how to counsel patients, the primary didactic focus is on developing awareness of how factors such as racism, socioeconomic status, environmental stressors, and social supports may predispose patients to or protect patients from acquiring disease and mediate adherence. But in this discussion of patients and the decisions that they may make before, during, and after a clinic visit, we often overlook personality.

As …

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Put nutrition counseling in primary care [PODCAST]

Podcast
March 26, 2021
YouTube video

“One of the best solutions to rising obesity and non-communicable disease rates lie in primary care. Medical professionals can influence the U.S. food system indirectly through demand and collective purchasing power by educating their patients to choose and purchase healthier options. Merely improving nutrition education succeeds in shifting people’s thinking about food.

Simultaneous …

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The pandemic’s epidemic: opioid use disorder and subpar suboxone access   

Meds
March 26, 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic has devastated America’s health, taking more than 500 thousand American lives, upending the economy, and perpetuating racial health disparities. It also has worsened the country’s ongoing opioid use disorder (OUD) epidemic. In fact, in the twelve-month period ending June 2020, 83 thousand Americans died of a drug overdose, the highest ever recorded in a one-year period and 21 percent higher than the previous year. This dramatic increase in overdose deaths is mostly attributable to the synthetic opioid fentanyl.

The U.S. …

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Put down the knife: A neurosurgeon explains the importance of a work-life balance

Physician
March 26, 2021

In his novel Buddhism Without Beliefs, Stephen Batchelor observed that “death alone is certain and the time of death is uncertain.” This knowledge should guide us in one of our most important decisions: How should we spend our limited amount of time on earth?

Why do you work so hard?

There are many different reasons why people might work too hard. Often they toil out of necessity. …

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Why this plastic surgeon chose to become a high school science teacher [PODCAST]

Podcast
March 25, 2021
YouTube video

“I have closed my practice, but I have no plans to retire at the age of 52. I have started the journey to become a high school science teacher. There are frequent internet postings and blogs by physicians with strategies to retire young. I suspect that many of us, not near traditional …

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A breakup with primary care

Physician
March 25, 2021

It pains me to write this.  I am tired of pretending.  I simply cannot do this anymore.  I sincerely wish you well.  I do hope our paths will cross again.

I first gazed at you, cautiously intrigued.  Coquettish even.  Butterflies fluttered when I thought of you. You left me longing for more details.  You captivated my heart and mind.  I became obsessed with you, wanting to understand your layers and complexities.  …

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The coronavirus vaccine is not a political or social issue

Physician
March 24, 2021

It has been over a year now since shelter-in-place orders struck fear into many, forced millions into unemployment, and taught us all the meaning of the term “supply chain.” It didn’t take long before the chants of “flatten the curve” and “support our health care heroes” dissipated. Once more was known, many industries figured out to cope safely while others just decided to cope unsafely. The government stepped …

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Solving imposter syndrome in physicians [PODCAST]

Podcast
March 23, 2021
YouTube video

“The good news is that imposter syndrome can be quieted with increased awareness and replacing negative internal messages with positive ones. In our work together, I helped Sheila identify the voices, understand the positive role the voices fill (and there is always a positive or protective role), and find specific mechanisms for …

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The updated benzodiazepine boxed warning: What you need to know

Meds
March 23, 2021

“I am [sharing] my story as I would like to raise awareness about the dangers of benzodiazepines and advocate for stronger warning labels.”

I paused to wipe away tears before typing the final words of Bobbi’s report into the FDA’s MedWatch online reporting system. Bobbi, a physician assistant, was forced into medical detox by her state medical board after suffering adverse effects from prescription clonazepam. Six years …

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Not throwing away my shot: Health care workers show confidence in the COVID-19 vaccine

Video
March 23, 2021

This version of “My Shot” was written and recorded by an anesthesiologist, Bryan Tischenkel, MD, to raise awareness for the COVID-19 vaccine. He wanted to show the public the confidence with which many health care workers are receiving their vaccinations daily.

We all believe in the science behind vaccination. Each patient should speak to their physician about the COVID-19 vaccine.

Vulnerability is challenging but necessary for health care professionals [PODCAST]

Podcast
March 22, 2021
YouTube video

“In the world of medicine, inordinate stress is instead accepted as just part of the job. If you can’t handle the heat, get out of the kitchen — or see a therapist on your own time and dime. I strongly believe that traditional therapy and psychiatry are vital and valuable disciplines- I …

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Another lesson learned: This is what gratitude looks like

Physician
March 22, 2021

This week a patient, for whom I served as the primary care physician for over many years, died after an extended illness.  I had the privilege of visiting her two days before her death, as she weakened and drew closer to her last breath. It was an opportunity to tell her good-bye.

We were close. She was very smart.  She had an engaging sense of humor. She loved college basketball. She …

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With Lynch Syndrome, knowledge alone isn’t power

Conditions
March 22, 2021

“The blood test shows a genetic mutation at MLH1. You have Lynch.” The words were spoken by my genetic counselor the minute I sat in my chair should have hit me harder, but I only felt numb. I glanced at my closest friend, the person they had insisted go with me to the appointment, and watched as tears filled her eyes. I glanced back at the genetic counselor and the …

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One physician’s journey from burnout to bliss [PODCAST]

Podcast
March 21, 2021
YouTube video

“As a young girl, I’d stand on my tiptoes, craning my neck to watch her sweep cerulean eye shadow across lids and smear foundation on sunken cheeks. While my high school friends resorted to secondhand eye shadow instruction from the pages of Teen magazine, I learned by watching my mom transform the …

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Health care workers get the applause, but our families are essential, too

Physician
March 21, 2021

Leanne, a nurse, sits next to me in the ICU. She says into the phone, “Now, Johnny, you be good for Nana.” We’re only halfway through another 12-hour shift, and she won’t be home until after her 5-year-old son is ready for bed.

Such calls to palliate separation have long been part of the fabric of health care families’ lives. But the pandemic has magnified the frequency and pain of these absences.

Much …

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