“As a family physician, guest lecturer at a local medical school, and creator of a pre-med curriculum for young learners, I’m often asked by parents how to support their child who wants to be a doctor.
The most important point to remember is that you don’t need to have any …
Even as COVID-19 is found in apes, big cats, minks, domestic cats, other small mammals, and now in U.S. deer, some don’t want to let go of the insultingly simplistic “lab leak” theory. Do they really think the 1918 influenza and AIDS pandemics (or Ebola, MERS, and SARS ) needed lab mendacity to exist? We won’t even talk about the prehistorical plagues!
Giving COVID-19 political not animal origins ignores its disturbing …
What do you want in life?
I mean, really want in life. Not just a nice car, a house or kids — although those are important and genuinely gratifying things to have. But I am talking about what is the purpose of your life? Have you ever thought of that? It seems that many times we associate this question with having a midlife crisis. People then begin doing things differently because, …
The nurse called: “The patient wants to leave AMA.”
These calls come, fortunately not often. Typically the patient is not terribly ill, but they really miss their cigarettes or alcohol. Spending another day or two in the hospital would be wise, but leaving against medical advice is not actually jeopardizing their life.
This was different. This patient was very ill, but competent to make his own …
“Trust and confidence in any product — and here the vaccine is the product — starts with confidence in the process and safety.”
-Payam N., Vaccine Outreach Supervisor
While training over 1,800 vaccine outreach workers enrolled in the California Virtual Training Academy’s Vaccine Communications Training, the UCSF Center for Excellence in Primary Care developed a practical guide for engaging people who are skeptical of the COVID-19 vaccine in meaningful …
“When a colleague in health care mentioned hesitation to get the COVID-19 vaccine in two separate instances, I was shocked and dismayed.
If we recommend vaccination to our patients, how can we not take the same precautions for ourselves?
With COVID-19 especially, anyone working in health care is exposed to many …
“Our nation is at a crossroads, but one thing is clear – the health of our country depends on the health of all individuals in it, regardless of income, gender, or race. ACPM is committed to doing our part to promote and advance health and safety for all populations. On …
“You will be asleep for your surgery,” anesthesiologists often reassure their patients. Just before the start of anesthesia, a patient may hear the nurse saying, “Think of a nice dream as you go off to sleep.”
While these statements are intended to soothe patients during a stressful time, they gloss over this critical fact: Anesthesia is not like normal sleep at all. That’s why you need medical doctors – anesthesiologists – to take …
Hidden in the epigastric region of the abdomen concealed by a curtain of peritoneum is a moody, often forgettable little organ. Of course, the term organ is a somewhat generous description for this rather overqualified gland. The pancreas has its own set of rules as it mischievously lurks behind the stomach waiting for its cue for chaos.
In a moment of theatrical exaggeration, it can go from completely forgettable to a …
Last year, a physician friend began experiencing what she believed was burnout. She felt constantly overwhelmed, had difficulty sleeping and eating, and began to dread going into her office. She worried excessively about patient outcomes, decisions she had made, and whether she was actually a good doctor. She even began to cry unpredictably. Like so many physicians who struggle with these kinds of symptoms, she avoided seeking help until she …
“I think back to the first time I ever brought Natalie to an emergency room. It was my fault. It was an odd accident. I had lifted her out of her car seat, grabbing my purse and a bag of groceries at the same time while turning and closing the …
Is your health care organization reeling from a bad EHR implementation?
There have been rumblings from hospital leadership and congressional committees about the Veterans Administration (VA) Hospitals’ implementation of the Cerner Corporation electronic health record (EHR) replacing the VistA EHR. The $10 million EHR overhaul has been controversial since the staggered rollout started in Spokane, Washington. One report noted that months after the go-live, fewer users knew how to operate the …
An excerpt from Becoming Doctors 25 Years Later: Twenty five physicians sharing the journey from medical student to retirement.
If I get out of bed now, I can squeeze in that ten-minute morning yoga routine on YouTube. But it feels so nice lying here, sunlight streaming in, sips of coffee warming my body and boosting my heart rate up a notch. If …
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In a world full of white coats, wear a leotard.
The news of Simone Biles’s recent withdrawal from the Tokyo Olympic Games shocked the world. What was surprising to many was the reason—not a physical injury, but a commitment to prioritizing her mental health. Biles later revealed that she had been experiencing a case of the “twisties.”
So, what are the twisties?
Twisties is a term that refers to a mental block or …
“If you don’t ask for something you want, then you have already accepted the answer of no. Go ahead and ask for what you want and need. You may not get it this time but ask again in the future.
We …
When Linda said she wanted to weigh 150 pounds, her doctors balked. In the fall of 2020, Linda weighed over twice that number. Her obesity was causing her debilitating knee pain, leading her to miss work as a mammography technician, a job she loved.
Wanting to return to what she enjoyed, Linda underwent bariatric surgery. With a large portion of her stomach removed, she began a stringent diet and exercise regimen, …
Do you ever wonder why some issues are global or universal? It does not matter if you are a surgeon, a mega soccer star or a world-class runner—we all have things in common. Whether you are at the top of your game or just climbing your way, we must always fight for equality, for basic rights, for humanity?
While driving home, I heard an NPR interview with Megan Rapinoe, the U.S. …
Can doctors have personalities? I get this question a lot, or, rather, I get told by patients as a running joke that physicians typically lack the fun gene. Understandably, we have dedicated our youth to the medical profession and have missed out on most of our twenties and thirties by completing rigorous training and building our new careers to where we do lose a crucial time in early adulthood development. …
“A few weeks ago, a white physical therapy colleague of mine unconsciously committed a racial microaggression. She was interviewing her patient, a middle-aged Black male, about his living environment. She asked him if his daughter was at home with him all day or if she went to work.
He asked her …
I cannot accept that others have control of how I feel, act and think. I admit it’s easier to blame others — the disrupted system, the incompetent “leaders,” the unhealthy environment and the micro-aggressive behaviors. But I refuse to give that power to others! I’m the owner of my goals, thoughts, feelings and actions. And I refuse to burn out!
Burnout
Dr. Freudenberger first coined the term in 1974 to define …
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