The future of residency interviews

Physician
June 5, 2021

Programs and applicants displayed incredible adaptations during the 2020-2021 virtual residency interview season despite the adversity they faced due to COVID-19.

Moving forward, virtual features may be integrated with traditional methods for a more equitable and favorable experience. We present here a discussion on the pros and cons of the 2020-2021 “virtual” residency interview season — and ways of hybridizing virtual and in-person practices that reimagine modern interviewing and improve applicant …

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How a doctor fell in love with a drug addict

Physician
June 5, 2021

“Something’s wrong with Eddie.”

In four words, my entire wedding day collapsed around me.  I’d just arrived at a beautiful Gothic chapel in a rented 1950 Rolls Royce, mom and dad on either side of me, prepared for a picture-perfect first look with my groom.  As his mother’s words echoed in my ear, I immediately thought of all the scenarios that could be easily remedied so we could move forward with …

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How photography made me a better doctor

Physician
June 5, 2021

In my first year as an attending hospitalist, I personally discovered what Hippocrates realized millennia before, “Life is short and the art long.” Clinical reasoning is an intellectual labyrinth that can only be mastered with deliberate practice, introspection, and perseverance.

However, I soon found that spending hours poring through manuscripts and cases was not only cumbersome, but often counterproductive.  It dawned on me then that athletes faced a similar predicament, one …

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Patient satisfaction through a hospitalist lens [PODCAST]

Podcast
June 4, 2021
YouTube video

“In addition to leaking private information to an unauthorized individual who just happened to ask for Ms. Mann by name, Larry commanded Nigel to worsen this HIPAA violation. Given the tone of his command, Larry must have felt right proud of his informing an aggressive, unconfirmed querent. If so, perhaps he should …

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Why physicians should care about emotional intelligence

Physician
June 4, 2021

Most of us have heard the phrase “success is about who you know,” and that couldn’t be more true. The people we surround ourselves with are a direct reflection of our life and success. One thing that affects this is emotional intelligence, or EQ for short. It’s not just about how smart you are; it also has to do with your ability to understand and manage your own emotions and …

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An update on prostate cancer treatment [PODCAST]

Podcast
June 3, 2021
YouTube video

“Even though prostate cancer patients are anxious to receive treatment, they still want to minimize their exposure to anyone outside their COVID bubble. One procedure that is especially attractive to our patients is focal therapy high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU).

Focal therapy HIFU is appropriate for patients whose prostate cancer is diagnosed at …

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Ketamine’s non-anesthetic powers: Please wait for the science

Meds
June 3, 2021

Ketamine (colloquially called “K,” “Special K,” or “Vitamin K”) is a potent, dissociative anesthetic. More specifically, it is a nonselective NMDA antagonist that initiates a wide array of physiological effects, already having ingratiated itself to a wider audience through its potential for abuse. Once used primarily in veterinary medicine, ketamine in recent years, however, has seen its medical applications extend beyond the realm of anesthesia, with clinical options now including …

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Organizations that nurture physicians’ careers can attract and retain the best doctors

Physician
June 3, 2021

Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of assisting more than 2,000 distressed physicians – some with burnout, others with “rough edges,” still others with psychiatric conditions or misuse of drugs and alcohol.  Some of these doctors were still functioning well; others had lost their licenses and their livelihoods, hoping against hope that they would somehow be able to return to medicine.  Linking all these physicians is a shared passion …

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Why do physicians fail to focus on their personal finances? [PODCAST]

Podcast
June 2, 2021
YouTube video

“We need to crawl before we walk and walk before we run. The first step is to establish your why. Why do you want the financial freedom to practice medicine because you want to, the way you want to instead of because you have to? Without a why, even achieving financial …

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The Pandora’s box of Step 2 CS reporting

Education
June 2, 2021

Introduction

The USMLE Step 2 Clinical Skills (CS) exam was implemented to assess medical students/graduates based on 12 standardized clinical encounters. The exam was graded as pass/fail based on three components: integrative clinical encounter (ICE), communication and interpersonal skills (CIS), and spoken English proficiency (SEP). To receive an overall passing grade, an examinee was required to pass all three components.

Over the years, there have been increasing demands to …

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Confession from a female doctor: I am sexist

Physician
June 2, 2021

Maybe it’s a testament to a hardy relationship that there was no resulting argument. Without thinking, I blurted out, “You are so sexist!” I could immediately tell by my husband’s face, his upper eyelids and eyebrows lifted a bit, his mouth freeze-framed in a small “o” — my exclamation surprised and insulted him. Maybe it was a completely unfair assessment; after all, he was standing at the sink, his hands …

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Medicine’s contribution to my family [PODCAST]

Podcast
June 1, 2021
YouTube video

“My children are embarking on their own lives now. While their paths are not taking them into medicine, I see how medicine has influenced their lives. They are committed to investing in themselves to reach their desired outcomes. They understand the value of dreaming big as they create a life and career …

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8 things I learned in my first year as an attending

Physician
June 1, 2021

1. You will be underestimated. This can look like many things: Little jokes about how young you look, having to correct how others say your name, having your orders questioned or not completed.

What got me through this was reminding myself why I was there: I am Dr. Patel here to take care of Patient X, and this is what we need to do. Make sure your badge works where it …

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Reflecting on COVID-19 and combustion [PODCAST]

Podcast
May 31, 2021
YouTube video

“Decreasing the burden of combustion material, whether from a cigarette, a power plant, or an engine, will not only pay off now in reducing COVID-19 but also in future pandemics and in reaping the health care benefits of decreasing the constant toll of tobacco and air pollution in our communities. As …

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The mission of medicine: not just a job

Physician
May 31, 2021

The mission of medicine is to heal the sick.  When cure is elusive, it is to relieve distress, and always to comfort.  All of us who became physicians had our reasons, but we had to have a genuine interest and ability in science, and an appreciation of people as individuals living in families and societies. We had to be willing to work hard to learn and to keep up with …

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Breastfeeding is not the end all be all

Conditions
May 31, 2021

“Thank you. You’re the first to say it’s OK for me not to breastfeed.”

These words have been said to me before by tearful, exhausted mothers. It had been sporadic, but now, it feels like I hear this every day in the clinic. Each time, I feel a rush of mixed feelings as I explain that other options had not been explored because of the known benefits of breastfeeding. I tell …

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How I lost sight of my own health care while creating a women’s health care company [PODCAST]

Podcast
May 30, 2021
YouTube video

“My world tumbled upside down. I was managing taking care of three children from home, helping them navigate the realities of our new world while trying to keep my staff employed and safe. I sadly said goodbye to many team members as they made the difficult choice to stay home. We …

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Shame and the medical profession [PODCAST]

Podcast
May 29, 2021
YouTube video

“We can’t escape shame. But don’t despair, dear reader, because shame resilience can be cultivated. There are mental-fitness skills that can be learned which are self-perpetuating. I taught myself these skills and, in doing so, healed my own wounds – you can, too. Once you have the skills to recognize and …

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