“Like many scary health scenarios where patients seek some modicum of influence, the COVID-19 pandemic has led to patient demand for ‘immune-boosting’ dietary supplements. Toilet paper wasn’t the only essential item being limited by stores; bottles of zinc and vitamin C flew off the shelves as consumers stocked up. The …
Unconscious biases against vitamins and supplements [PODCAST]
I learned a valuable lesson about mentoring medical students during clinical rotations amid the COVID pandemic, and it’s not as easy as you think.
I have been in medical education, either in it or teaching it, for 20 years. I have spent countless hours doing lectures, giving hospital grand rounds, or leading bedside teaching rounds to those who want to follow in my footsteps as a clinical expert. But some are …
Medical student rotations amid COVID: Welcome to medicine little grasshopper
Dear medical student:
I was in your shoes twenty years ago. At that time, I thought that becoming a doctor was all about gaining medical knowledge. When I started my clinical rotations, I was convinced that the “history of present illness” is the most important aspect of patient evaluation. As a resident, I felt that navigating through the differential diagnosis and treatment options is all that medicine is about. Now, being …
A medical student’s guide to taking a social history
If you are confused about delta and how well the vaccines protect against infection right now, I don’t blame you: We are learning and updating data in real-time, and it is hard to keep track of it all. So maybe this analogy will help.
Think of the vaccines like an umbrella, and it’s raining outside. Before delta, the rain was maybe a drizzle. Most people who had an umbrella were not …
Think of the vaccines like an umbrella, and it’s raining outside
“Remember, board certification is supposed to be an option and not a requirement. Unfortunately, finding and keeping your dream job if you’re not board certified will add unwanted stress for you and your family.
And in case you’re wondering, I don’t work for or have anything to gain from informing you …
You have options when it comes to board certification [PODCAST]
Even those of us with a meditation cushion and a gong app are likely to recoil when mindfulness practices are suggested as solutions for physician burnout. Sure, these practices are important. No, they do not address the causes of physician burnout.
Certainly, a more genuine effort by organizational leaders would be to respond to the data. There’s lots of it. The burnout — now “wellness” — data is collected endlessly and …
The business school mindset doesn’t mind physician burnout
“Visit a nursing home and talk with some of the residents. They are not only moms and dads, but also retired teachers, first responders, former athletes, government employees, and soldiers—the basis of our country’s past lives within these walls.
Older adults should be honored with the dignity they deserve.
As we again …
Put yourself in the shoes of a nursing home resident [PODCAST]
Dear resident physicians:
Soon you’ll finish residency, and you may be wondering what’s next. Some of you will start fellowships, but most of you will practice your specialty. You may be looking for opportunities that are a good match with your needs and wants. Virtually all of you are looking forward to greater income. I hope that this ending is also a beginning – a renewal of your commitment to the …
Physicians and the importance of servant leadership
An excerpt from Hey! I Could Use a Little Help Here! My Story of Healthcare Workplace Violence.
This chapter is dedicated to the memory of Lynne Sausse Truxillo, RN, who died on April 11, 2019 from injuries sustained during a patient assault while on duty at Baton Rouge General Hospital.
It is not my place to intrude on the privacy of people …
In memory of a nurse who died from injuries sustained during a patient assault
“COVID-19 has changed nearly every aspect of society as we know it, and doctors in hospitals across America are at the forefront of those changes. As a pediatric infectious diseases doctor who also writes curriculum to help the next generation of doctors prepare for their medical exams, I’ve seen firsthand …
A pediatric infectious disease physician shares his pandemic lessons [PODCAST]
Pyrography
Medicine bottles are mundane objects tightly woven into our daily lives, with the promise of happier moods, better sleep, and lower blood pressure. Nevertheless, nothing on these objects correlates with hope, faith, or a feeling of healthiness. I aspire to affix a face on these bottles to create conversations among medication manufacturers, prescribers, and dispensers, allowing them to explore what really happens …
Colorful pills don’t paint my world
Given the devastation wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic, many are asking why people would be hesitant to be vaccinated against it. That’s the question that bounces around the skulls of countless physicians, public health experts, journalists, politicians, and others. But before trying to answer the question, it might be reasonable to ask why people do, or fail to do, other things that negatively affect their health.
Why does a patient with …
I apologize in advance if the following lines sound full of frustration, disappointment, or anger. That is not my nature. I am optimistic; I like to see the light at the end of the tunnel and believe that goodness exists. But, after reading the news this past week, I don’t feel positive. I feel dismayed and heartbroken. I just continue asking myself: Where are the leaders?
Going to medical school and …
Physician suicide: Where are the leaders?
“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 …
My child wants to be a doctor [PODCAST]
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 …
COVID’s lab leak theory obscures zoonosis and progression
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, …
What do you really want in life?
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 …
Try this new technique when talking to vaccine skeptics
“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 …
How to convince your health care colleagues to get vaccinated [PODCAST]
“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 …
Addressing racial disparities in health begins upstream with racial equity in society [PODCAST]
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