An excerpt from The Surgeon’s Obol.
July 1, 8 p.m.
“Isabella Isaksen,” I said with an arm extended. “Most people call me ‘Izzie’.”
“Mike Gunderson,” came the reply. Most people called him Gundy, but he didn’t feel the need to let me, the goddamn intern, in on this. And …
The first night on call as a surgery intern
Growing up in Puerto Rico, “babas” (bottles: biberón/botellas) and “bobos” (pacifiers: chupetes/chupón) were very common among the families and children of the island. I still remember our Abuelita giving us milk in our “babas,” so my younger sister and I were sure to fall asleep better. From the time of our births, to when my sister was three years old, the “bobo” was also consistently being used in our home.
Now, …
Bottles and pacifiers: advice from a Latinx pediatrician
Like many others, I have felt immense frustration in the past couple of weeks. The news surrounding the Black Lives Matter movement, compounded by many other incidents of injustice against minorities, has made me feel constant rage at the society we live in.
I’ve tried to channel my anger into as much activism as I can think of, and I’m looking for more opportunities every day. Beyond donating, protesting, …
Why cultural competency courses should be requisites for medical school
“As women physicians, especially physician moms and women physicians of color, we have handled and achieved more than the vast majority of the population, in order to reach our current status of physician.
We do because we can.
We are Superwomen. Until we’re not.
Without thought, we take on others’ responsibilities, because we can.
In addition to our own personal responsibility to ourselves and to …
The guilt of physician-moms [PODCAST]
What are the challenges facing psychiatry? How does psychiatry need to innovate the continue to thrive? What is the future of psychiatry What’s your #1 tip for those considering the profession? What advice can you give to primary care clinicians as it relates to behavioral health issues?
Owen Muir is a psychiatrist and host of the podcast, Pandemic Check In.
He shares his …
The current state and future of psychiatry [PODCAST]
In the United States, there is clear evidence that minority populations continue to be underrepresented in clinical research related to new therapies for common and serious long-term medical conditions such as type 2 diabetes (T2D). This is despite these same populations facing a continuing and disproportionate burden of T2D, which shows no signs of abating.
Black people have one of the highest rates of T2D (13.2 percent), a rate almost twice …
Minorities and medical research: Who is still excluded?
Primary care is on life support. COVID-19’s toll on American health care extends beyond the hospitals and medical workers besieged by infection. An equally insidious but less-visible crisis is engulfing primary care, the long-neglected foundation of our health care system. Given the role of America’s largest corporations in providing health care benefits, the C-suite should be on high alert.
As growing numbers of patients postpone appointments over concerns about …
Primary care is dying: Why that should scare every large employer
“I can’t take this, doc. It’s gonna kill me. I can’t. I just can’t,” exclaims my patient with persistent refusal of his medication. My frustration is met with my patient care team’s hesitation to give him the medication with fear of further conflict and possible escalation to violence. But who’s at fault? Any of us? All of us?
My second patient, lying on the MRI table, shaking his head swiftly in …
What happens when patient capacity and autonomy diverge?
“Death is not meant to be rushed. Saying goodbye shouldn’t be rushed. Celebrating a life once lived cannot be rushed. And yet, we must. Taking a moment, a minute, an hour, maybe a day to feel something that normally takes far longer. Because we must. And in our hearts, the grief remains. Frozen in time in this state of mourning that …
The view from an infectious disease physician in Texas [PODCAST]
It was a Thursday. It was supposed to be one of those “regular” evening shifts. Then, at 6:15 p.m., my first page went off: Bed 11, Mrs. R., Dr. H. needs to talk to you. The page came from the COVID section of the emergency department.
I immediately called back. It saddened me when I learned that our patient was a young woman health care worker in her early 50s. She …
The emotional side of being a doctor during the COVID-19 pandemic
It’s that wonderful time of year when new interns take their first steps into hospitals as practicing physicians One of us has just completed her intern year and the other quite a while back (but recently enough to still remember some of it), so we wanted to share some tips for the pediatric interns about to start this wonderful adventure.
1. Don’t be overly anxious (as a little anxiety is expected). …
9 tips for new pediatric residents
Yeah.
I said it.
As an anesthesiologist, especially as a cardiothoracic anesthesiologist, there are few things I am more interested in than how well or how poorly your heart functions and why. And a cardiologist can help me obtain a lot of vital information in that regard. But there several things a cardiologist cannot, and I argue, should not do, when it comes to the perioperative care of patients.
First, a cardiologist’s assessment …
I don’t care what your cardiologist says
“Over the last 100 years, the U.S. has had to respond to five avian flu pandemics. The most severe was the 1918 avian influenza infecting 1/3 of the world’s population and killing 650,000 Americans. It was also the last time wide-spread containment, mitigation, and isolation strategies were used in the U.S. Seldom mentioned about the 1918 pandemic are the three ‘waves’ …
A public health update on COVID-19 [PODCAST]
“The unparalleled and pervasive nature of the evolving COVID-19 pandemic has touched all of us in some way. There is limited, albeit growing, research on the mental health effects of disasters. A recent review article pointed out the potentially negative consequences of prolonged quarantine, while other research from Wuhan, China, highlighted the impact of COVID-19, particularly amongst healthcare personnel. Psychiatrists and mental health professionals will play a …
Pandemic behavioral health tips from a psychiatrist [PODCAST]
I feet truly honored to have been asked to speak at your graduation and to have a chance to share on this day with all of you. We are experiencing a truly singular moment, and I imagine you are hoping that I might say something that would be comforting or inspiring, and I really can’t think what that could possibly be.
For the last half of your third year of residency, …
A graduation speech to a residency class
Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic gripped New York City, I have come to dread calling home to my parents. Every conversation ultimately leads to the question: “Is everyone okay?” This is always followed by a pause as my parents consider how much to tell me. Over the past few months, I learned on an almost weekly basis of a new family member, family friend, or neighbor who was hospitalized, transferred …
COVID-19 is a grim reminder of my roots
“Recent articles have accused some physicians of hoarding medications for themselves during our international medical crisis. Authors such as these should be ashamed of their coverage and wasted ability on sensationalism when they could be spending their time informing the public about the dangers of COVID-19 and the actions communities, hospitals, physicians, businesses, and public servants are taking on a daily …
This is a time for national unity, not sensationalism [PODCAST]
“This pandemic presents a unique opportunity for senior anesthesiologists to see the benefit of accommodating the health care needs of our workforce. Just as I tried to avoid the teratogenic effects of certain cases when pregnant, we should consider the most effective ways to protect senior anesthesiologists from a life-threatening infection. When the pandemic has passed, anesthesiologists of all ages can …
Spare older anesthesiologists COVID-19 coronavirus risk [PODCAST]
First and foremost, a mental health crisis is a medical emergency well within the sector of public health. Therefore, the question of who should respond to mental health emergencies is one in which physicians and all medical providers should have a say. Medical providers should not only be aware of the systems in place to respond to mental health crisis but must advocate for patient safety as a measurable outcome …
Who should be the first responders to mental health crises?
“Being present is a wonderful thing. It relieves stress caused by focusing on failures of the past and worries of the future. Both realms are unreachable, largely unchangeable. But at the same time, they both entice and tease our minds such that we often find ourselves everywhere, but at the moment as we focus on changing what has already passed or …
How writing inspires this physician [PODCAST]
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