In her book Daring Greatly, Brené Brown says, “If we want to be fully engaged, to be connected, we have to be vulnerable. In order to be vulnerable, we need to develop resilience to shame.”
If you’re a physician who is “not good at being vulnerable,” then it’s likely you’re steeped in shame and you’ll never be able to admit it.
Given the social capital that comes with being a doctor, it …
Why we deny our imperfections in medicine
“COVID-19 disproportionately impacts those with pre-existing conditions, and our health care system leaves one in five Americans with a pre-existing condition uninsured. Further, with multiple COVID-19 vaccines already in early but slow distribution, attaining universal coverage is critical, particularly in light of uninsurance having an inverse relationship with vaccination rates.
President Biden …
President Biden’s quest for a public option [PODCAST]
It is not a secret that being a physician can be exhausting and time-consuming, but do most nonphysicians really know what it’s like to be one? The answer is a resounding no. Television glamorizes the role of the physician and hides the tedious everyday realities. Spouses and partners of physicians know too well the frustration of having a partner that seems to be “always working and not shutting work off.”
Being …
The soul-sucking, energy-draining life of a physician
When I sat down to write this article, my thoughts immediately went to the tragic loss of one of my best clients, a physician who recently passed away after battling COVID-19. I remember him not only as an excellent physician but even more so as a great person.
Unlike many physicians I speak to in the course of my work, this client had the foresight to do some careful estate planning. …
8 estate planning mistakes for physicians to avoid
Physicians know what success looks like on paper. We spend a large part of our journey in medicine taking action to be competitive for medical school, the top-ranking residency training program, and the prestigious attending position.
Then the reality of a medical career sets in.
The focus on patient volume to generate revenue, the precise documentation needed to justify coding, and the micromanagement of the team to ensure patient satisfaction is a …
What is physician success? Your CV does not tell the entire story.
Maggie sits in the rocker by the window, peering out at the street and its passersby. So much hustle and bustle; it seems no one has a moment to spare. Even the squirrels seem to be in a hurry, scurrying about on the sidewalk below. What’s the big rush about?
The rocker was Bill’s favorite spot, Bill who was the love of her life. He would sit there reading the Sunday …
Caring for the elderly: We can do better. We must do better.
“The patient knocking on your door is not your enemy. They’re sick. They’re scared. They’re in pain. They don’t know why, and they’re hoping for an answer. If you can’t find the source of a problem quickly, it doesn’t mean it’s not there.”
Denise Reich is a patient advocate.
She shares her story and …
Patients don’t need quick diagnoses. They need accurate ones. [PODCAST]
Before you jump on the diet bandwagon with your brother-in-law (who’s crowing about shedding all that weight with so little effort), think about the potential downside.
The problem with an ill-thought-out diet:
Fad diets are designed to take off weight as quickly as possible. They often ignore the long-term effects that might occur regarding both the brain and spine. Someone embarking on a radical weight loss …
Think about your brain and spine before you start that new fad diet
Many who know me might be shocked by this: I shot my first pistol when I was 8 or 9, taught by my father, a physician, aiming at targets in our basement. At summer camp, I loved riflery the way some kids loved art. Staring through the sight, down the barrel, I proved an excellent shot, gathering ever more advanced medals from the National Rifle Association. As a reward, for …
I was a teenage rifle owner, then an ER doctor
Four months into the largest U.S. vaccine rollout in decades, it’s become clear that the messaging surrounding COVID-19 vaccination efforts is as important as the science behind them.
That was true when the first COVID vaccines were introduced in December at hospitals and nursing homes and even more so after the federal government on Tuesday paused the Johnson & Johnson vaccine after reports of extremely rare but very serious — in …
The J&J COVID vaccine pause: What the experts are saying
I look forward to clinic days. I thoroughly enjoy meeting with patients, hearing how they’re doing, and helping them to feel better – even if, on occasion, the only thing I can do to help is to listen.
Yesterday was a clinic day.
In the middle of the morning, I met with a medical cannabis patient treated for anxiety. As we reviewed his current symptoms, medications, and how he is benefitting from …
Practicing medicine without a license is illegal. Yet cannabis dispensaries are doing it.
“I can tell you what I don’t want to do. I don’t want to mill through 50 patients a day, mindlessly clicking through EMR checkboxes so an insurance auditor five states away will deem that I’ve done my job and deserve reimbursement. That’s a high volume, high overhead game, and I …
Meet the orthopedic surgeon who stopped taking insurance and does house calls [PODCAST]
What is this potential side effect of the J&J vaccine for COVID-19?
The potential side effect is a blood clot in the veins that drain blood from the brain. This is called central venous sinus thrombosis. In the vaccine-associated cases of this, platelets in blood, which are important for making clots, have been lower than normal. While …
Johnson & Johnson vaccine suspension: What this means for you
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I was an ICU nurse for 17 years, and it was during my last two years of my career when I was diagnosed with lung cancer.
Going into and out of the hospital for my chemo sessions. Going into and out of the clinic for my follow-up appointments with my oncologist was the most harrowing times of my life.
At this moment, I realized that my own health insurance refused to pay …
Health insurance in this country leaves a lot to be desired
Zoom: It’s now a verb. This pandemic has led to people using the digital space to stay connected, learn, and interact. We’ve had these capabilities for years, but its true essence did not come to light until a deadly virus shut the world down. In medicine, many visits turned to telehealth. Physicians skeptical of telemedicine were now forced to use this platform to continue health care delivery. As a residency …
One year into the pandemic: It’s now time to Zoom out
The first clinical trial administration of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine took place over a year ago, on March 16. An annus horribilis of masks, remote schooling, unemployment, loneliness, and depression ensued, leaving in its wake more than a half-million deaths in the U.S. — 2.9 million globally. Will vaccines save us? We have ample reason to hope so—unless we derail our deliverance by adopting a “wait …
A “wait and see” approach to COVID-19 vaccines may derail our recovery
“Humanities can be seen as part of the fabric, society, and culture of human experience. In many ways, they might be seen as the disciplines that make us human and make life meaningful. They broadly encompass ancient and modern languages, literature, philosophy, religion, visual and performing arts, such as music and theater. …
Harness the power of the humanities to counteract burnout [PODCAST]
I sat in a crowded auditorium listening to an attending at a renowned medical institution give a lecture. I didn’t know the answers, and shrouded in imposter syndrome, I avoided eye contact. The visiting medical student from Mexico answered the question, and the attending moved on. Another question came. Again, the medical student from Mexico answered. The attending chuckled and said, “OK, Cinco de Mayo,” an exaggerated emphasis on the …
The daily micro- and macroaggressions of being an underrepresented minority in medicine
Providing primary care to patients with mental illness is a challenging task that requires highly skilled and experienced practitioners comfortable with the full array of biopsychosocial problems with which these patients present. For example, understanding the side-effect profiles of psychiatric medications and their impact on problems such as diabetes and other complex endocrinopathies requires highly evolved clinical skills.
Optimally, the successful care of these patients is best provided in close collaboration …
Avoiding the pitfalls of integrating primary care into community-based mental health centers
Over the past few months, we’ve celebrated the vaccination of over 100 million Americans against COVID-19. At the same time, we’ve seen worrying indications that young adults like ourselves are letting down our guard too early. In fact, the latest surge in COVID-19 cases is being driven largely by younger people; concerningly, hospital wards in states like Pennsylvania and Florida are starting to …
Young adults: Let’s see this pandemic through together
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