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Doctors need to learn to say no. Here’s how to do it.

Physician

January 30, 2016

If you have a life where you never, ever say yes when you mean no, then you can stop reading right now.

But I guess that you’re a lot like me. Now and then, you get caught off guard.

And before you know it, you’re staying late to see that emergency patient. Bringing cupcakes for the second-grade class. Volunteering for the coffee meet-and-greet at church next Sunday.

What’s up with that? We’re smart. …

The shocking confessions of a naturopathic doctor

Britt Marie Hermes, ND

Physician

January 29, 2016

I was a licensed naturopathic doctor in two states. I quit practicing naturopathic medicine after discovering my former boss, also a licensed ND, had been importing and administering an illegal cancer drug. I trusted my boss, as did his patients, because he was well respected in the naturopathic community and his credentials included “FABNO” (Fellow of the American Board of Naturopathic Oncology). This FABNO treated any kind of cancer, even …

The benefits of trauma-informed care in the NICU

Kara Wahlin, MFT

Conditions

January 29, 2016

When my twin sons were born prematurely at 26 weeks’ gestation, my family’s lives were thrust into the whirlwind of the NICU and living daily with the reality of the babies (William and Elliott) being on life support. Having had no prior intense and prolonged experiences with the hospital, and watching helplessly and fretfully as my tiny two-pounders fought for their lives, it’s almost impossible to put into language what …

Will the real doctor please stand up?

Kristin Prentiss Ott, MD

Physician

January 26, 2016

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In 2006, graduate nursing programs started granting doctorates of nursing practice (DNP degrees). In a media fact sheet, the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) explains the thrust for the change this way:

Some of the many factors building momentum for change in nursing education at the graduate level include: the rapid expansion of knowledge underlying practice; increased complexity of …

Read more…

Will the real doctor please stand up?

Gastroenterologists are the tattoo artists of medicine

Frederick Gandolfo, MD

Conditions

January 25, 2016

Everywhere you go, you can see people from all walks of life sporting some pretty cool tattoos. Tattoos are so popular nowadays that they’re almost conformist. I consider myself really hip since I don’t have any tattoos; how avant-garde! However, that doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate good ink when I see it. As a matter of fact, I even dabble as a tattooist sometimes.

It is common practice to leave a permanent tattoo at …

Your vagina doesn’t need a herbal cleanse. Here’s why.

Jennifer Gunter, MD

Conditions

January 25, 2016

I woke up to someone forwarding this tweet.

Yes, some company is selling tiny bags of herbs (they call them pearls) to stuff in the vagina for three days to cleanse your uterus or shrink your fibroids or treat bacterial vaginosis or tighten your vagina.

This is not only pointless it could be very dangerous. Here’s why.

Your uterus and vagina want you to leave them alone.

Your uterus isn’t tired …

The unintended consequences of the night float rotation

Elaine Khoong, MD

Education

January 24, 2016

This past month has been a particularly difficult one for me because I’ve been on our float rotation. I have worked only night and swing shifts throughout our hospitals; this means my work hours are primarily from 8 p.m. to 10 a.m.

There are certainly other rotations during which I worked longer hours and had more emotionally draining conversations, but I have never felt as burned out as I have this …

Physicians should invest time in work-life balance: It’s priceless

Eve Shvidler, MD

Physician

January 19, 2016

“As a mom and a doctor, what advice would you give a third-year medical student trying to choose a specialty?” the bright-eyed med student asked me.

Her smile was ear to ear, and I didn’t want to burst her bubble. This is a complicated question to ask and the answers change as life changes. I chose OB/GYN because it was the only specialty I truly fell in love with. For me, …

What you don’t know about medical training and culture can kill you

Pamela Wible, MD

Physician

January 18, 2016

An excerpt from Physician Suicide Letters — Answered.

When is a taboo topic no longer taboo? When is it OK to stop hiding behind euphemisms? When is it safe to tell the truth? The answer is now.

This week I uploaded 53 chapters of physician suicide letters in a Read more…

What you don’t know about medical training and culture can kill you

A daily decision to prioritize my patients over my notes

Mary C. Zeng, MD

Physician

January 16, 2016

It’s been a long day in the psychiatry clinic.

Seeing patients is never dull, and each interaction is meaningful in its own way. From the moment they walk into my office to the moment they leave, I try my best to be fully present with the patients sitting in front of me. That means listening to every word, watching every nuance of body language, hearing every concern — both spoken and …

A letter to myself as a first-year oncology resident

Joanne Intile, DVM

Physician

January 15, 2016

I’m writing to you from the future — approximately ten years from where you are now. You’re a few months into your medical oncology residency, just beginning to assimilate to the flow of your daily responsibilities as a doctor committed to the diagnosis and treatment of cancer.

You hate living in upstate New York, and are dreading the upcoming winter and the associated endless piles of snow and sub-zero temperature nights …

Doctors grieve too: A lesson I did not learn in medical school

Lauren Gambill, MD

Education

January 14, 2016

“She is not yours to grieve.”

That statement, from another physician, hours after Ava died and as pent up tears rolled down my face, left me embarrassed and ashamed.

The message: She was my patient, not my child.

Never mind the amount of time and tenderness I had poured into her care during the month she spent in the pediatric ICU. I had no right to mourn her death. I am a doctor.

As …

10 rules every primary care doctor should read

Peter Elias, MD

Physician

January 13, 2016

Primary care medicine is intense and chaotic, a constantly mutating kaleidoscope of data, emotions, goals and obstacles. It is designed to confuse and distract, and will find and magnify any tendencies towards ADD in even the most organized clinician.

During my 30+ years as a family physician, I’ve come to depend on some core principles and concepts to stay grounded and maintain focus. Here are ten rules I have found useful, …

The story of how this doctor lost his first patient

Antonio Webb, MD

Physician

January 13, 2016

During medical school, we are taught the physiology, anatomy, and pathophysiology of hundreds of disease processes. One thing medical schools don’t teach well is how to cope with losing a patient. Some physicians will go many years as a physician before having their first patient die on them. Others will lose a patient earlier on during their career. I was the latter. I hadn’t even graduated from medical school yet …

The struggle of mommy-guilt in physician-mothers is real

Emily Knipper, MD

Physician

January 11, 2016

What does a 3 year old know?

If you don’t like our toddler’s opinion, just wait; she’ll change her mind in a few seconds. The ever-changing mind of a 3-year-old is what makes the fact that I decided to be a doctor at that age all the more amazing. But, that’s how old I was when my parents took me on a mission trip to Haiti, and I decided I wanted to …

Prevent your baby from dying: 9 tips every parent should know

Chad Hayes, MD

Conditions

January 10, 2016

Dead babies aren’t something anybody likes to talk about. But while it may be an uncomfortable topic, it’s also an important one — because there are things we can do to make it happen less frequently. The loss of an infant is something parents never really get over, and something that no parent should have to experience. Here’s a look at the most common causes of infant mortality and some things you …

This medical student went to rehab. Here’s what she learned.

Jennifer Adaeze Anyaegbunam

Education

January 9, 2016

As physicians, we are trained to look for change. We look for changes in lab findings and change medications, and we ask our patients, “what has changed since I saw you last?” We are always trying to get our patients to change in one way or another. Doctors are hardwired to seek changes that produce a dopamine release in our brains. We love it when patients see an improvement in …

This doctor won’t prescribe Addyi, the “female Viagra.” Here’s why.

Jennifer Gunter, MD

Meds

January 9, 2016

Addyi (flibanserin), the drug to increase female libido had a timid entry into the market with very few prescriptions considering the “hype.” Bloomberg Business reported 227 prescriptions in the first month. That’s a pittance considering Valeant paid $1 billion for the drug.

I am unlikely to help Valeant recoup their investment, because the more I read about this drug, the worse it looks. Here’s why:

It barely works

One of the study endpoints (meaning …

From medicine intern to radiology resident: Is the grass greener?

Kerri Vincenti, MD

Education

January 8, 2016

When I was an intern in medicine, I couldn’t wait to start my role as a radiology resident. Even though I cared for my patients to the best of my ability and studied their diseases, I knew that my time in the department was limited. I wish I could say that I put my whole heart into my work, but with all of the extraneous demands of intern year — …

This is why patients cannot be customers

Tanya Feke, MD

Physician

January 7, 2016

The customer is always right, or so the saying goes.

If you have ever worked in retail, you may have been frustrated by buyers who ransack neatly folded tables of sweaters and leave them strewn about like tornado wreckage. If you are in the food industry, you may be annoyed by a diner who complains his soup is too cold even as you see steam rising off the bowl.

It can sometimes …

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