How physicians can find true happiness beyond wealth
Most physicians step into their careers already burdened with over $200,000 in student debt, no assets to speak of, and a nagging feeling that they’re way behind. If you’re the primary breadwinner in your family, this pressure can be even more intense. Interestingly, most doctors didn’t pursue medicine for the paycheck. But once that MD is proudly displayed after their name, they are thrust into a relentless sprint to catch …
21st century schizoid health care: the unseen crisis of our system
“21st Century Schizoid Man” is a 1969 antiwar song by the prog rock band King Crimson. It appeared as the lead cut on their debut album In the Court of the Crimson King. “Schizoid Man” is considered an epic, described by Rolling Stone as “a seven-and-a-half-minute statement of purpose: rock power, jazz spontaneity, and classical precision harnessed in the service of a common aim.”
Schizoid personality disorder is much …
Prescribing data and efficiency: Harnessing technology to alleviate the physician shortage in the U.S.
Amidst the pressing challenges confronting the health care landscape in the United States, the physician shortage stands out as a critical issue demanding innovative solutions. The Association of American Medical College’s latest report projects that the nation’s physician shortage could reach up to 86,000 by 2036. Burnout, which was further exacerbated by the pandemic, a large portion of physicians nearing retirement, limited medical school enrollment, and population growth …
Diverse data redefines heart disease prevention strategies
In 2013, the American Heart Association (AHA) and the American College of Cardiology (ACC) created a “risk calculator” to estimate the 10-year risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) and guide patient-centered medical therapy for prevention strategies, like starting statins. However, concerns arose that the pooled cohort equations (PCEs) overestimate risk and do not reflect the current diverse U.S. population, particularly underrepresenting Asian and Hispanic adults.
In 2023, AHA’s Cardiovascular-Kidney-Metabolic Scientific Advisory …
Innovative solutions to the clinician shortage crisis [PODCAST]
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We dive into the evolving health care landscape with Jamie Babcock, a health care executive. We’ll explore the growing demand for skilled providers and the critical clinician shortage projected by the Health Resources …
The hidden talent that transformed my medical career
Writing is something I enjoy. I take pleasure in writing, especially because of my beautiful handwriting. When I started school, we had to write with a lead pencil until fifth grade. I was so excited to write with a pen when I started sixth grade. After I learned how to write with a pen, I have been writing nonstop. I found my writing mesmerizing. My friends used to cram notes …
The emotional toll of chronic illness
My legs felt like thick, immovable tree trunks as I shakily shuffled down the long, cold hospital hallway in my chafing hospital gown and ill-fitting non-skid socks, pulling my stubborn and squeaky IV pole alongside me. My mom took small, measured steps next to me as we took our daily walk around the hospital floor to escape from my cramped, confining hospital room.
Now several weeks into my first hospitalization after …
How team sports prepared me for a successful career in medicine
Nothing could have prepared me better for my career and life than playing team sports growing up.
It’s hard to imagine someone now in their 70s pitching a fastball 100 miles per hour, bench pressing almost 400 pounds, and running the 100-yard dash in 9.8 seconds. These skills allowed me to play baseball until I was 26 and then move on to medical school.
Professional athletes pride themselves on their speed and …
From farm to pandemic: the urgent need for dietary changes [PODCAST]
Young lives at risk: the unseen dangers of fentanyl addiction
When we go charging in blood vessels at breathtaking speed to relieve the blockade that otherwise may bring a sad end to life, we expect to be doing it for the mature and elderly. The stress and strains upon the heart through the journey that is life upend the natural rhythm and flow, with the turbulence churning up clots like butter from milk that flow downstream till the narrowed channels …
The health care assembly line. Time is money.
After 45 years as an ICU nurse specializing in surgical trauma ICU and eventually PACU nursing, Marsha wasn’t ready to retire. She was restless and bored and decided to continue her PACU expertise at a freestanding surgical center. While juggling that job and an endoscopy center, she started to notice a recurring theme: time is money.
The endoscopy freestanding clinic performed colonoscopies, EGDs, and sigmoidoscopies—up to 42 procedures a day. More …
Social media use and physician wellness [PODCAST]
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Struggles of navigating prestigious medical systems
I tried to get a personal appointment at a large prestigious academic outpatient service. The website had a “contact us” link, which directed me to a very prolonged questionnaire wanting to know details (mainly financial) that practically included turning over my firstborn child. After spending extensive time clicking through the questionnaire, I finally came to a screen that “allowed” me to pick a time over two weeks in the future …
Patients and immunizations: It’s a matter of trust
It was 2018. Previously, “Max” had steadfastly refused all vaccines. Despite his HIV infection, which was well controlled, and my pleading with him over multiple years to get a flu shot, he was firmly opposed. He was intelligent and very matter-of-fact, and we had discussed this often. It was obvious that he did not want to be vaccinated, …
Palliative care is plagued by misunderstanding
During a recent palliative conference, the discussion turned to the challenges of translating our work to the public and our colleagues. Despite the growth of our field and increasing access, there remains major confusion about palliative care and hospice. Much of the misunderstanding originates from within the medical profession. Having worked in the palliative care and hospice arena for nearly two decades, I have seen many examples of the confusion …
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Transforming patient care with cultural values in direct primary care [PODCAST]
It’s time to pass federally mandated paid parental leave
“You’ve got some guts starting your residency pregnant!” I was that intern.
It was June 2011. A few months earlier, on Match Day—the day when the National Residency Matching Program releases results to applicants seeking residency in a specialty of their choice in the U.S.—I had found out that I’d gotten into my first-choice hospital residency program in pediatrics. I started my residency four months pregnant, and one of my attendings …
Revitalizing rural health care with technology and policy
As a physician who grew up in a small town in central Illinois, I’ve witnessed firsthand the decline of rural health care in America. The hospital where I first became interested in medicine is now half its original size, merged with a larger health system, and struggling to stay afloat. This story is all too common across rural America, where health care access is becoming increasingly scarce, and the challenges …
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Time to educate the psychiatric patient
The initial psychiatric interview of a patient is often a crucial part of the developing relationship between patient and physician. Establishing rapport, reaching a diagnosis, discussing treatment options, and formulating a plan, are the main frameworks of the interview. There remain, however, increasing pressures to reach the final diagnosis, often from patients and caregivers on initial meetings with providers that can lead to rushed or overlooked symptoms. Where, then, does …
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Past Week
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How smartphones are stealing your focus—and what you can do about it
-
Why patients and doctors are ditching insurance for personalized care
-
Internal Medicine 2025: inspiration at the annual meeting
-
Are quotas a solution to physician shortages?
-
Clinical research is evolving. Patient involvement is no longer optional.
-
Gen Z is already transforming mental health care—are we listening?
-
Past 6 Months
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How trade wars could destroy the U.S. health care system
-
How hospitals are quietly taking control of physicians
-
What happened to real care in health care?
-
The silent crisis hurting pain patients and their doctors
-
Doctors don’t need yoga, they need time to smoke
-
The unexpected truth behind these misdiagnosed medical cases
-
Recent Posts
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Clinical research is evolving. Patient involvement is no longer optional.
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The anesthesia spectrum: Guiding patients through comfort options in oral surgery
-
Ditching insurance: How direct pay models enable personalized patient care [PODCAST]
-
Are quotas a solution to physician shortages?
-
Internal Medicine 2025: inspiration at the annual meeting
-
A surgeon’s late-night crisis reveals the cost confusion in health care
-
