Ann F. Beach is a pediatric hospitalist.

Christmas in a children’s hospital

Physician
December 25, 2024

In December, the questions parents ask in the hospital are different. Instead of “Will my child be OK?” we pediatric hospitalists hear:

“We have plane tickets to go skiing for Christmas. Will he be well by then?”

“She’ll be home for Christmas, right? We’ve never been away from home for Christmas.”

“It’s his first Christmas. He’ll be discharged by then, right?”

And every other variation you can think of. The hospital for Christmas is …

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Christmas in a children’s hospital

How to dress like a doctor

Physician
November 25, 2024

Are you a medical student or resident rotating through new parts of the hospital? Then it’s a good time for some nuts-and-bolts advice about what you should wear on your upcoming rotations.

No, it’s not about looking like a doctor (whatever that is). It’s not about whether patients like white coats or not. Or whether white coats carry germs. It’s not about style and personal expression. It’s about how to have …

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How to dress like a doctor

TV medical school: where doctors don’t need nurses and bullets heal themselves

Physician
May 16, 2024

Clearly, four years of college, four years of medical school, and three years of pediatric residency weren’t a complete medical education. There are so many things I didn’t know until I started watching action-packed TV shows, especially the ones with SWAT teams, detectives, and lots of blood.

My training was clearly deficient in neck jabbing. You know, when the bad guys sneak up on the good guy, jab him randomly in …

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TV medical school: where doctors don’t need nurses and bullets heal themselves

People behaving badly: 4 steps to de-escalate hostile people

Physician
August 4, 2022

Imagine that you are a brand-new attending in a hospital. You have your new starched white coat and stethoscope around your neck. Before you enter your patient’s room, the nurse says, “Whew! Good luck! The patient’s dad is really angry! He’s been yelling for the last ten minutes!”

Are you prepared? Do you know what to do?

The boundaries of unacceptable behavior have eroded in the past few years. Politicians, law enforcement, …

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People behaving badly: 4 steps to de-escalate hostile people

A physician’s personal great resignation

Physician
April 14, 2022

It’s been a year since I retired from almost 40 years as a pediatrician (most of that time as a pediatric hospitalist). What have I learned? What surprised me?

1. I have finally caught up on my sleep. I have been convinced that I still had a cumulative sleep deficit dating back to med school. After one solid year of sleeping 8-9 hours a night and waking up without an alarm …

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A physician’s personal great resignation

A patient who touches your heart in unexpected ways

Physician
January 11, 2020

I’m a pediatric hospitalist, and I know that most days in the hospital are routine. But every once in a while, a patient pierces through your armor, and touches your heart in totally unexpected ways. Willow did that to me.

Willow was five days old and had been admitted because her breathing was not quite right. I first met her in her hospital room, with her dad hovering over her bassinet, …

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A patient who touches your heart in unexpected ways