Today is the day I live for as a hematology/oncology fellowship program director. There are balloons filled on stage, dinner buffet stations brewing in the back of the conference room, and fellows entering with their proud families in tow for the graduation ceremony. On average, our graduating fellows have completed 14 years of education and training since high school and are finally about to enter the workforce as full-fledged oncologists. …
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It’s 10 p.m., do you know where your doctor is? I chuckle to myself, recalling a familiar public service announcement of the past meant to remind adults about the whereabouts of their children. I know exactly where I am at this typical hour, sitting in front of a glaring computer screen trying in vain to clear out my inbox in our practice’s electronic health record (EHR) and “win the game” …
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I am standing before a team of fellows, residents, medical students, and pharmacists on Monday morning about to start rounds on the oncology service. And as the intern is about to dive into the first patient presentation, I take a moment to ask a question: “Is anyone here into aviation?” This context is met with an awkward pause, people’s eyes looking down, and a bit of confusion. I make an …
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It is a seasonally cold fall evening in Long Island, NY, and I am standing in a field in the middle of what should be a darkened park. Still, I am truly amazed by how bright it is lit up by lanterns with different colors demarcating patients, families, and remembrances.
As an oncologist who treats blood cancers, this event, called Light the Night, sponsored by the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, was …
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Whatever we call it—burnout, moral injury, disillusionment, work fatigue, hopelessness—these did not appear to apply to me before the COVID-19 pandemic. I tried to keep up on discussions about how moral injury is a pervasive and destructive force leading health care workers to feel helpless, leave medicine, or, at worst, become suicidal. I tried to educate myself about the forces behind moral injury, such as lack of control of work, …
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Being an oncologist in New York, having recovered from the trauma of flooding from Hurricane Sandy and the aftermath that ensued when hospitals were flooded in 2012, my anxieties are now heightened again over the global threat and uncertainties surrounding the novel coronavirus.
Daily emails from administrators at my institution seek to both reassure as well as prepare us on the front line of health care to deal with the specter …
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One of the most important things we do as physicians is to empower our patients with the knowledge we have so that they can make informed decisions about their care.
In oncology, patients also benefit from educating themselves about ways they can try to take some control of their disease process, for example, exercising. I often give patients pamphlets from national organizations such as the National Cancer Institute or Leukemia and …
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I’m sitting on a cross-country flight to California with utmost respect for the professionalism of the crew, especially considering my life will be in their hands for the next 6 hours. Despite understanding the physics, I am still amazed by flight, and even more so by the coordination required to manage the logistics of shuttling so many people and their luggage around the world.
As health care leaders apply a business …
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To lighten the mood, when patients ask me where I went to medical school, I sometimes joke that I got my medical degree online. This usually invites laughter because it is preposterous that medicine could be taught virtually. After all, medicine is a noble professional with time-honored traditions of passing down experiential information and hands-on training provided to students who need years of face time with patients before being able …
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I remember visiting my pediatrician as a child, and even at a young age I was in awe of his degrees hanging on the wall. Looking back, I think I may have looked like the kid in Norman Rockwell’s Doctor with my behind in the air waiting to get a vaccination while staring in fascination at my pediatrician’s diplomas. Even at that young age, I could appreciate that these placards …
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