Why the physician shortage in the VA is a sign of things to come

Health Policy
January 22, 2016

The metallic mix of freshly spilled blood and sterile instruments engulfed his nostrils as he shifted uncomfortably in the cracked, worn, brown leather chair where so many others had sat before him. He tried not to sweat as the faceless, gray clinician coaxed the long needle deeper into his fleshy neck and watched as a rogue drop of crimson escaped and marred the otherwise pristine tile floor beneath him. He …

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Why the physician shortage in the VA is a sign of things to come

My patients have shown me that medicine is a universally spoken language

Medical Education
October 29, 2015

Lately, there seems to be a lot of negativity surrounding the practice of medicine. From the staggering student debt, to the grueling hours as a resident, to the high rate of burn out, it sometimes feels as though this profession is constantly under attack. To be honest, I’ve threatened to quit medicine so many times over the last decade that it’s become somewhat of a family joke. I even went …

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My patients have shown me that medicine is a universally spoken language

The time to reinvent medicine is now. #TakeBackMedicine

Physician
September 17, 2015

For too long we have let politicians, insurance companies, lawyers, administrators, and consultants tell us what is best for our patients. Over the years, we’ve stood idly by and watched as the field we love is debased, one superfluous policy after another — foolishly believing that if we just worked a little bit harder, we could make up for all the extra rules and regulations. We’ve dedicated our lives to …

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The time to reinvent medicine is now. #TakeBackMedicine

When practicing medicine, hold on to what makes you whole

Medical Education
August 1, 2015

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Blackness covers the paper in its entirety. Hunched over, charcoal stained fingertips splayed out in front of me, I exhale and my saturated breath evokes miniature tornadoes. The fragrance of warm charcoal engulfs my olfactory bulb and my temporal lobe explodes with images of the past. I am transported back to scraped shins guarded by starched, white ruffled socks. My fingertips …

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When practicing medicine, hold on to what makes you whole

How far is too far? A response to Dr. Fredric Brandt’s suicide.

Conditions and Diseases
April 21, 2015

As someone involved in both the medical and acting world, I was tremendously saddened to read about Dr. Fredric Brandt’s recent suicide, which is presumed to be in response to an impersonation of him on the Netflix’s series, The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.  Project Casting, a website offering free casting calls and auditions, posted a link on their website asking, “Did Netflix go too far” and I was shocked by people’s …

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How far is too far? A response to Dr. Fredric Brandt’s suicide.

I don’t know: The honest answer that patients need to hear

Medical Education
April 3, 2015

As I reflect back on the last four years of medical school, I am reminded of the ghosts of patients past. Those of you already entrenched in the dredges of patient care know what I mean. The images of their faces burned on your brain: the ones you couldn’t help, the promises you never meant to break, and the hope you weren’t able to give.

Those ghosts take on several shapes …

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I don’t know: The honest answer that patients need to hear

The hardest and often worst part of medicine: The waiting

Conditions and Diseases
January 5, 2015

My brother wears a scar around his neck. It represents his second surgery for papillary thyroid cancer. The first started off the same way. Ugly, red and angry. Curving like an ominous smile around his neck, like a noose. That’s how it felt too — the lump in his throat growing as he sat quietly, alone in a doctor’s office. It’s interesting how physical scars are a visual manifestation of …

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The hardest and often worst part of medicine: The waiting

When it comes to health care, I finally understand how beautiful banality can be

Medical Education
December 17, 2014

She was absolutely perfect.  She had ten perfect fingers and ten perfect toes.  Her eyes were wide and curious and drew you in fondly. She was absolutely perfect everywhere — everywhere except for her nose and mouth. She was born in 1959 with a unilateral complete cheiloschisis and palatoschisis, more commonly known as a cleft lip and palate.  Where her perfect, beautiful nose should have been was an empty, gaping …

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When it comes to health care, I finally understand how beautiful banality can be