As an ER doctor for many years, I recently retired from medicine to write and explore the world. My husband and I sold our lovely lake home and downsized to a three-season cabin in the woods, smaller than a school…
As an ER doctor for many years, I recently retired from medicine to write and explore the world. My husband and I sold our lovely lake home and downsized to a three-season cabin in the woods, smaller than a school bus, and got a tiny RV and a place in Thailand. COVID be damned, we froze our assets camping on the Rio Grande, wintered in Corsica, hiked in the Atacama, …
There has been much hand-wringing about the 555 (18.4 percent) unfilled match spots in this year's emergency medicine (EM) residency match. Several long-standing, excellent programs with outstanding patient pathology and well-known faculty in major metropolitan areas did not fill. Most…
There has been much hand-wringing about the 555 (18.4 percent) unfilled match spots in this year’s emergency medicine (EM) residency match. Several long-standing, excellent programs with outstanding patient pathology and well-known faculty in major metropolitan areas did not fill.
Most hand-wringing has focused not on inherent attributes of the specialty, but temporal issues likely to fluctuate over time, including:
1. An overproduction of 8,000 emergency physicians (EPs) …
Towards the end of a busy clinic afternoon, I felt my phone buzz with a page in my jacket pocket. It is rare to receive pages on our phones in the middle of the day because we usually get messages…
Towards the end of a busy clinic afternoon, I felt my phone buzz with a page in my jacket pocket. It is rare to receive pages on our phones in the middle of the day because we usually get messages through the EMR or direct calls to the office. I called back the number to the sound of an exasperated ER doctor who had been trying to reach the PCP …
I moved to Ontario, Canada, a little less than a year ago, with a sense of adventure and a spring in my step. I was excited at the thought of being reunited with family, apprehensive about the hurdles in my…
I moved to Ontario, Canada, a little less than a year ago, with a sense of adventure and a spring in my step. I was excited at the thought of being reunited with family, apprehensive about the hurdles in my path to becoming a practicing physician, but hopeful that there would be light at the end of the tunnel. There had to be.
I had been chief resident at an ACGME-accredited …
As I finish my 21st year of clinical practice, I have been reflecting a lot about my career. Several friends asked me for advice as their children begin medical school. Instead of repeating myself, I decided to make a list.…
As I finish my 21st year of clinical practice, I have been reflecting a lot about my career. Several friends asked me for advice as their children begin medical school. Instead of repeating myself, I decided to make a list. Here are the five things I would tell my younger self.
1. Just apply. Recently, I attended a luncheon and sat next to a female physician. I hadn’t met
There has been growing recognition of the importance of emotional intelligence (EI) in health care in recent years. EI refers to the ability to recognize, understand, and manage one's emotions and the emotions of others. One way to enhance emotional…
There has been growing recognition of the importance of emotional intelligence (EI) in health care in recent years. EI refers to the ability to recognize, understand, and manage one’s emotions and the emotions of others. One way to enhance emotional intelligence is by incorporating the Five Love Languages into health care practices. Dr. Gary Chapman developed the Five Love Languages as …
It was a Tuesday evening when I received a call from the emergency room that a young lady had been brought in after experiencing seizures. I quickly walked over to the ER, preparing myself for what was to come. As…
It was a Tuesday evening when I received a call from the emergency room that a young lady had been brought in after experiencing seizures. I quickly walked over to the ER, preparing myself for what was to come. As I walked through the entrance, I could see the family of the patient huddled together, whispering to each other. The patient was lying on the hospital bed with wires attached …
The emergency room was bustling with activity as the medical staff worked to stabilize the patient, who was lying unconscious on a hospital bed. His wife sat anxiously by his side, tears streaming down her face. It wasn't the first…
The emergency room was bustling with activity as the medical staff worked to stabilize the patient, who was lying unconscious on a hospital bed. His wife sat anxiously by his side, tears streaming down her face.
It wasn’t the first time 70-year-old Mr. Smith had been to the emergency room. His past medical history included high blood pressure and cholesterol, but his non-compliant attitude towards medication had put him at risk. …
Five-hundred and fifty-five. That's the number of first-year emergency medicine (EM) residency spots that went unfilled in the Match. Before discussing the implications for nationwide residency programs, applicants, and patients, we must ask how we got here?! Emergency medicine used…
Five-hundred and fifty-five. That’s the number of first-year emergency medicine (EM) residency spots that went unfilled in the Match. Before discussing the implications for nationwide residency programs, applicants, and patients, we must ask how we got here?! Emergency medicine used to be a “sexy” specialty. The TV series ER ran for 15 seasons. Emergency medicine was once a part of the infamous E-ROAD (EM, radiology, ophthalmology, anesthesiology, dermatology) lifestyle specialties. …
My mother passed away in early December. She had been battling Alzheimer's disease for several years. Her communication was poor due to the disease. The caregivers in the memory care unit where she was located stated that she had been…
My mother passed away in early December. She had been battling Alzheimer’s disease for several years. Her communication was poor due to the disease. The caregivers in the memory care unit where she was located stated that she had been vomiting the night before her death. The next morning, she was moaning, and they believed she was in pain. An ambulance was called, and she was taken to the local …
"We appreciate your tireless efforts in these difficult times." Eyeroll. No, you don't. I don't need another meeting or committee. I don't need a "Burn-Out Committee Action Plan." I don't need a "token of appreciation"— a pair of socks? (Really?…
“We appreciate your tireless efforts in these difficult times.”
Eyeroll. No, you don’t. I don’t need another meeting or committee. I don’t need a “Burn-Out Committee Action Plan.” I don’t need a “token of appreciation”— a pair of socks? (Really? How much did that cost?) I don’t need another seasoned and respected nurse leaving to travel and make bank or going to some made-up administrative role. I don’t need to come …
Adapted from Finding the Words: Working Through Profound Loss with Hope and Purpose. I am glad I got to watch my kids die. To be clear, I'm not glad they died. I am heartbroken and devastated, and there is a…
I am glad I got to watch my kids die. To be clear, I’m not glad they died. I am heartbroken and devastated, and there is a never-ending hole of aching and pain in my heart. My teenage children, Ruby and Hart, were killed by a reckless, speeding, drunk, and high driver who hit us at ninety …
While we appreciate the importance of trust, not all patients have the same windows of opportunity to establish it with their physicians. The nature of each specialty and the severity of the patient's condition influence how quickly and deeply trust…
While we appreciate the importance of trust, not all patients have the same windows of opportunity to establish it with their physicians. The nature of each specialty and the severity of the patient’s condition influence how quickly and deeply trust can be created and maintained. The STEMI patient will quickly learn to trust the interventional cardiologist, and the trauma victim, and the surgeon.
Not surprisingly, it’s very challenging for physicians
The first seizure I remember was like a wave in the ocean. Over my head, sudden dizziness, ready to go over the crest, then down into the dark. The dark was just not there. Or anywhere. Coming up was like…
The first seizure I remember was like a wave in the ocean. Over my head, sudden dizziness, ready to go over the crest, then down into the dark. The dark was just not there. Or anywhere. Coming up was like being thrown out into the flotsam and jetsam, not knowing which way was up—seeing but not. A slow coming to the shore, a slow return. I knew I was there, …
I was surprised when I began receiving gift cards to a national chain of coffee shops in recognition of positive patient satisfaction comments from my emergency department patients. Reviewing them in my provider report card genuinely felt good, especially when…
I was surprised when I began receiving gift cards to a national chain of coffee shops in recognition of positive patient satisfaction comments from my emergency department patients.
Reviewing them in my provider report card genuinely felt good, especially when someone remembered my name in a follow-up phone call while saying something positive. Still, the token incentive met with disapproval for several reasons.
In particular, the most meaningful comments expressed gratitude for …
I am an emergency physician in training. It's a thrilling and rewarding job learning to treat the severely ill and injured. But it is also a rare clinical shift when I don't treat patients with life-limiting alcohol and drug addiction,…
I am an emergency physician in training. It’s a thrilling and rewarding job learning to treat the severely ill and injured. But it is also a rare clinical shift when I don’t treat patients with life-limiting alcohol and drug addiction, people struggling with homelessness, those whose behavior does not allow them to safely be in a shelter with others, undocumented immigrants with nowhere else to turn for aid, uninsured patients …
Emergency departments have their share of regulars. The patients come back time and time again. Some you don't mind. Some of you inwardly cringe and say, "Oh, God, them again." Seriously, George, this is the second time this shift. They…
Emergency departments have their share of regulars. The patients come back time and time again. Some you don’t mind. Some of you inwardly cringe and say, “Oh, God, them again.” Seriously, George, this is the second time this shift.
They come and go until you notice that you haven’t seen someone in a while. You don’t say their name because there’s an unspoken superstition that, like saying “Beetlejuice” three times, they’ll reappear. …
On January 2, 2023, Buffalo Bills Safety Damar Hamlin collapsed secondary to cardiac arrest on live television, horrifying millions of Americans. We saw broadcasters, fans, players, and reporters crying on live TV as they watched the psychological trauma of a…
On January 2, 2023, Buffalo Bills Safety Damar Hamlin collapsed secondary to cardiac arrest on live television, horrifying millions of Americans. We saw broadcasters, fans, players, and reporters crying on live TV as they watched the psychological trauma of a resuscitation. “No one should ever have to witness this” was a common refrain during the broadcast. For that one night, America was privy to what thousands of health care workers …
While one could say I was born in the South, I had to move a lot closer to the Mississippi to find that my Southern California momma and daddy had left certain nuances of expressive gentility untouched in the process…
While one could say I was born in the South, I had to move a lot closer to the Mississippi to find that my Southern California momma and daddy had left certain nuances of expressive gentility untouched in the process of raising me right. Northwest Arkansas, where we’ve come to settle, may not be considered the Deep South, but you certainly can hear it from here.
I recently worked an evening shift in the emergency department the day before New Year's Eve. Patients arrived in waves, by car and by ambulance. They seemed to check into the triage area every few minutes. When I left at…
I recently worked an evening shift in the emergency department the day before New Year’s Eve. Patients arrived in waves, by car and by ambulance. They seemed to check into the triage area every few minutes. When I left at midnight, there were 23 patients awaiting admission in the ER waiting for four, six, 12 or more hours — some for a full day.
