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Join Bruce L. Davidson, a pulmonary and critical care physician. We delve into the transformation of health care work conditions, from 8-hour shifts to 12-hour shifts, and how this impacts both health care professionals and patient care. …
From 8-hour to 12-hour shifts: Exploring health care’s changing landscape [PODCAST]
Before delving into the heart of joy’s pursuit, it’s essential to grasp the complexities faced by medical professionals in today’s health care environment. The modern health care system, with all its advancements, presents unique challenges that can often overshadow the intrinsic joys of the profession.
The burden of bureaucracy. One of the significant hindrances to joy in medicine is the ever-increasing administrative demands. Doctors find themselves spending more time on paperwork and …
The challenge of seeking joy: Navigating the current health care maze
Concerns about conflicts of interest and stereotyping differ in their complexity. Resolving stereotyping-related concerns is relatively straightforward. Stereotyping should be dismantled immediately, regardless of the reasons for its creation, before it continues to perpetuate unchecked. However, merely dissolving stereotyping might not be enough if one form of stereotyping is replaced by another. Therefore, the ongoing effort to combat stereotyping must continue. When aiming to dissolve any stereotyping and ensure it …
Tackling health care conflicts and stereotyping
In the complex world of health care, doctors and nurses often take center stage. But behind them is a much larger team supporting the delivery of exceptional care. Allied health professionals – like radiology and surgery technicians – play an essential role in health care, and it’s time we shine a brighter light on the importance of these roles and the tremendous opportunities they present for those seeking a career …
Unlocking the potential of allied health roles for a thriving health care system
“America’s health care system is neither healthy, caring, nor a system.”
– Walter Cronkite
Hospitals, revered as places of healing and recovery, hold secrets and harbor mistakes that can take a heavy toll on patients. These hidden truths, often concealed behind the walls of health care institutions, come with dire consequences. Supported by alarming statistics and credible sources, this exploration unveils some of the most unsettling aspects of the health care system.
As …
Hospital secrets that patients don’t know
There was nothing unusual about my hotel in Anchorage, Alaska, when I checked in, but when I headed down to check out the laundry facilities and saw police swarming the lobby and parking lot, I knew it was time to move.
Thankfully, experiences like that have not been common during my time working as a locum tenens (physicians who work in temporary assignments to fill critical gaps in care) for over …
How to stay safe as a traveling physician
Inpatients require surgical procedures, raising the question of whether these procedures should be scheduled as elective or emergent. Traditionally, surgeries were deemed emergencies solely when there were physical, psychological, or rarely, spiritual imperatives, necessitating immediate action to avert irrevocable harm to patients’ bodies, minds, and souls. Now, the debate centers on whether surgical procedures can be considered emergencies to mitigate socioeconomic risks. These risks could lead to profound and lasting …
Surgical procedures for inpatients: Addressing socioeconomic urgencies
In a recent article in the New England Journal of Medicine, a rheumatologist at a teaching hospital lamented about “hospital problems,” a phenomenon where patients are not allowed to stay in the hospital when they no longer have a medical necessity for hospital care, even though the physician may want to keep the patient longer to wait for test results or get prepped for a test. He proceeds to …
Challenges of prolonging hospital stays
As a physician, there are moments during the day when you must deliver a disheartening diagnosis to your patient: pancreatic cancer, ALS, leukemia, and unfortunately, the list goes on. The patient must face the harsh realities that are now placed before him/her. Those realities, at times, leave him with a very small window of hope for improvement. Sometimes, solutions cannot be found with the use of a scalpel, chemotherapy, or …
The complexities of healing and faith
Rural communities have a problem. Their health care options continue to shrink, as medical facilities close or consolidate. The trend has accelerated in recent years, but Westfield Memorial Hospital in Western New York wants to expand.
The tiny facility on the shores of Lake Erie has four inpatient beds, and has plans to double its capacity to eight. The $700,000 project would not require an additional wing or any new floor …
The impact of certificate of need laws on rural health care
Two scourges of 24 x 7 x 365 coverage may be lost on-the-job sleep and soured on-the-job peace for workers, especially for health care workers.
Traditionally, attending physicians have had the privilege of call rooms while providing coverage for overnight health care services. The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education expanded that privilege to resident physicians and fellow physicians. Now, it may be time to extend that privilege to advanced practitioners …
Continuous work coverage in health care: challenges and solutions
The hospital is like a river. Patients float downstream into our care, stay in sight for a moment, and leave after we have done everything we can to help them. Regardless of why they arrive or how long they stay, every person in the hospital will always leave, whether for recovery, rehabilitation, transfer, or death. Meanwhile, the hospital staff guard the river banks, keeping watch over the steady flow of …
Hospital as a river: Navigating uncertainty and empathy
As I sit here contemplating the beginning of this unsent letter, I find myself questioning its intended recipient and purpose. The truth is, I don’t have the answers just yet. Perhaps, by the end of these few paragraphs, some clarity will emerge.
When I left my home country to come to the United States, I envisioned hospitals here as being on par with what we would consider “first-world country” institutions. I …
Navigating the broken medical system: challenges faced by foreign medical graduates
An excerpt from Our Hospital.
Kush Kare Hospital in Columbia, New York, was the flagship of Kush Kare Private Equity Inc., a for-profit chain of hospitals across America. A for-profit that was listed on a lot of lucrative trading routes. Clearly its workings were murky—maybe not equity at all. A clever …
Battling COVID chaos and recruiting doctors
Tom, a doctor friend, recently told me he was reprimanded by Michael, his hospital’s medical chief of staff, after two patients lodged complaints against him.
One instance involved a man whom Tom informed of a cancer recurrence. When the man cried, Tom put his hand on the man’s knee, attempting to comfort him. However, the man didn’t find it comforting. He said nothing to Tom but complained to administration, stating that …
Patient complaints prompt hospital to reevaluate doctor’s bedside manner
Late last year, I decided I needed to get my health checked up on. I went through the motions, trying to make an appointment with the doctor that was assigned to me. Nothing was available for months. I called every other day, asking about cancellations that would fit into my schedule for days I already had off. It was a pain and difficult as well to switch a single workday …
Teaching moments in medicine: Balancing autonomy and comfort
I recently returned to the hospital where I had first worked as an attending. Everything felt different. It seemed darker and smaller, reminiscent of the feeling when you revisit your elementary school, and the water fountains appear almost touching the ground, making you feel like a giant.
I walked through the same door I had used countless times over ten years, yet it now seemed more like a portal. The floor, …
A love letter to the doctor I was
Mr. Sampson, a 70-year-old man with a history of diabetes, was referred to us by his primary care physician for nerve conduction studies. He had been experiencing increasing numbness in his right hand for the past year and had recently started having trouble playing his beloved guitar. As a Vietnam War veteran, he had a fascinating story to tell.
As I approached him in the waiting room, he greeted me with …
Pain and laughter for a veteran patient
During my first week as an intern, a question weighed heavily on my mind: “How am I going to survive my night shift rotation?” Soon after, another question arose: “How can I make the most of my night shifts and continue to learn and grow?” I reached out to senior residents and faculty members to learn from their experiences and seek their advice.
I understand that you may have similar questions …
Internship survival guide: Thriving on the night floor rotation
The American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) has long been responsible for setting standards and ensuring the competence of internal medicine practitioners. However, the practice of mandatory recertification has faced increasing scrutiny and debate within the medical community. This article explores some of the key reasons why eliminating recertification requirements imposed by the ABIM could have significant benefits for physicians and patient care.
Lack of evidence for improved patient outcomes
One of …
The case for eliminating recertification by the ABIM
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