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49 articles · Since 2019

Articles, page 2

Conditions and diseases

Alex Trebek reminds us to go beyond fear of pancreatic cancer

The news that beloved game show host Alex Trebek has advanced stage pancreatic cancer hit his millions of fans hard this week. His illness has elicited heartbreak and support. As a clinician who treats pancreatic cancer, I anticipated the reaction…

The news that beloved game show host Alex Trebek has advanced stage pancreatic cancer hit his millions of fans hard this week. His illness has elicited heartbreak and support. As a clinician who treats pancreatic cancer, I anticipated the reaction that would follow next.

Fear.

While it is a rare form of cancer, pancreatic cancer is possibly the most lethal. Survival rates are slim – fewer than 10 percent with advanced disease …

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Alex Trebek reminds us to go beyond fear of pancreatic cancer

Physician voices

How physicians can develop their emotional intelligence

2

If you’ve browsed the internet recently, you probably have noticed the #10YearChallenge social media trend that has taken over our news feeds. The phenomena have individuals comparing a current photo of themselves, to their former self ten years ago. As…

If you’ve browsed the internet recently, you probably have noticed the #10YearChallenge social media trend that has taken over our news feeds. The phenomena have individuals comparing a current photo of themselves, to their former self ten years ago. As I thought about how well (or not) I’ve aged over time, it got me thinking about the two most important advice I would give my younger self (knowing what I …

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How physicians can develop their emotional intelligence

Physician voices

Being a doctor and parent is hard: 10 ways to make it easier

Being a doctor is hard; being a mother is just as hard — if not harder — and being both often seems impossible. Looking back at my medical career it is difficult to fathom not doing both. I was an…

Being a doctor is hard; being a mother is just as hard — if not harder — and being both often seems impossible. Looking back at my medical career it is difficult to fathom not doing both. I was an older, non-traditional student when I came back to college to attempt to complete my prerequisites for entry to medical school. I had just had a baby a few months before …

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Being a doctor and parent is hard: 10 ways to make it easier

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Social media in medicine

Physicians who don’t play the social media game may be left behind

2

The internet truly is a wondrous invention. It has evened the playing field with a wide swath of people now having access to information that used to be possessed in the hands of only the elite few not too long…

The internet truly is a wondrous invention.

It has evened the playing field with a wide swath of people now having access to information that used to be possessed in the hands of only the elite few not too long ago.

However, as with most things, there can be downsides associated with any tool of progress.

Yelp

Yelp is a powerful social tool that allows individuals to share experiences, good or bad, so that …

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Physicians who don’t play the social media game may be left behind

Physician voices

Fixing physician burnout means changing the culture of medicine

8

A talented young physician was concerned about her job at Michigan Medicine, where we both work. She thought she might have to leave the organization because she could not meet mandatory early-morning start times for procedures or outpatient visits. She…

STAT_LogoA talented young physician was concerned about her job at Michigan Medicine, where we both work. She thought she might have to leave the organization because she could not meet mandatory early-morning start times for procedures or outpatient visits. She was especially discouraged by colleagues who said her attitude reflected a lack of commitment and “was emblematic …

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Fixing physician burnout means changing the culture of medicine

Physician voices

An emergency physician with no friends

10

Every time I call a friend, all I have for them is more work. I’ve never yet called to say: “I hope you’re having a great day. Why don’t you take a break and have some fun? You’ve worked enough.”…

Every time I call a friend, all I have for them is more work. I’ve never yet called to say: “I hope you’re having a great day. Why don’t you take a break and have some fun? You’ve worked enough.”

Nope. I only call to give them extra work. Whether it’s 2 a.m. or 2 p.m., I need you to get away from your bed/lover/high horse and come take my patient. …

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An emergency physician with no friends

Patient voices

Healers: Peel away the layers

2

The mud is deep and thick and black. The smoothness of its surface is deceiving, drawing me closer to it with promises of contentment. It lures those who dare to tread upon it into its hidden depths. Hopes are dashed…

The mud is deep and thick and black. The smoothness of its surface is deceiving, drawing me closer to it with promises of contentment. It lures those who dare to tread upon it into its hidden depths. Hopes are dashed as one struggles for freedom. It is tenacious: Lift one foot upward and the other sinks deeper into Mother Earth. A sense of futility in escaping its grasp erodes the …

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Healers: Peel away the layers

Physician voices

She was dead: How shame almost ruined a physician’s life

32

Dear friends— especially my colleagues, I recently failed a class (I have been working on a PhD in psychology) and found myself immobilized and disengaged from life, personal happiness and joy. I actually didn’t even tell my husband, who is…

Dear friends— especially my colleagues,

I recently failed a class (I have been working on a PhD in psychology) and found myself immobilized and disengaged from life, personal happiness and joy. I actually didn’t even tell my husband, who is my true confidant of my feeling and thoughts, until the following day. I found myself in that familiar place of guilt and shame. I thought I had transformed a lot of …

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She was dead: How shame almost ruined a physician’s life

Physician voices

6 easy hacks from a pediatrician to make healthier kids’ lunches

You may have noticed your child seems to be bored of their bag lunch and most of it being brought back home or dumped in the garbage. Lunch is an important meal to get kids the energy they need to…

You may have noticed your child seems to be bored of their bag lunch and most of it being brought back home or dumped in the garbage. Lunch is an important meal to get kids the energy they need to get through the second half of the school day. Strive to include some protein, fruits, veggies and healthy sources of fats. Now, you don’t have to buy gourmet or even …

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6 easy hacks from a pediatrician to make healthier kids’ lunches

Social media in medicine

A call to clinicians: Contrary to what you’ve been taught, use social media

From the beginning of medical school, one of the first things “instructional videos” that we had to watch during orientation was about “social media” and what “not to do.” There began this stigma, and it was frowned upon to use…

From the beginning of medical school, one of the first things “instructional videos” that we had to watch during orientation was about “social media” and what “not to do.” There began this stigma, and it was frowned upon to use social media if you were a clinician.

There are the obvious things that physicians should not do, such as post private information about patients, show a patient’s face without their permission, …

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A call to clinicians: Contrary to what you’ve been taught, use social media

Physician voices

The personal and professional challenges of women physicians

I’m often asked to write and speak about being a woman physician. I don’t know that any of my male physician colleagues have ever been asked to talk about being a male physician. Many hospital systems have women in medicine…

I’m often asked to write and speak about being a woman physician.  I don’t know that any of my male physician colleagues have ever been asked to talk about being a male physician.  Many hospital systems have women in medicine groups, and there’s now a National Women Physicians Day.  Again, don’t know of the same for male physicians.  There’s a part of me that struggles with this, but I …

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The personal and professional challenges of women physicians

Physician voices

Twitch, Fortnite, and the emergence of eSports medicine

Here is a simple question: In terms of social media engagements, who is the most popular athlete in the world? Super Bowl sensation and apparent immortal Tom Brady? Nope. Philanthropist Lebron James? Not even close. International superstar Cristiano Ronaldo? It…

Here is a simple question: In terms of social media engagements, who is the most popular athlete in the world?

Super Bowl sensation and apparent immortal Tom Brady? Nope.

Philanthropist Lebron James? Not even close.

International superstar Cristiano Ronaldo? It used to be.

Tyler Blevins.

For those of you now drawing a blank, unable to conjure up a face to fit the name, go ask your kids if they have ever heard …

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Twitch, Fortnite, and the emergence of eSports medicine

Conditions and diseases

How to cut avocados: tips from an orthopedic surgeon

3

Love avocados, but hate cutting them. They are slippery little rascals and are responsible for many nasty hand injuries. Stab wounds from using knives in the kitchen are not fun but are reported daily. Accidental self-inflicted knife injuries to digits…

Love avocados, but hate cutting them. They are slippery little rascals and are responsible for many nasty hand injuries.

Stab wounds from using knives in the kitchen are not fun but are reported daily. Accidental self-inflicted knife injuries to digits are a common cause of tendon and nerve injury requiring hand surgery.

Many of us do not think about how much you use “your hands for your senses.”

Until you lose that ability …

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How to cut avocados: tips from an orthopedic surgeon

Physician voices

Compassion, respect, and camaraderie are keys to fight physician depression

My story starts like most individuals who enter into medical training. I had the dream that being a physician was my life calling to bring physical healing to others. While I did gain medical knowledge and skills, I also unintentionally…

My story starts like most individuals who enter into medical training. I had the dream that being a physician was my life calling to bring physical healing to others. While I did gain medical knowledge and skills, I also unintentionally developed a jaded mentality. I was quickly introduced to the reality of medical culture in which public embarrassment from “pimping” (a series of difficult intentionally unanswerable questions posed to medical …

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Compassion, respect, and camaraderie are keys to fight physician depression

Physician voices

How to say “no” to kids

Do you feel like you’re always saying “no” to your child and not getting the response from them that you are looking for? Do you end up repeating yourself over and over, so frustrated you begin to yell or just…

Do you feel like you’re always saying “no” to your child and not getting the response from them that you are looking for? Do you end up repeating yourself over and over, so frustrated you begin to yell or just given in to your toddler’s demands? Unfortunately, I hear this way too often from moms, so I wanted to give some tips on the art of saying “no” that will …

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How to say “no” to kids

Physician voices

How an insurance company auditor tried to destroy a physician’s career

54

It’s no secret that in today’s health care market, insurance companies are calling the shots. As a pediatrician in private practice for almost two decades, I’ve seen insurance companies transform into perhaps the single most powerful player in today’s health…

It’s no secret that in today’s health care market, insurance companies are calling the shots. As a pediatrician in private practice for almost two decades, I’ve seen insurance companies transform into perhaps the single most powerful player in today’s health care landscape — final arbiters whose decisions about which procedures or medications to authorize effectively end up determining the course of patient care.

Decisions made by insurers, such as MassHealth, have …

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How an insurance company auditor tried to destroy a physician’s career

Conditions and diseases

It’s time to update the stethoscope

Perhaps the most important aspect of a physician’s role is our diagnostic capabilities. Truly, if we cannot identify and diagnose a patient’s pathology with reasonable accuracy, we cannot effectively treat them and may even cause greater harm. Let’s look back.…

Perhaps the most important aspect of a physician’s role is our diagnostic capabilities. Truly, if we cannot identify and diagnose a patient’s pathology with reasonable accuracy, we cannot effectively treat them and may even cause greater harm.

Let’s look back. The year is 1816, and you are a physician evaluating a patient with shortness of breath. The common practice of the time was direct auscultation by placement of the practitioner’s ear …

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It’s time to update the stethoscope

Physician voices

Why would any woman discourage a man’s advocacy or support?

5

A male interventional radiologist who is active in the #HeForShe campaign recently told me that he is being pressured to stop advocating for women. My first instinct was the biggest sigh and eyeroll of my life followed by thoughts of…

A male interventional radiologist who is active in the #HeForShe campaign recently told me that he is being pressured to stop advocating for women. My first instinct was the biggest sigh and eyeroll of my life followed by thoughts of locker room peer pressure and boys’ club type discussions.

But the criticism did not just come from men; many women are asking him to stop. That they don’t need a knight …

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Why would any woman discourage a man’s advocacy or support?

Conditions and diseases

Do you know why you’re having surgery?

3

During my third year of medical school, I completed a clinical rotation in surgery. I was certain that it would be horrible. I envisioned myself in the OR, getting lightheaded, passing out onto the sterile field and being yelled at…

During my third year of medical school, I completed a clinical rotation in surgery. I was certain that it would be horrible. I envisioned myself in the OR, getting lightheaded, passing out onto the sterile field and being yelled at by my attending physician. I worried that the medical knowledge I’d worked so hard to learn would be neglected in favor of memorizing the steps of surgical procedures. My parents, …

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Do you know why you’re having surgery?

Physician voices

Where’s the humor in medicine?

2

“Come on, bring it on! Come on, bring it on!” the little girl repeatedly chanted behind the drawn curtain in the pre-op holding area. I pulled the curtain back and peered in to see my young patient in the bed…

“Come on, bring it on! Come on, bring it on!” the little girl repeatedly chanted behind the drawn curtain in the pre-op holding area. I pulled the curtain back and peered in to see my young patient in the bed and happy as a lark, her mother was sitting next to her trying to contain her laughter. Other patients and staff members giggled as they passed by, hearing this mantra …

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Where’s the humor in medicine?

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