For weeks, the news has been all about COVID-19 and its impact beyond Wuhan, where it emerged. Just two days ago, in fact, the first case reports surfaced in the county where I live. Overnight, preparations have leapt a notch. Many will work from home. Students will learn online. Even the gym where I climb with my son e-mailed regarding steps to minimize transmission. Like most of you, however, by …
I recently attended a cardiology conference where a dear friend of mine was presenting on the topic of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. She discussed how fibrosis within the ventricle causes diastolic dysfunction, an inability of the myocardium to relax. My ears perked up. Just the week before, while on vacation, I personally experienced the inability to relax.
Though I was free to lounge around New Orleans while my husband attended the annual CHEST …
The first step on any journey is having a direction to follow. When you decided to become a physician, you no doubt sought out advice from trusted mentors: advisors, other physicians, even peers who had traveled that road before you.
Becoming a physician likely started as an abstract thought that became all-consuming. Somewhere along the line, your everyday life revolved around school, training, procedures … you get the picture. Now that …
Recently, I realized that something needed to change in my family life. With three busy daughters at three different schools who participate in multiple activities along with my full-time job as an anesthesiologist, my life depended on accurate and concise communication. However, this was the third time in a week that a ball had been dropped between my husband and me.
This time it resulted in my middle daughter, Laini, being …
It’s 2020, and many of us are more motivated than ever. We want to get fit, eat healthier, and continue to survive residency. While these are noteworthy goals, consider one more thing: making money doing something you love … outside of medicine. A.k.a., start a side hustle. If you’re unsure of where to start, here are a few side gigs to pursue as a resident.
Start a blog
For those who love …
Medical residents and fellows have always been in an interesting situation. They are embarking on the foothills of their career and obtaining the skills and knowledge they need to press forward. They are likely in the most idealistic mindset they’ll ever be in their career, and they’re networking with their future general practitioners and specialists; it’s an exciting time of life.
One twist is that they have …
Most physicians have spent decades training for the day that they see their first patient or perform their first surgery. This extended time involved to become a physician does not leave a lot of spare time in college or medical school for most physicians to take any significant coursework in economics, finance, or investing. Yet, physicians have a tremendous amount of knowledge with regards to all aspects of health …
I recently read a medical school commencement, delivered by a physician, that was both inspiring and sadly reminiscent of what physicians should aspire to throughout their careers.
This physician relayed how patients throughout her training and career had provided her with moments of clarity, helping her identify the “why” she chose a career in medicine. She went so far as to describe how a group of patients saved her from choosing …
With the escalating pressures on hospitals, health care facilities, and practitioners to be cost-effective, it is increasingly difficult to justify spending money on education and training. Education and training are expensive when adding together the costs of curriculum development and educators. While finding the right person for the job is important in getting the job done, most, if not all, management would agree that the “right” person includes appropriate education, …
Finances were reported as the second leading cause of physician depression for men and women in 2018.
Doctors, like anyone else, face normal challenges that life throws at them. Additionally, they carry a huge weight on their shoulders as they go through rigorous training, are trained to put patients first, and are expected to increase …
An excerpt from The Physician Inventor: The Doctor’s Handbook to Patenting Medical Devices and Methods.
“I love my employees, even though I hit one of you with my car.”
– Michael Scott
When you are offered a position at a hospital or practice group, you will typically negotiate a …
The journey in medicine is a journey of goal setting. Doctors set goals all the time. We set the goal to become a doctor and then strive to achieve it. Once we decide on the chosen specialty, we set the goal for the residency training program we hope to match into, and we strive to achieve that. Match Day can be a day of great celebration for some, while it’s …
If you or a loved one has ever been hospitalized, by day two or three of your hospital stay, you likely remember the doctor visiting you every day but not staying more than seven or eight minutes or 10 to 15 minutes max.
It may have felt like he or she was just “dropping by and laying eyes on you.” A month or two later, you get a bill with the …
ADVERTISEMENT
My identity crisis attempted its first appearance five years ago. I had decided to leave my job as a psychiatrist in an outpatient, community-based practice. My professional role had become incongruent with the doctor I had envisioned becoming. In my misalignment, I had lost clarity in my identity as a physician. I was frustrated and felt ineffective and disconnected from my work.
I suspected that some of my colleagues were struggling …
Every day we get bombarded in the news with health statistics. Coffee causes cancer! Coffee cures cancer! And so on. Many of these are meant to grab headlines (and, these days, web page clicks), and the articles they accompany are often very poor at telling the reader what they mean. They often have statistics, and health statistics can be complicated. Sad to say, even many physicians are pretty poor and …
Protecting your lifestyle starts with protecting your income. Disability insurance provides a solid foundation for your financial future by providing you income when you’re unable to work due to an illness or injury. When most people hear the word “disability,” they immediately think of accidents. But the reality is that 90 percent of disabilities are actually caused by illnesses.
Disability insurance is more complex than other types of insurance. We recommend …
ADVERTISEMENT
On my final day of work before beginning my self-imposed burnout sabbatical, a colleague asked, “Why don’t you just get on medication?” I remember thinking, “What am I medicating? I feel nothing.” I was in the vice grip of burnout, overwhelmed, and physically and emotionally exhausted. But mostly, I was numb.
But in reality, I have always self-medicated – with work. As a professional ballet dancer turned doctor, my life has …
Medical school prepares doctors for patient care: perform a history and physical, and based on the findings, consider the next diagnostic tests to order, review all data, and develop a treatment plan. By graduating from medical school, you are skilled to perform those duties with a certain level of competency and confidence.
Success in the next phase of this journey and the rest of your life depends on honing those skills …
When I finished my training, I wish that I had known all of the options I could practice medicine. Most of us categorized our options as either “academic” practice or “private practice,” but in reality, these two options only cover the tip of the iceberg. Was my limited understanding a shortcoming of my medical training? Perhaps. I doubt that many medical schools back then actually had seminars on practicing medicine. …
ADVERTISEMENT
Kahlil Gibran writes, “In friendship or in love, the two side by side raise hands together to find what one cannot reach alone.” What types of outcomes can physicians and patients achieve in healing, living, and life when Gibran’s message is incorporated into the physician-patient relationship? Can humanism in medicine become even more humanistic?
“Humanism in medicine” is characterized by the Arnold P. Gold Foundation as respectful …
Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.
