I had been hearing so much about burnout in medicine; and one day, I realized it had crept up on me. It began at my mother’s funeral, when an acquaintance, a former family friend, approached me asking me to examine her painful toe. I tried to avoid her, yet I could not say no. Through my grief and exhaustion, conditioned by years of striving to live a life of purpose, …

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Doctors are worried, and rightly so. Recent rapid strides in artificial intelligence threaten to remove the need for doctors to a significant extent. There is an oft-discussed scenario that in the next two to three years, well-trained nurses or other mid-level providers, assisted by artificial intelligence, will be adequate to provide most medical care. So, are we going to see widespread unemployment among medical professionals?

The answer is complex. A recent …

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Last week my nurse called me, weeping. A patient had called and abused her, threatened her, and said he would complain to authorities about her. This, because his insurance company had delayed his medication refill request by a week. My nurse was hurt; she answers patient queries and emails even on her days off. He is not the only one shouting at and threatening medical staff. In my 30-year career …

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I didn’t know
when I placed my stethoscope on your chest,
listening,
that I was listening for the last time.

I didn’t know
that you said,
“when the doctor sees me, I will be fine.”

I wish I had held you longer.
If I had known it would be the last time,
I would have listened
to your heart
for a few more minutes.

I am sorry you had to go
too soon.
It still hurts so much when I lose,
and death steals
my patient.

Over …

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