My wife, Ruth, passed away in April, and I am currently struggling with the immense loss. I deeply miss her, and for the most part, I feel terrible. I haven’t reached a point of “getting over it.”
Since her death, numerous people, including relatives, friends, acquaintances, and caring individuals throughout my day, have approached me with the same question: How am I doing? Despite multiple attempts to respond, I still haven’t …
Congratulations! Maybe you matched, maybe you scrambled. Either way, you’re here, and after four years of reading and watching, you are about to finally start doing. Get all those practical skills: Intubate! Drop central lines! Insert chest tubes! Sign verbal orders within 24 hours! Write medicolegally bulletproof notes that also capture all the RVUs necessary to maximize billing.
As you embark on your journey to becoming an EM doc, let me …
It is well documented that the under-represented often suffer from less than ideal health care in the U.S. This has been apparent for more than a century and is one of the reasons the U.S. has the worst health care outcomes compared to all other developed countries. It is also well-documented that concordance between patients and providers in race, ethnicity, and, in some cases, gender leads to better health care …
Physician burnout and the shortage of physicians are pressing issues within the health care industry, often unnoticed by the general public until their own health is at stake. The erosion of the title “doctor” and the increasing encroachment on physician authority have contributed significantly to this problem. Physicians have allowed the interference of the federal government, burdensome regulations, and insurance company restrictions to impede their ability to provide quality care. …
Since before the COVID-19 pandemic, anecdotal evidence and small survey-based studies show that women were leaving academic medicine in droves and were not returning— up to 40 percent of women leave medicine or go to a part-time position within six years of finishing residency. One landmark study pointed out the rarity of women in leadership positions— thirty-five years ago, less than 11 percent of women faculty were …
A recent conversation about a young man’s reluctance to seek help made me reflect on society’s attitude regarding expectations for men and their impact on their mental health.
Lately, there has been growing recognition of the importance of mental health and well-being. However, despite the progress made in understanding and addressing mental health issues, there still persists a significant disparity in how men approach and perceive mental health. Men’s attitudes towards …
When registering individuals who are unresponsive to stimuli, unconscious, unaware, or lacking alertness, it has been customary to assign them the names John Doe or Jane Doe, based on physical characteristics, while also assigning their sex accordingly. If their family members or legal guardians arrive or are contacted, their sex is determined based on their recollections until the individuals themselves awaken and become capable of expressing their gender preferences, affirming …
Through a combination of coincidental privilege, silly circumstances, hard work, persistence, and perseverance, I ended up becoming a doctor. The journey post-graduation is a difficult one, as it introduces you to a world beyond books and examination halls. It’s a world where people are in agony and depend on you for every single ray of hope—a task that is both immense and heavy on the heart.
Being a doctor who takes …
For 21 years, I have had the privilege and honor of coaching and mentoring medical students. Most of this mentoring takes place in my outpatient internal medicine-pediatrics practice, where each student spends two to three days with me every week for a month-long rotation. Additionally, I have been fortunate enough to work with students from all years as a facilitator in the REACH and 4C coaching programs. Throughout these experiences, …
The visit is winding down. You’re getting ready to go, hand on the doorknob, saying goodbye. And then you hear, “Doc, one more thing.” Or perhaps you’re more familiar with the patient who has a laundry list of issues all to be addressed in the fifteen-minute appointment slot.
These visits have in common that they are both certain to back you up. Have multiple in the day, and you are …
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 …
Since December 2022, I have attended over 60 medical appointments, ranging from 15 minutes to as long as 6 hours. Some appointments were as short as 15 minutes, while others required a minimum of 3 hours. Through these numerous health care visits, which collectively amount to more than 60 hours, I have gained valuable insights. Here are my top 10 tips based on my experiences:
Check the location and plan ahead. …
“I can’t afford higher,” Bobby’s (identifying information changed) mom explains when asked about his low dose. As Bobby’s dermatologist, I prescribed Accutane, curing 80 percent of acne with a six-month course. Insurance denied, requiring doxycycline. I rarely give antibiotics, following World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations. Antibiotics build resistance and aren’t curative, resulting in more scarring. Rejecting Medicaid’s incorrect treatment, Bobby’s mom is paying for the appropriate treatment, …
Few problems in health care are more vexing or persistent than physician burnout. It’s a problem that poses a serious threat to patient care, no different from the spread of a virus or the impact of cigarette smoke. And it has only gotten worse since the pandemic.
Burned-out physicians are less effective as healers. They don’t connect as well with patients, undermining the therapeutic benefits of a close clinician-patient relationship. They …
The opioid crisis continues to ravage communities, and everyone, including politicians and federal agents, has a plan. However, no one has an actual solution.
It’s time to examine the crisis from a more detailed perspective: the clinical perceptions that form during a clinical encounter between a physician and a patient. It is here that we see the true effects of opioid policy and understand why they are so ineffective.
At the end …
We live in an era now when workers have leverage over their employers. Nearly every establishment is struggling to hire employees. It’s mysterious not only why so many folks have chosen not to return to work but also how they are paying their living expenses. Remote work, particularly for younger workers, has become a non-negotiable red line. If you are an employer who expects full-time in-person presence, then good luck …
The query surrounding graduate medical education (GME) programs and their faculty revolves around whether they truly recognize the value of residents. Assessing their value can be subjective as well as objective. Here are some questions that programs, faculty, and residents should contemplate before drawing their own conclusions.
Do health care institutions incur financial losses when they have residents who cannot directly bill health care payers for their services, compared to institutions …
Lack of business education among doctors is a topic I’ve been considering as I decide which direction to take in my career. I wholeheartedly agree with the lack of physician engagement in the business of medicine is troublesome. However, blaming academia’s lack of financial education as an external force for the profession’s lack of financial ability is not productive. The mindset of placing responsibility on our educators actually exemplifies …
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 …
Asian Americans are the fastest-growing racial group in the United States, with 18.9 million currently in the U.S. and a projected 35.8 million by 2060 with many Asian Americans being immigrants. A study of over 6,700 Asian Americans, Hispanics, African Americans, and Caucasians revealed that Asian Americans were least likely to feel that their physician understood their background and values, and compared to Caucasians, Asians were less …
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