Richard E. Waltman, MD

Grief and healing: Navigating loss and meaningful connections

Physician

July 24, 2023

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 …

My colleagues didn’t take good care of me

Richard E. Waltman, MD

Physician

January 3, 2022

I was recently, on two occasions, the recipient of poor care. Care provided by my colleagues. Care that was not good. Care that made me feel sad. Care that did not help me or my patients.

First, I was yelled at by an angry son, who said I had not taken good care of his 89-year-old mother and had “almost killed her.” He told me that information came from the hospitalist, …