Author's posts
Surviving an EHR upgrade
My practice is about to change to a new electronic health record, and I can’t help but feel dread. The last time we did this, it was so stressful. I really don’t want to go through it again. What do I do? How do I prepare? Here is what I…
Reevaluating beliefs: the role of real doctors
Real doctors see patients. For years, I have held this thought as a truth. But it’s not a fact; it’s a belief, and it is no longer serving me. I’ve been questioning this belief for a while, but this weekend at the American Academy of …
Navigating patient requests: Balancing care and communication
If you are a practicing physician, then you have definitely come across patients who want something that you feel is unnecessary. Sometimes those conversations escalate and become contentious, and sometimes you reluctantly give the patient what they re…
5 tips for ending office visits on time
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 a…
Effective delegation: the key to unlocking more time and less stress in your busy life
How many times have you wished that you had more time? Do you feel like you’re too busy? Feel frazzled, rushed, and stressed? No matter how much fame and fortune we may have, time is one thing that money can’t buy. One constant for every si…
Why your intuition is key to better physical and emotional health
In residency, we are trained to follow our intuition. In pediatrics, this translates into learning how to recognize a sick kid. Of course, we are taught what to look for on the physical exam and the labs and what protocols to follow, but we are also t…
Breaking the burnout: How health care leaders can support physician well-being
Recently I was scrolling through posts from a physician leadership Facebook group. I came upon one that caught my eye. It said something like, “Does anyone have information I can share with my radiologists to show them the impact of working throu…
Are pediatricians too nice?
One summer a few years ago, I went to pick my son up from camp. He was attending a week-long specialty day camp where the kids spent a week with an expert in some area of interest. The camp offered everything from basketball, soccer, and tennis to acti…
The holidays can open up a range of emotions
Physician suicide rates are unacceptably high at baseline and go even higher during the holidays. The holiday increase in suicide rates is not unique to physicians, though. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), A 2021 survey show…
