<span itemprop="author">Michael J. Collins, MD

Author's posts

A night of stars: Finding solace in the vastness of the sea

An excerpt from The Shieling. The sun had set an hour earlier, but the light in the western sky lingered, as if nature itself couldn’t bear the thought of ending such a beautiful day. David stood on the shore, waiting until the last bit of light …

Pushed to the limit: Battling heat in hard labor

An excerpt from Blue Collar, Blue Scrubs: The Making of a Surgeon. They drive us. All day long they drive us. They drive us until the heat sears our lungs, and each breath rasps the back of our throats. They drive us until we pant like dogs and our ton…

Beyond textbooks: the importance of empathy in medicine

An excerpt from All Bleeding Stops. Megan continues to take his blood pressure every few minutes. With growing tenderness Denis watches her fidgeting with the IV, biting her lip, eyes flitting from one machine to the next, desperately seeking the reass…