Author's posts
Peer coaching as a burnout buffer
Fifty-six patient messages wait to be answered by telephone while two nurses work busily to assist two providers administering injections and other procedures in the pain clinic. This is an example of an average clinic day in September 2021 in a medium…
The case of the yellow sticky note
Some clinicians say we have lost the art of physical examination with medical technology having increased presence in our practices. In my cardiology practice during a patient examination, I must remain mindful so as not to miss something unexpected or…
Reflecting on the tragedy of physician suicide
Recent events in our mid-west region prompted us to bring the topic of physician suicide forward with our residents and fellows. They received this information in a weekly mindfulness email they receive as part of our internal coaching program: Losing …
How listening is a huge part of what we do for our patients
I spent an hour yesterday with a new patient who has complex repaired congenital heart disease. In our initial conversation, it became apparent she and I had differing agendas. I was on a mission to efficiently evaluate her heart, sort out any ongoing …
The new words from the coronavirus pandemic
With any new illness comes metaphor. It is humanity’s attempt to incorporate the mystery of disease into our own stories. We like to personify illness, give it human characteristics as a way of visualizing it. We name its actions to help lessen its unp…
The triple aim revised: financial shock, burnout, and imposter syndrome
The pandemic has revised the triple aim framework of health care. The simultaneous triple pursuit of improving the patient experience of care, improving the health of populations, and reducing the per capita cost of health care is currently not possibl…
5 steps to improve your diastolic dysfunction of life
I recently attended a cardiology conference where a dear friend of mine was presenting on the topic of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. She discussed how fibrosis within the ventricle causes diastolic dysfunction, an inability of the myocardium to relax. M…
