<span itemprop="author">Walter J. O’Donnell, MD

Author's posts

Health care workers get the applause, but our families are essential, too

Leanne, a nurse, sits next to me in the ICU. She says into the phone, “Now, Johnny, you be good for Nana.” We’re only halfway through another 12-hour shift, and she won’t be home until after her 5-year-old son is ready for bed. Such calls to palliate s…

Sharing administrative pain might give us more joy in medicine

I’m still trying to figure out what happened. I don’t want to be put on suicide watch by the wellness office. It definitely began during our weekly noontime mindfulness session. I came in late, furtively signed in (gotta make that metric) and slipped i…