“A lot of times, people don’t know what they want until you show it to them.” – Steve Jobs I was rusty. I felt rusty, at least. It had been forever, seemingly, since I attended patients as an emergency physician. A couple of years earlier, I’d be…
Category: Conditions
The most common misconception about spine surgery
The most persistent problem I encounter is not nerve pain or slipped discs. It’s the tenacious misconception that someone can be “too old” for spine surgery when it’s truly needed. Many years ago, it was true that age played a significant factor in a p…
Please call your child’s pediatrician. Checkups and vaccines are more important than ever.
“We haven’t been to the doctor since COVID started.” “It was just a checkup; we didn’t need to go to it.” “We are trying to avoid going to the doctor unless it is really important.” I have taken care of many children and their families who have postpon…
Why this physician created the Cancer and Pregnancy Registry
Breast cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed during pregnancy. In fact, 5 percent of invasive breast cancers occur in women less than 40 years of age, and 7 to 14 percent of premenopausal breast cancers occur in pregnant women. Harrington and othe…
COVID-19 is causing small but growing fractures in our hospitals
It’s an odd time to be a new physician. One of the best parts about working at a hospital is the sense of friendship and professional camaraderie that you build with other doctors, nurses, therapists, medical assistants, secretaries, etc. However, in t…
An international medical graduate’s COVID reflection
A new year, a new beginning, and the start of the final year of an eventful decade began with rumblings about a possible disease that would later spread rapidly around the globe to cause catastrophic devastation, lifestyle changes, closure of borders, …
Medical student suicide is the trend that must end
Last November, our medical school’s community faced a devastating loss, as second-year student R took her own life. As she was rushed to our hospital’s emergency room, some of R’s classmates, as well as her physician mentor, were on rotation and bared …
Now is the time for postpartum home visits
I ring the doorbell, waiting patiently outside. I hear a weak “coming” and some shuffling. Who greets me is a mother in her robe, hunched over at the waist, supporting her protruding postpartum belly. Her hair is disheveled. Her mask is revealing e…
When coaching physicians with wellness, don’t lead with mindfulness
Times of great change can cause people to reflect on their career and work-life balance and evaluate what supports meaning and joy. When the COVID-19 pandemic reaches a manageable state, I believe that health care providers and physicians, more specif…
Which COVID-19 test should I get?
COVID-19 testing has been on the rise – with more and more tests being developed and more testing sites available. Many are drive-thru and walk-in test sites, and anyone is able to show up and get tested. There are so many different types of COVID-19 t…
