My 13-year-old daughter was writhing on the floor from pain in her back and belly, a fever, and intermittent chest pains. She was two days out from a spine surgery intended to fix an 8-month-old gymnastics injury. She couldn’t take any steps on h…
Category: Hospital-Based Medicine
Failing the boards doesn’t make you a bad doctor
As a small town-trained osteopathic hospitalist, I have seen that some people may mistakenly believe that boards scores are important. But in reality, bedside manner is a lot more important. I’ve seen cases where nurse practitioners and physician assis…
How do we help physicians in the time of COVID?
There’s a phrase we use in golf when you hit one good shot after many bad ones: “That was whipped cream on sh*t.” I used this phrase the other day in a collaborative of coaches whom I had just met (maybe not the best idea). I spoke sp…
“I’d rather drive a Cadillac!”: The privilege problem in hospitals
As a surgical intern, my days started early, and I was tired as I entered Mr. M’s room that evening armed with a nasal feeding tube and lubricant. Mr. M was an African-American gentleman in his early 50s. He looked worn and much older than his ye…
Pay heed to the little life traumas that hit us daily [PODCAST]
“Taking stock of all these experiences, I feel like I have no answers. They lead me to a space of unrest and dissatisfaction for not having a pill that would instantly drop 10 kilos, cure hep E, curb food craving or resolve a heartache. But I fee…
Why I’m furious over observation status
A 37-year-old man was diagnosed with Lyme carditis after presenting to the emergency department (ED) with fever, weakness, history of tick bite, and prolonged PR interval of 394 ms (a type of heart block) and positive Lyme testing. In the ED, second-de…
Is home hospital care the way forward?
“There is nothing like staying at home for real comfort,” says James Austen. So, instead of traveling and waiting for hours by standing in a queue, what if health care is provided to you at home? That’s why home hospital care (HHC) is…
A shout out to small hospitals
I’m a small-time doc in a small town, and I work at a small hospital in the Midwest, and I’m proud of it. The huge university hospitals (like Cleveland Clinic) get all the glory (especially in society and in the press), but small hospitals like mine dr…
A message to physician job recruiters: First impressions count
More than half of all physicians in the United States are employed by health care organizations, and the numbers have been trending upward since 2019. Recruiters who work for health systems are tasked with finding the best physicians available, and the…
The painful anniversary of Dr. Susan Moore
“You have to show proof that you have something wrong with you in order for you to get the medicine. I put forth, and I maintain that if I was white, I wouldn’t have to go through that.” – Dr. Susan Moore. In a 7-minute-and-22-second …
