“If you knew we are like the ‘Two Fridas,’ that our hearts are connected, would you change your mind? Would you stop as you are about to cut the artery feeding your heart and mine? If you knew that when you cry because of your lonelin…
Category: Hospital-Based Medicine
A soul that never loses faith
I am so tired. Not in the usual “hard day at work,” but in a “deep-in-my-soul” tired. I am exhausted. I am heading into my third year as system medical director, where I lead a system-wide palliative medicine program in rural he…
Multi-system inflammatory syndrome in children: a pediatric hospitalist’s conversation
Them: “I have never heard of this.” Me: “That’s OK, let me explain what is going on. Your child has a condition called multi-system inflammatory syndrome in children, which we call MIS-C. We see this condition after a COVID infe…
Medication management and how consultant pharmacists can help
Management of medications is sometimes handled sub-optimally, at least in the United States. At the extreme, physicians who prescribe multiple medications prescribe some medications that treat the side effects of other medications. This could be consid…
A shout out to small hospitals [PODCAST]
“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 …
The paradox of treating pain in a system too full to manage it
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…
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…
