As I listened to my attending explain how during her residency training she was on call every third night, I realized how the definition of “call” had significantly changed since that time. For her, it meant her shift started at 6 a.m. and …
Category: Hospital-Based Medicine
The importance of being there for your patients
Halfway into my four-week hematology consults elective at the county hospital during my fourth year of medical school, I was surprised that one of my patients was a 25-year-old woman from Romania — exactly my age. This was highly unusual, as most of th…
Everyone has value. Even the angry man screaming at you.
In my third year of medical school, I started a rotation at the nearby VA hospital. Walking toward the polished glass doors that morning, I saw my reflection — clean white coat, assured expression to cover up how lost I felt. It was my second clinical …
You’re given feedback to “read more.” What do you do next?
Doctors are life long learners. The feedback to read more is often heard by medical students and residents in their quest to acquire the knowledge to understand health and disease processes and direct patient care. With so many demands on a resident an…
7 pearls of residency training
Residency training is often considered to be one of the most daunting experiences in a physician’s career. Each day comes with its own package of highs and lows. Every year is a new challenge, and a young physician has to adapt significantly as the jo…
This physician takes the time to be humbled and amazed by the stories patients share
What if I told you that, as your doctor, I’d rather listen to your memoir than to your lungs? Or that while I find the sound of a beating heart a marvel to behold, I’m more interested in hearing the jazz song that you wrote or talking about the words t…
How failing Step 1 helped me pass the boards. Twice.
I remember the day well. The dean of my medical school called me directly. As soon as she announced herself on the other end of the line, I knew it was bad news. Deans don’t tend to make social calls, and I was right. She was calling to tell me that I …
My caffeine-free residency
A kind resident or attending asks me, “I’m going for a coffee run. Can I get you anything?” I politely decline. “You sure?” “Yeah, I’m actually doing a caffeine-free residency.” A mix of utter disbelief a…
Speaking out about practicing medicine in Ethiopia
I am a young physician practicing medicine in the “motherland” of God-gifted Ethiopia, which is located in eastern Africa, south of the Sahara Desert. I want to share my personal story, as well as to expose some of the serious problems faci…
If you won the lottery, would you quit being a doctor?
On October 23, 2018, the Mega Millions lottery jackpot was 1.6 billion dollars, making it one of the largest lottery jackpots in history. In the week leading up to the drawing, the hospital was abuzz with chatter. Discussions about the possibility of b…
