In his article, “Medical education needs to stop burning out students — now,” Augustine Choi suggests the culture of medical education is responsible for increasing numbers of depression and burnout among medical students, and suggests that…
Category: Pediatrics
Wonder about each patient outside the exam room
I pass by one of our local parochial schools on the way to clinic two mornings a week. With the school year in full swing, each Friday I see the children lining up outside to go to weekly Mass. With the girls in their grey tartan skirts and blue vests …
My patients teach me, guide me, and remind me that I am here
It’s an odd thing doing what I do sometimes. Dichotomies of highs and lows, life and death, joy and sorrow. In the past 15 years that I have been in health care — a nurse’s assistant, to registered nurse, to now pediatric nurse practitioner …
A pediatrician speaks out against combining sibling appointments
Imagine your typical yearly physical. It’s probably booked for 20 to 40 minutes. Since you, like many of us, may see your physician only once a year, it is important for you to have your physician’s complete attention and to have all of your concerns a…
A pediatrician’s top 10 back to school tips
As a pediatrician, who is also the busy mother of two school-aged children, the end of the summer brings a lot of mixed emotions. As parents and guardians, we can rejoice, while our kiddos may experience a wide range of feelings. The joy of reuniting…
The problem of overdiagnosis: What can patients do?
An interesting article in the journal Pediatrics is both intriguing and sobering. It is intriguing because it lays bare something we don’t talk much about or teach our students about; it is sobering because it describes the potential harm that can come…
When physicians inappropriately judge
All physicians naturally make judgments regarding the parents they are interviewing. For example, we assess how accurate and plausible their history is. We try to decide if they are telling us the whole story and, if not, if they are inadvertently or d…
Improving health outcomes for children requires us to look at the big picture
It was a simple chief complaint: sore throat and fever. As expected, the little girl’s rapid Strep was positive. Instructions given. Antibiotics sent. This was Peds 101. But for some reason, before mom walked out the door, she made mention of their sta…
Don’t make me choose between motherhood and my career
A debate highlighting gender discrimination in medicine currently rages within the pediatric hospitalist medicine community. The debate centers on the board certification process for “grandfathering” for the new pediatric hospitalist subspe…
Breastfeeding is best, but why do some countries struggle?
Breastfeeding provides ideal food for the healthy growth and development of infants; it is also an integral part of the reproductive process with important implications for the health of mothers. Breastfeeding has numerous health benefits for both the …
