Mom wept silently as she stared at her dead daughter — quiet, near catatonic. I was prepared for a sharp scream. But she sat there quietly. She was staring at her beautiful but lifeless daughter. Young with long black hair and 21 years old. She was mom…
“Dier Dammen an dier Hären, wëllkomm zu Lëtzebuerg. Déi lokal Auerzeit ass 16:30 Auer.” Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Luxembourg. The local time is half past four in the afternoon. *** The butterflies floating about my stomach throughout…
The spike in medical school applications during the 2020-2021 cycle surprised most people involved with medical school admissions. COVID-19 erupted full force in the spring of 2020, right in the middle of the admission season for the medical school cla…
“Now the room is silent as if nothing at all occurred. I stand watching the red stain forming on the pristine white sheet, mocking me in my failure. I trained at excellent institutions, survived residency, and served in combat. Now, here at a Lev…
Fear is something that most of us have felt at one time or another. That feeling of being threatened, when you feel as though your current state is in jeopardy. It’s an instinctive reflex to flee or fight the threat. This instinct has been with u…
I remember the time (about one year ago) when I could only provide one COVID test for patients walking into urgent care: the PCR or polymerase chain reaction. Back then, patients had no choice other than to get a nasal swab that was uncomfortable, irri…
I’ve been semi-retired in clinical medicine for almost four years now. Initially, I found myself coaching burned out physicians: Helping them recover, finding careers they love, and even starting their own businesses outside the box. However, as I lis…
“Go have a seat,” the receptionist at the imaging center told me, gesturing to the waiting room. It was a close, poorly ventilated space, and several of the chairs were already occupied. I turned back to the receptionist. ”I have a primary immune defic…
“I really shouldn’t complain. I haven’t lost my housing or job. I have plenty of food and toilet paper, and so far, no close friend or family have died from COVID. That said, this pandemic is hard. In fact, it is exhausting. During the spring and…
As medical trainees, we learn how to be competent in our craft. If we are competent, it is assumed we will be successful and confident in our abilities. However, empowered performance requires a focus on not only competence, but also confidence. We stu…
