“A majority of physicians see between 11 and 20 patients per day, and among all practices, the majority of doctors spend between 17 and 24 minutes with each patient. Assuming a five-day workweek, this translates to more than 900 patient interacti…
Category: primary care
Medicine for the soul: Harness the power of the humanities to counteract burnout
Concern that the scientific growth of medicine has come at the expense of the art of medicine is not new. However, should we consider that not only does this impact the quality and practice of medicine, but might it also contribute to the rampant burno…
The value of intergenerational relationships
With the rapid growth of modern medicine and awareness in lifestyle and environmental influences, individuals can live longer and healthier lives. Approximately 15.2 percent of the U.S. population consists of individuals 65 years and older. To make the…
Physicians: Take back the title you have earned through your training
“Customer #4, please step up to the counter. How may I help you today?” As a patient, have you ever felt that it seemed you were waiting in line at the deli department, listening for your number to be called? Sorry to say, the practice of…
Proponents of independent non-physician practice make a dangerous assumption
An excerpt from Patients at Risk: The Rise of the Nurse Practitioner and Physician Assistant in Healthcare. On a sunny Tuesday in March 2015, the steps of Capitol Hill were draped in white as nurse practitioners from across the United States descended …
You have options when it comes to board certification
It’s good to have options, isn’t it? So why isn’t there an option when it comes to taking your boards? In other words, can’t residents have a say with which board to become certified with once they’re done with their residency? Well, there’s good news …
Fairness in medical publishing: Reforming the peer review process
In the middle of a busy week of balancing clinical, research, educational, administrative, and parental responsibilities, I receive an email request from a prominent journal to review a manuscript. If I agree, I will spend a couple of hours reading the…
Let us not forget that patients were young once and have stories we need to hear
He reminded me of a pit bull, this sometimes cantankerous but always fascinating World War II veteran. We first met in 1992, shortly after I arrived in Burlington following my years in the Army. Chronologically he was in his early 70s, but physiologica…
An appreciation for the sacred spaces at work
As a healer who has been doing my work in the dark, blind in a sense, today was a big day. The visit was scheduled, not as a phone visit but as my first Zoom visit since the pandemic began 150 days ago. Usually, I see about 30 patients in-person a week…
To better take care of patients, we need to take care of ourselves [PODCAST]
“I wonder what keeps us physicians going? What makes us show up to work every day? Even though it might sound clichéd, for most of us, it’s the love for medicine; it’s the love to be there and still be able to make a difference. And maybe money t…
