Over the years, I’ve had many medical office assistants. Most were good. Some were outstanding. Today, I’d like to tell you the story of one who was exemplary. He was never late to work. He never came in and insisted on finishing his breakf…
Category: primary care
The Illuminated Elephant: ancient wisdom and modern medicine
It is one of the last days of September. The sun, pale and tired, is slowly surrendering the humdrum of earth to the grey, soulless air. My father and I walk to our very final medical appointment, hopeless, exhausted and befuddled. My father’s la…
A burnout coach saved my medical career — and possibly my life [PODCAST]
“I almost quit my job in 2014. I didn’t like my life, and I didn’t like myself. I had a lot of problems personally and professionally, and I wondered if I was good enough to solve them. I often felt weak and powerless. People were coming to me fo…
What and who needs to change in medicine for it to be sustainable?
I was a nurse before I was a PA. As the mantra goes, once a nurse, always a nurse. I have lived on both sides of the toxic structure: the medical and nursing models. Nurses eat their young, then place an unrealistic and unsustainable standard of altrui…
LGBTQ+ basics: 10 things your queer patient wishes you knew
Several months ago, I wrote a post on a Facebook community of over 17K Black physicians. The post asked them what they would do and how they would react if their child told them they were gay. The responses I received ranged from “I will love and accep…
LGBTQ+ basics: 10 things your queer patient wishes you knew
Several months ago, I wrote a post on a Facebook community of over 17K Black physicians. The post asked them what they would do and how they would react if their child told them they were gay. The responses I received ranged from “I will love and accep…
Why I help physicians write [PODCAST]
“Physicians have a deep well of experiences to draw from in their writing. They witness dramatic episodes of heroism, cures, disappointments, and failures. They see unforgettable scenes, hear devastating words, make difficult decisions, and obser…
Shame can no longer be accepted as a rite of passage in medicine
“Then why did this patient come to the hospital? You haven’t done anything to help this patient,” the attending physician said angrily during our morning rounds, upset that the patient had not met their urination output goals during t…
You have the right to boundaries
World events have me thinking about boundaries. Countries have boundaries. Often they are based on the land’s physical features, but not always. Boundaries are created over time and may need to change for various reasons. So too with our personal human…
Physicians owe it to themselves to take care of their health and families first
Primary care is a field that is both highly rewarding and highly challenging. Those who enter into it quickly find that they are rewarded with the satisfaction of knowing they are playing a vital role in the lives of their patients. However, they also …
