Does this scenario sound familiar? You bring your car into the dealership for routine servicing. The service representative (patch on his shirt says his name is “Bob”) checks your car history. He tells you they will do the routine service c…
Category: primary care
May each of you find your own sunrise and sunset
When I turned 60, it was a weird feeling, something I had not experienced with previous birthdays. I remember thinking, “SIXTY! Am I really 60?” Where did the time go? Looking back, I realize how much of it I had “wished away.” We all can fall into th…
Unconscious biases against vitamins and supplements [PODCAST]
“Like many scary health scenarios where patients seek some modicum of influence, the COVID-19 pandemic has led to patient demand for ‘immune-boosting’ dietary supplements. Toilet paper wasn’t the only essential item being limited by s…
A medical student’s guide to taking a social history
Dear medical student: I was in your shoes twenty years ago. At that time, I thought that becoming a doctor was all about gaining medical knowledge. When I started my clinical rotations, I was convinced that the “history of present illness” …
The time for preventive health is now
As a public health physician and epidemiologist, I’ve learned a lot of lessons during this pandemic. But the importance of preventive health was probably the most striking. It became clear relatively early on, that countries with healthier population…
How to start reversing the clinician shortage today
The pandemic may have caused a nationwide labor shortage in the short term. Employees resigning on the spot. Businesses shortening operating hours. Employers offering signing bonuses. However, due to the ongoing urgency and lethality of COVID, very few…
Primary care: I love the variety and the intimacy of the problems that are placed before me
An excerpt from Becoming Doctors 25 Years Later: Twenty five physicians sharing the journey from medical student to retirement. If I get out of bed now, I can squeeze in that ten-minute morning yoga routine on YouTube. But it feels so nice lying here, …
Replaceable thoughts and essential books to help you survive burnout [PODCAST]
“If you don’t ask for something you want, then you have already accepted the answer of no. Go ahead and ask for what you want and need. You may not get it this time but ask again in the future. We will change health care eventually. In the mean…
Don’t let anyone tell you to stay in your lane
Do you ever wonder why some issues are global or universal? It does not matter if you are a surgeon, a mega soccer star or a world-class runner—we all have things in common. Whether you are at the top of your game or just climbing your way, we must alw…
Can doctors have personalities?
Can doctors have personalities? I get this question a lot, or, rather, I get told by patients as a running joke that physicians typically lack the fun gene. Understandably, we have dedicated our youth to the medical profession and have missed out on mo…
