Episodes

May 15, 2021

How switching to psychiatry made me understand suicide far better

"I realized that training in psychiatry would give me the opportunity to understand suicide far better, and hopefully allow me to make a difference at an earlier stage. My exposure to psychiatry in medical school was clearly not enough. I …

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May 14, 2021

Stress in medicine: lessons learned through my years as a surgeon

"Medical professionals face uniquely challenging pressures. Our work itself is extremely demanding, and always has high stakes for those we care for. External circumstances that impact our work carry uncertainties that add more stress. Constantly...

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May 13, 2021

Being a pediatrician did not prepare me for parenting

"I hope being a parent will now equip me to be a better pediatrician. I hope I can teach them whatever I know about safe sleeping, breastfeeding, and newborn care, but I also hope to acknowledge the reality and struggles …

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May 12, 2021

It's never too late for physicians to change directions and land new …

"As I approached retirement from medical practice, I had an epiphany to take up writing and attended the Harvard CME course on Writing, Publishing, and Social Media for Healthcare Professionals. I met some extraordinary people working in the health...

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May 11, 2021

Solving major substance use disorder treatment gaps during COVID-19

"As if COVID-19 weren’t bad enough during the pandemic, another public health crisis – substance use disorder (SUD) – has gone from bad to worse, while access to behavioral health services is shrinking. As of September, of community...

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May 10, 2021

How 5-star reviews generated over $225,000 in practice revenue

"With my natural affinity for numbers, I analyzed the reviews’ precise impact after a few years, and the results were astounding. The system generated over $225,000 during a 3-year period. My practice acquired 162 new 5-star reviews on...

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May 9, 2021

What to do when physicians get subpoenaed as witnesses: A forensic pa…

"You’re a clinician. You had a patient die under your care, and now your hospital is being sued. You are not named in the lawsuit, but you are being asked to give a deposition. How much of your time is …

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May 8, 2021

How this physician escaped the system

"If you are happy with where you are in the current system – that is wonderful, continue what you are doing. However, if you are feeling trapped, frustrated, or like the work you are doing is no longer meaningful, then …

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May 7, 2021

Responding to the COVID pandemic: a lesson in coalescence

"When faced with an existential crisis, any organization, as large as a nation or as small as a marriage, will go one of two ways. Either it will bond together, coalesced in a common purpose, or it will collapse in …

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May 6, 2021

Gender disparities in medicine: How popular literature mirrors society

"Coffee in hand, I decided to try and collect my thoughts. I realized that a large portion of the literature we grew up reading has in many ways tried to implant this subconscious bias that contributes to gender disparities and …

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May 5, 2021

How reviewing medical malpractice claims made me a better gastroenter…

"When a patient is dissatisfied with his or her care, he or she can consult an attorney, who will enlist a physician 'expert' to determine if a doctor has deviated from the standard of care and whether that deviation caused …

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May 4, 2021

Rest in peace, primary care

"The corporatization of medicine has destroyed primary care as a specialty. The primary care physician is supposed to be your go-to doctor, your advocate, the coordinator of your health care. Now that corporations buy out hospitals and private...

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May 3, 2021

End-of-life conversations: Embrace the responsibility

"For physicians who lack experience in end-of-life counseling, the process can be daunting at the beginning. However, they can be confident that once they have obtained the proper training, preparation, and experience, these conversations will be...

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May 2, 2021

Falling in love during a pandemic: a medical scribe's story

"Nowadays, I go on long walks through the city alone. I make dinner for one. When I go on bike rides, it’s a solo activity. I find comfort in myself, slowing down and making every small occasion a simple, peaceful …

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May 1, 2021

An acupuncturist's take on the doctor-patient relationship

"Every professional I have done the exercise with admitted that their ideal patient was inspired by someone they were close to in their personal life. It was usually a family member, a best friend, or themselves. The ones who carry …

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April 30, 2021

What role does the science of complexity play in medicine?

"The science of complexity lays a conceptual foundation for understanding “complex adaptive systems.” What all complex adaptive systems have in common is that they are all bound by the same set of physical laws. Their “behavior,” i.e., growth,...

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April 29, 2021

What medical professionals can do to take climate action

"As health professionals, we have the platform to enact change within our own institutions, as well as local and federal governments. We must elect leaders and officials who spearhead climate action. We must reduce the carbon footprint of healthcare....

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April 28, 2021

Our work as physicians and healers is to see the whole patient

"Instead of focusing on one organ system, I want to know everything. The diagnostic challenge is to discern patterns of insults, symptoms, and lab tests that correlate with specific microbes, specific organ dysfunction, specific diet issues, and...

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April 27, 2021

Physician suicide: We need safe spaces to talk about it

"Suicide is a path, whether fast or slow, that a person chooses to take because of their own reasons. We certainly can never predict suicide or truly understand it. But with that said, every time it happens, it is a …

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April 26, 2021

My Klonopin withdrawal story

"Our relationship with Big Pharma is a dangerous, nasty, and abusive one, and it can prove to be fatal too. Benzos aren’t limited to a specific class, race, gender, creed, etc. Many stars have died from mixing benzodiazepines with opioids …

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April 25, 2021

Focus medical education on training the whole person

"Had I understood the nature of my struggles and felt permitted and supported in actively addressing them, I would have been more effective, a better learner, and more fulfilled. After trying out a few clinical settings, a lot of reading, …

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April 24, 2021

Leadership lessons from Dr. Fauci

"Dr. Fauci navigated the delicate balance between his obligation to the American people as one of our most respected physician-scientists and holding on to his job in a federal government whose leader doesn’t take kindly to independent thought that...

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April 23, 2021

A nurse shares her story of sexual assault

"I am a nurse who has worked at a rural hospital. My husband is a board-certified family medicine doctor. In the fall of 2020, I was raped by my massage therapist. I know that everyone has an opinion of what …

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April 22, 2021

Don't forget about influenza and the lessons learned from COVID

"When the public was made aware of the risk of transmitting the virus and the far-reaching measures of social distancing, closing schools, and lock-down, most Americans willingly complied. After all, they became aware, for the first time, of the risk...

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