Episodes

Feb. 17, 2021

A dermatologist reflects on his career

"At that point, I realized Thanksgiving came early this year, and I missed it. It was a reminder of why many of us go into medicine. I didn’t go into medicine for glory or fame. Nor did I go into medicine for financial reward. Still, I often told...

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Feb. 16, 2021

To MBA or not to MBA as an MD

"The first thing my husband said when I told him about MBA school was, 'the NBA has a school?'  It didn’t help that we first had our conversation about MBA school during the NBA playoffs but really – NBA school?  I quickly overcame this...

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Feb. 15, 2021

Suicide in veterinary medicine is a huge problem right now

"I am a veterinarian. More specifically, I am a veterinary specialist, board-certified in emergency and critical care. I don’t play with puppies and kittens. I treat the worst of the worst in a specialty hospital setting with a state-of-the-art ER...

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Feb. 14, 2021

Infertility and the physician journey

"I am a medical doctor—a hospitalist working in an environment with many talented professionals. We share our knowledge and our approach to medicine with one another in ways that profoundly affect our patients and other personnel in the hospital. At...

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Feb. 13, 2021

Train in the United States. Practice medicine abroad.

"Oh, Canada! Every presidential election cycle, my colleagues joke that if the election result is not to their liking, they will move to Canada. On election night 2016, 'move to Canada' trended on Google, and the Canadian immigration website crashed....

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Feb. 12, 2021

Empty chairs at the table this pandemic holiday season

"It is often difficult to reflect on the holidays when we are grieving positively. One thing to keep in mind is that the loved one/ones we lost would want us to remember them fondly and enjoy the holiday season. The holidays are rare occasions when...

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Feb. 11, 2021

Positive growth from the COVID-19 pandemic

"The pandemic has been difficult, but it has managed to change my perspective for the better. I mourn for the suffering and loss we have experienced as humanity, and moving forward, I have a new sense of appreciation. I am hopeful for the future, and...

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Feb. 10, 2021

#ThisIsOurShot to end the pandemic

"Vaccines have been around as early as 1776 when Edward Jenner first pioneered the smallpox vaccine and Louis Pasteur produced a rabies vaccine. As a microbiologist’s child, I grew up hearing these stories from my father and thinking of these men as...

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Feb. 9, 2021

Nephrology and kidney care during the pandemic

"COVID-19 wreaks havoc on multiple areas of the body, and myself and my fellow frontline workers across the globe have been forced to quickly identify what tools work best in our quest to keep our patients alive. While we’re working to identify...

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Feb. 8, 2021

Reforming the peer review process

"The peer-review process is fallible, slow, and biased, and it takes advantage of the scientific community’s altruism. We need to keep pushing the conversation forward about making publishing more equitable, timely, accessible, and fair. An obvious...

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Feb. 7, 2021

Doctors are killing themselves, and who is taking notice?

"I can do better. We can do better. Please partner with me and advocate for the ability for doctors and residents in our profession to receive medical and psychiatric care without fear of losing our licenses or having to face stigma and judgment. It...

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Feb. 6, 2021

Why the preservation of the Affordable Care Act should matter to you

"Is the ACA perfect? Not by a long shot. In Kentucky, where I live, there are only 2 insurers selling individual policies on the exchange. A Silver plan for my husband and myself costs $1,800 per month in premiums, with a $13,600 deductible and an...

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Feb. 5, 2021

Being a neonatologist and a mother

"Being a neonatologist and a mother is living with the knowledge that the question 'What would you do?' could so easily become real, not hypothetical.  And so what would I do? I don’t know, heartbroken mama. Because I feel too much, but I...

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Feb. 4, 2021

Thank you pediatric medical professionals

"As the mother of a child born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, besides going through four open-heart surgeries and coding, my son has also had eight abdominal surgeries, including a Ladd’s procedure and resection of his colon. William also...

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Feb. 3, 2021

Prison medicine during the pandemic

"Rumor has it that the SARS-CoV 2 virus was brought into prison via inmates who were on a work-release program.  Allegedly, they boarded a city bus with a driver who was ill.  From there, it crept beyond the work-release camp and wafted over...

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Feb. 2, 2021

Stuck between a virus and a cold place: A choice for homeless America…

"What form the incoming winter will take depends on the location and status of the COVID-19 pandemic. Each city must find a method that will provide the most relief and assistance for their homeless population. Analyzing the results of the measures...

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Feb. 1, 2021

I will be a doctor because I was once a patient

"Everything I ever have and ever will accomplish is in part due to the doctors, nurses, administrators, and security officers who gave me safe, compassionate care. This was no fairytale ending; I wish I never had to make this choice, and I grieved for...

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Feb. 1, 2021

Nisha Mehta, MD on why physicians should consider side gigs

"At first, it may seem strange that 'physician' and 'side gig' are even used in the same sentence. After all, the average physician in the United States is already working more than a 40 hour work week and struggling with issues related to work-life...

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Jan. 31, 2021

Death is personal for this physician

"In Wooster, Ohio, where I practiced, a small not-for-profit hospice agency relied on local physicians, clergy, and many other volunteers to supplement the skills and dedication of their employed staff. It was through this work with Hospice of Wayne...

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Jan. 30, 2021

How doctors are losing money every time a patient pays a bill

"A practicing anesthesiologist for the past 14 years, when COVID hit, and the ORs came to an abrupt halt, I needed to occupy my mind. An opportunity to learn about the business behind running a practice came to me via a good friend who is a founding...

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Jan. 29, 2021

Health care's tech renaissance during the pandemic

"Just as the pandemic has forced massive technology adoption in the delivery of care, we will see the rapid, widespread implementation of innovative solutions that medical education has desperately needed for years. Technologies like computer-based...

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Jan. 28, 2021

Zoom is foie gras of the brain

"We lack the necessary signaling of the nonverbal cues when only looking at one’s face. The presenter’s large face only a few inches from our screen may evoke our primordial threat response with its resulting cascading transmitters. The angulation...

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Jan. 27, 2021

Peer-to-peer support and the second victim syndrome

"The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted everyone, especially those of us in health care.  Our way of practicing medicine has been changed; some would say forever. We find ourselves affected not only clinically but also emotionally.  As a result,...

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Jan. 26, 2021

Why medical students should not let medicine define them

"Doctors are indeed noble for what they do. Their work is undoubtedly physically intense and emotionally taxing. But the notion that they are 'superhuman' and 'different' from the rest of society is exactly the trap that we fall into the moment we don...

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