Videos

Nov. 20, 2021

Stories of surgery, clarity, and grace

"My mother, bless her ninety-year-old heart, is slowing down. The things that made her happiest — getting to church, visiting friends, taking walks, and wandering the aisles in the grocery store —are increasingly difficult. She worries that her lack of energy will soon make every activity impossible. It is 2005…

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Nov. 20, 2021

Physician communication using the tools of a trial attorney

"For twenty years, I defended doctors when they were sued, and now I coach female leaders from all industries on how to advocate for themselves and their potential with the tools of a trial lawyer. I know that when doctors are exhausted, distracted and powerless they’re more likely to be…

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Nov. 20, 2021

Bonnie Koo, MD on taking control of your finances and pursuing financial independence

"While much of the conversation around financial independence is tied to the ability to retire early, the real prize is flexibility. I hear a lot of 'I love what I do and will work until I die' amongst physicians. Not so fast. Your goals and priorities will likely change as…

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Nov. 16, 2021

What you don’t know about pain will hurt you

"If you treat chronic pain, or are someone living with it, remember this: Changing the brain can change pain. Addressing emotional health directly impacts physical health, because brain and body are always connected. Pain psychologists can serve as pain coaches – it doesn’t mean you’re crazy, and it’s not 'all…

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Nov. 16, 2021

How the residency application process has changed forever

"The collective resiliency of the medical education community shone through the challenges of the past year. In medicine, physicians must adapt to all situations, and GME is no exception. Even in a pandemic, everyone adjusted as needed. Program coordinators and faculty were flexible and creative, while applicants remained passionate and…

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Nov. 16, 2021

An obstetrician recommends midwifery care

"By denigrating midwifery care, pathologizing the natural process of birth, and instilling fear of complications and pain, doctors persuaded women to give birth at the hospital under their care. By touting the benefits of anesthesia, forceps delivery, episiotomy and promoting in-hospital birth, doctors and hospitals were able to capitalize on…

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Nov. 16, 2021

Fear of vaccines grows with the need for medical ethics

"While individual doctors have obligations to both the individual and public health, their first concern is their patients. And these decisions have to acknowledge fears and respect the stance. Providers must balance reassurance with acknowledgment, care, data, and the intent to 'do no harm.' It is undeniable that the COVID…

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Nov. 16, 2021

Grieving our collective loss with compassion

"Cultivating compassion for ourselves and others is a practice in which we release judgment, anger and heal our emotional wounds. We can then move forward to a version of a better world where we have evolved to a new beginning. Change is always happening, and that is our constant. What…

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Nov. 16, 2021

To Aaron Rodgers, from a physician and Packers fan

"Mr. Rodgers, I’m glad you’re feeling well. This isn’t altogether unsurprising given your younger age and elite physical fitness (though cases in young unvaccinated people can and have become severe) and I hope you continue to feel well as you quarantine. The medical and scientific community works on data, lots…

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Nov. 10, 2021

Ignoring jaw pain comes at too high a price

"The COVID-19 pandemic challenged health care systems and patients’ personal economic capacity, leading to approximately six million adults losing their dental insurance. Additionally, the World Health Organization and the American Dental Association recommended dentists to limit their practices to emergency and urgent dental care. In the list of these diagnoses…

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Nov. 10, 2021

A doctor turned Hollywood actor on physicians who struggle with suicidal ideation

"Thanks for gathering today in this anonymous detached space. Since it’s unlikely that we’ll ever publicly convene in a circle on metal folding chairs, I’m reaching out through this letter. You can peruse this in private and perhaps see a piece of yourself here. As a non-practicing physician who speaks…

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Nov. 10, 2021

Should you stay or leave medicine?

"I left my primary care practice earlier this year to focus on life coaching. Why did I leave? Because I wanted to do more and make a bigger impact. I remember how eager I was to complete medical training as I approached the light at the end of the tunnel.…

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Nov. 10, 2021

Why economics is the best pre-med major

"Economics taught me that I didn’t have to culture cells in a dish to do interesting and life-changing work. I built a habit of being inquisitive and intellectually curious about the world around me because I learned in undergrad that our human, flawed world contains elegant experiments, puzzling oddities, and…

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Nov. 10, 2021

Medical gaslighting due to weight stigma and bias: a viral TikTok study

"Disrupting weight stigma and bias in health care starts with calling it out. The power of stories and shared experiences highlights the collective voice. I’m coaching TikTok Followers to own their health power and start speaking up during clinic visits to make sure they get their questions answered. Future directions…

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Nov. 10, 2021

How to preserve empathy in medicine

"No matter how extensive or well-developed your capacity for empathy may be, you cannot feel empathy for everyone all the time. Whether we’re talking about doctors who have never been patients, or clinicians who have never faced discrimination, we know that people’s ideas can change, when properly educated and supported.…

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Nov. 8, 2021

How can technology innovation save primary care?

"I believe there is a formula that can reduce the risk of burnout and save primary care, rooted in one key objective: Remove work from primary care doctors and nursing staff’s plates immediately. Easier said than done. And that’s where technology and clinical navigation must be leveraged — to assist,…

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Nov. 8, 2021

A new approach to orthopedic post-operative pain

"My brain is still struggling to comprehend the battle for the status quo a physician faces each day; one who must, by default, be cognizant of the lurking dangers of an opioid prescription, while also helping the patient on their swiftest way to recovery, led by the very same guidelines.…

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Nov. 8, 2021

Black female physicians and the bias against them

"I am a woman of history who stands up and tells the truth, irrespective of what other people say. I remember the words of the late Representative John Lewis, 'Do not get lost in a sea of despair. Be hopeful, be optimistic. Our struggle is not the struggle of a…

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Nov. 8, 2021

Physicians have gone from being heroes to villains

"I am exhausted and sad and disappointed and discouraged. I am losing faith in humanity. Where is the 'love your neighbor as yourself'? Where is the willingness to help each other? Where is the solidarity of those first days? Physicians have gone from being heroes to being villains. We have…

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Nov. 8, 2021

Doctors are humans, not heroes

"The truth is, we were all drowning, alone, and hiding behind the image of perfection. Clearly, each of us secretly thought that the others had it all figured out. We were so afraid of admitting weakness or asking for help, so we kept it to ourselves and muddled through, burnt…

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Nov. 8, 2021

Alternative cryptocurrencies: 5 tips for physicians

"What are altcoins, and should you be investing in them? I cannot speak to whether investing in altcoins is appropriate for you. Altcoins are a highly volatile and risky asset class that offers the potential for high returns. Every investor must decide whether they are willing to bear the associated…

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Nov. 8, 2021

Physicians aren't all hanging in there. And that's OK.

"Go ahead, give yourself permission, summon the compassion and grace you’d bestow on your best friend, and tell yourself, “This is the breadth of the human experience, and I’m only human.” There is immense beauty and strength in that vulnerability. I lied to myself for too long, couldn’t see the…

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Nov. 8, 2021

Pamela Wible, MD on physician suicide and medicine’s culture of betrayal

"When the medical profession—a career you have pursued for years, a career you love and trust to do no harm does something to shatter the foundations of your sense of trust and worldview, the resulting trauma can be severe resulting in loss of sense of self and life-altering betrayal grief…

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Nov. 4, 2021

How this physician built a direct specialty care practice

"I am here to testify that it is possible, and I am not alone in this specialist direct care market. There are other specialists’ practices like mine, hidden gems for patient care. During my journey, I learned specialists are thriving to remove the “middlemen” and reconnect with patients. Patients are…

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