Medical
Black physicians are tired of paying the minority tax
Here’s a controversial phrase for a doctor to say that needs to be normalized: “I am tired.” As a physician, working oneself to exhaustion for our patients is often seen as a sign of strength and even heroic. As a rare Black male in medicine in the midst of a pandemic that is ravaging patients…
Read MoreWhen selecting a specialty, it’s OK to choose happiness
I began pursuing a career in medicine with the fervent desire to become a neurosurgeon one day. When someone asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I answered neurosurgeon without missing a beat. I chose neurosurgery in high school after falling in love with the nervous system and watching Gifted Hands.…
Read MoreExtreme athleticism and the risk of atrial fibrillation
Consider the following sports icons: tennis legend Billie Jean King, basketball veteran Larry Bird, triathlete Karsten Madsen, baseball pitcher Kenley Jansen, and cyclist champion Haimar Zubeldia. What do all of these well-known professional athlete heroes have in common? They are athletes with atrial fibrillation, also called AFib. AFib is the most common heart rhythm disorder…
Read MoreIt’s time to focus medical education on training the whole person
Here I am, 17 years out of my fellowship training, and I’m just getting some of the most important training of my medical career. I continue to believe that my medical school, residency, and fellowship training were all outstanding. However, either I missed something in the course catalogue, or like for most medical students, residents,…
Read MoreWhy do people keep going to church?
Physicians in general are a pretty intelligent group of professionals. However, we sometimes make the mistake of thinking that we must also know a lot about almost everything because we know a lot about one particular thing. However, given the exploding pace of advancing knowledge, that idea is hubristic. But it isn’t just science and…
Read MoreHow to (almost) never have a bad shift [PODCAST]
“To understand how to create good shifts irrespective of external factors, I turned to the ancient philosophy of Stoicism. One of its core tenets is that we must focus on what is within our control. Epictetus said: ‘Happiness and freedom begin with a clear understanding of one principle: Some things are within our control, and…
Read MoreMedicine in the shadow of the Confederacy
To get to my primary care clinic in Richmond, VA, my patients and I must walk past the Confederacy’s White House. Our emergency room sits in its shadow. Each day, I walk past the three-story white building surrounded by my hospital on three sides. Renamed the American Civil War Museum, it is now repurposed to…
Read MoreHow 5-star reviews generated over $225,000 in revenue for my practice
I’ll cut straight to the point: Collecting 5-star Google and Yelp reviews straight out of fellowship generated over $225,000 in new revenue from online patient referrals. And I have the data to prove it. I joined my partner as a hand fellowship graduate four years ago. He already had a very busy practice with over…
Read MoreWhy this physician misses the waiting room
“Please wait. The meeting host will let you in soon.” I am in the virtual waiting room for my weekly therapy session, the little waiting room box dragged to the side of my screen as I respond to clinical messages. I put off stretching to reply to an email, remaining in the chair I’ve been…
Read More