Medical

“These strategies on how the rich get richer do not only apply to the wealthy. These same opportunities and strategies are open to us as well. If we want to accumulate wealth, or simply keep more of the money we currently have without paying a large portion in taxes, then we should consider following the…

Patients deserve better. They lack access to and engagement with quality care — especially behavioral health care. Behavioral health goes beyond diagnosable mental health — everyone struggles with days that feel depressing or times that induce anxiety — you don’t need a prescription to know this. As of 2019, one in five Americans lived with…

I enter the hospital to work again. I must work as I have three small children and a husband presently out of work because of COVID. He is “non-essential.” A violinist is playing at the employee entrance. I know they do this to lift our spirits. But it’s a slow, sad string that reminds me…

A quick preview of any journal will note a plethora of physician jobs spanning the country. Many of these jobs offer a partnership track and promote a democratic philosophy. As someone who has worked on both sides of the equation, I wanted to share a few thoughts. You may not agree with all, but here…

Editor’s note: Third in a series on the impact of COVID-19 on communities of color, and responses aimed at improving health equity. Click here to read part one and here for part two. If there is a silver lining of COVID-19, it’s that it has required us to address monumental health care disparities, particularly racial…

I was sitting in my kitchen this morning drinking coffee, as is my usual routine on a Saturday. On this particular morning, I was looking at the empty chairs around my dining room table. These antique dark pine Windsor chairs are well-loved and aged with a patina that includes many layers of memories from family…

As an anesthesiologist, I fully understand that providers in my specialty, along with emergency room and intensive care providers, must care for patients with COVID-19 at close physical range during aerosol-generating procedures (AGPs) such as tracheal intubation and extubation, without the option of “social distancing.”  Consequently, we currently rely on personal protective equipment (PPE), operating…

“A majority of physicians see between 11 and 20 patients per day, and among all practices, the majority of doctors spend between 17 and 24 minutes with each patient. Assuming a five-day workweek, this translates to more than 900 patient interactions per year and over 1,066 minutes spent communicating with patients. Today, many of these interactions fall…

I am a critical care and emergency medicine physician, I have had COVID-19 infection twice, and I’m tired. My first infection was early on in the pandemic.  I had to place a Blakemore tube in a young man who was going to die from his massive bleeding from cirrhosis.  I didn’t know then that the…