The Art of Medicine

20/01/2021

For my midlife crisis I bought chickens. Watching them has been a source of joy, wonder and consternation. They brought a purpose to my stagnant life and revealed an insight that is very applicable to certain work environments. As hens mature, the pecking order is established by behaviors that will either place them at the top, bottom, or somewhere in between....

http://the-art-of-medicine.com/2021/01/20/finding-your-place-in-the-pecking-order/

Residency hospitals are the perfect illustration of the pecking order. It is a hostile system that should be replaced by more team oriented behaviors. Read on for how to integrate into your new job…

22/09/2020

Personally I struggled emotionally and physically during pregnancy and following the birth of my first two children. Both of them were born during my residency years. (The decision to have children during residency is a longer discussion which I do not want to get into here). I had 3 weeks off ( my entire allotted vacation time) after the first, and 4 weeks off after my second. Better provision for the welfare of physicians who are new parents (mothers AND fathers) is way overdue. Please share below how your place of work is implementing changes to provide support to pregnant women, and maternity/paternity leave.

ACEP Now offers real-time clinical news, news from the American College of Emergency Physicians, and news on practice trends and health care reform for the emergency medicine physician. ACEP Now is an official publication of the American College of Emergency Physicians.

27/08/2020

I am not the fastest provider in the group. I like to talk to patients. Training at Cook County in Chicago I had to learn quickly how to become efficient and how to make the best of my time and my patient’s time in the department. Whether you are an intern or an attending learning a new hospital system here are my recommendations for improving your efficiency in the ED. [ 977 more words ]
http://the-art-of-medicine.com/2020/08/27/improving-your-efficiency-in-the-emergency-department/

Whether you are an intern or a new attending, these are a few things you can do to improve your efficiency in the Emergency Department.

12/08/2020

Loved this article! Written by an old (young) friend from county.
“Therefore encourage one another and build each other up.”
‭‭1 Thessalonians‬ ‭5:11‬ ‭NIV‬‬

What was once thought of as a helpful approach to "toughen someone up", shame has caused destruction and burnout in our physicians and nurses' well-being.

24/07/2020

“My Shoulder! AHH! Don’t touch me BI #$%! F@ #$ OFF! NO! MY F@ #$ING SHOULDER IS KILLING ME!” Those were the words of a very intoxicated man who had just struck an oncoming sedan whose driver was currently being resuscitated on the opposite side of the trauma bay. “Sir, we’re trying to help you!” The trauma nurse said firmly. “Then fix my F@ #$%&G shoulder or get me someone who can! [ 1,745 more word ]
http://the-art-of-medicine.com/2020/07/24/taming-the-ugly-jaded-unempathetic-monster/

“My Shoulder! AHH! Don’t touch me BI #$%! F@ #$ OFF! NO! MY F@ #$ING SHOULDER IS KILLING ME!” Those were the words of a very intoxicated man who had just struck an oncoming sedan whose driver was cur…

17/06/2020

Perspective of someone in the medical field about how your knowledge of a situation can affect you, and how to handle that with your relationships. https://the-art-of-medicine.com/2020/06/07/when-knowing-too-much-becomes-personal/

The Physician's Guide to Navigating the Emotional, Physical and Mental Toll of Practicing Medicine

15/05/2020

The Burden of Knowledge One of my friends was involved in a bad bicycle accident. A tree branch fell on her, causing her to fall off her bike breaking her lower leg. The fracture was severe enough that it required more than one surgery. After her initial surgery she updated family and friends that she was doing well because "God had delivered her from the worst that could have happened." [ 1,278 more word ]
http://the-art-of-medicine.com/2020/05/15/shared-medical-decision/

How much information do patient’s need to make decisions regarding their care? Is there such a thing as too much information?

27/04/2020

https://the-art-of-medicine.com/2020/04/19/im-sorry/
This is a patient/family perspective on receiving bad news. We might think we're pretty good at sharing bad news. Reading this made me realize how important it is to do it right.

The doctor’s words didn’t compute. Two hours before, the Emergency Room was a million miles from our minds, as we munched on peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, sailing along the freeway with nary …

24/04/2020

It is never easy to give bad news. The extent of my education on the subject was a two-hour workshop in medical school. I was taught things like “Be direct.” “Don’t beat around the bush.” “Avoid using vague words like ‘he’s gone’ or ‘passed away’; it’s better to say ‘he died’ so it is clear what you are trying to say.” [ 1,180 more word ]
http://the-art-of-medicine.com/2020/04/24/how-to-give-bad-news/

It is never easy to give bad news. Since we only get one chance to do it right, it is worth spending some time and energy planning for this. Here are a few suggestions on how to make these horrible…

13/04/2020

https://the-art-of-medicine.com/2020/04/12/a-reflection-on-easter-sunday/
If you ever lost a loved one, you'll relate to this one. Written by my colleague and friend - Lorilea Mitchell.

In a befitting reflection on the birth, death, and life of Christ, the emergency room covers His ministry timeline in a multitude of ways.

29/03/2020

"For the righteous fall seven times, they rise again, but the wicked stumble when calamity strikes." Proverbs 24:16 These are stressful times for all. Many are sick. Others are afraid of becoming sick. Many are not working and becoming progressively more anxious about their financial situation. Others are overworked and overwhelmed with it. In my little corner of the world, there are people in all these categories. [ 358 more words ]
http://the-art-of-medicine.com/2020/03/29/pandemonium/

“For the righteous fall seven times, they rise again, but the wicked stumble when calamity strikes.” Proverbs 24:16 These are stressful times for all. Many are sick. Others are afraid o…

19/03/2020

I would like to send virtual hugs and lots of love to all my colleagues and friends working in the hospital, sacrificing their own health and well-being in order to take care of patients and their families.
https://the-art-of-medicine.com/2020/02/21/sick-day/

I write about a dozen work excuses a day. Migraine, fever, abdominal pain, ankle injury – I see all kinds of work-note worthy issues, but also some that I question. Like the young, other…

13/03/2020

13/03/2020

We are NOT testing most cases of COVID-19. There are many reasons this is likely a good strategy. The economy, public panic, etc. In this article, I explain my favorite one.
https://the-art-of-medicine.com/2020/03/13/covid-19-we-can-beat-this/

COVID-19 cases are way under-represented. After all, you can’t have a positive result if you don’t test for it. Contrary to statements that there are “enough tests available for all to be tested” t…