Episodes

Sept. 21, 2020

Meet the physician who became a life coach

"For the past six months, I’ve spent my free time becoming a certified life coach. I’m a hospitalist, but a little more than a year ago, I was introduced to life coaching. I love the changes it has produced in …

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Sept. 20, 2020

Genetic testing: Could there be unintended consequences?

"Both clinical and direct-to-consumer genetic testing have become significantly less costly and more common, providing people with access to a wealth of information about everything from their ethnicity and family lineage to their risk for certain...

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Sept. 19, 2020

Locum tenens contracts: Maximize opportunities and minimize risks

"Locum tenens means 'to hold the place of, to substitute for' and locum tenens contracts are a common form of agreement for physicians who provide temporary medical services in place of full-time physicians. Now, during the COVID-19 pandemic,...

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Sept. 18, 2020

Bridging the COVID-19 health recommendations divide

"Misinformation about COVID-19, if propagated, can be deadly. The stakes are high. Physicians need to have a voice in this discussion and work towards impacting policy in a positive way. Physician-led groups such as IMPACT aim to advocate for...

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Sept. 17, 2020

Patients without traditional support systems, and the doctors who ste…

"When doctors ignore the evidence showing that a support system doesn’t have to be traditional in order to be effective, that’s not a medical judgment. It’s a personal prejudice that puts singles at serious risk. Classifying patients as married...

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Sept. 16, 2020

Is now the time for single payer?

"Single payer is the solution. And the time for it is now. A single-payer system would guarantee health care coverage immediately to every American. So whether a loved one gets sick from COVID, has a heart attack, or gets in …

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Sept. 15, 2020

Why cultural competency courses should be requisites for medical scho…

"Doctors are people, and people are capable of prejudice and discrimination. But, in medicine, there is no place for prejudice and discrimination because a patient’s life is at stake. Stereotyping a customer and assuming that they cannot afford a...

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Sept. 14, 2020

When physicians get sick: We are just as human as the patients we tre…

"My experience with recent knee surgery that left me significantly disabled for over a month brought this to my attention yet again. I was completely dependent on others for basic self-care since I was unable to get in and out …

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Sept. 13, 2020

COVID-19 is rattling the nerves of preemie parents

"With COVID-19, all of those memories have come flooding back. It is as if I am back in the NICU staring at that tiny infant and worried that she would get sick. Only now I have to pull myself out …

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Sept. 12, 2020

A palliative care physician's brain bleed

"As a runner, my pulse rests around fifty, but the ICU team had worried when it dipped to thirty-five, and my blood pressure hovered around ninety over fifty. Understandably, bags of saline were hung, and steroids were added. My headache …

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Sept. 11, 2020

COVID-19 reveals gaping holes in locum tenens contracts

"I called the locum agency in the morning to air my concerns. To their credit, they admitted that the COVID-19 pandemic is an unprecedented event for which no one could have planned. They had developed a fund through which they …

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Sept. 10, 2020

Health care should be apolitical, but it isn’t

"COVID-19 is a tragedy that could have easily been prevented if our leaders cared more about the well-being of their citizens instead of economies, stock markets, and their political campaigns. To all those arguing about how the economy is more...

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Sept. 9, 2020

Anesthesia touches nearly every area of medicine

"I suppose those of us between zero and ninety-three are blessed in our own way as well. We are here, swirling in a jumble of the inconsequential and consequential. We’ve enjoyed some of the world’s beauty and reserve the potential …

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Sept. 8, 2020

Many medical marijuana program websites are silent about possible ris…

"There are roughly 221 million people — including 48 million kids — in states where marijuana has been named a medicine. These include patients who suffer from depression and could see their symptoms worsen. Mothers who could give birth to …

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Sept. 7, 2020

Rural communities have unique vulnerabilities worsened by the pandemic

"While Imperial County faces a confluence of vulnerabilities that have led to its susceptibility during COVID-19, it is not alone. Like an insidious undercurrent, these deficiencies are lurking in every region of the United States. Structural issues...

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Sept. 6, 2020

Medicine's culture forces us to ignore our health

"Physicians are steeped in a noxious culture that seems to be averse to creating healthy physicians. We ignore mountains of evidence that show exercise, sleep, and healthy eating is beneficial for cognitive function, learning, and performance — all...

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Sept. 5, 2020

Recognizing childhood stress is so important. Here's why.

"Advocate for the children in your community. Studies show that one of the most powerful buffering factors for kids experiencing toxic stress is having at least one supportive, caring adult in their lives. Who in your circles needs you to …

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Sept. 4, 2020

A journey from security guard to nurse, and why nurses don't get the …

"The pharmacy department plays a vital role in hospitals. They prepare and dispense medications. Sometimes the pharmacist will receive an order from the doctor on a med whose written dosage he is not sure of. In some cases, the pharmacist …

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Sept. 3, 2020

Blowing the whistle on health care fraud

"Fraud in the health care industry is a fact of life. In 2016 alone, the federal government estimated that improper payments by Medicare and Medicaid totaled about $95 billion. And that’s only a single year’s amount for just two of …

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Sept. 2, 2020

An infectious disease physician says: Wear a F-ing mask

"In honor of one of the great classic novels, Go the F**k to Sleep, I would like to present to you my literary work: Stay the F@$k at Home. To the healthy 20 year old who asks, “Why should I …

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Sept. 1, 2020

Virtual care needs to be designed for equitable usage and accessibili…

"Although technology and disruptive innovation theoretically diminish systemic barriers and geographic isolation, in practice, they frequently widen chasms in access for vulnerable populations. The reality is telemedicine disproportionately caters to...

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Aug. 31, 2020

Making a career change for better work-life balance

"Is it possible to have it all? Can you have a job that you love, helping people and using your brain and hands all at the same time; plus, a family, with a spouse and children, that you are always …

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Aug. 30, 2020

Estate planning and personal finance tips for physicians

"With COVID-19 raging through the nation, and limited supply of PPE at hospitals, doctors and other critical care personnel are at high risk due to their increased and daily exposure to the virus. For health care workers, the need to …

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Aug. 29, 2020

How to help families struggling to find their way in a foreign culture

"We are blessed to work in a clinic that has a very large immigrant population. Over the years, we have cared for those who speak over 80+ languages with an even higher number of unique countries and regions represented. Arabic …

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