2/1/2022 Anger keeps me sharp, reading up and asking questions, so I don’t make the same mistakes. But I worry about the personal cost.
1/10/2022 Medicine is one giant disconnect from the rest of the world—'cause we're awake when our friends and families are asleep. We're working when they're celebrating. But still, I can't help reflect on my life at New Year's.
12/14/2021 Inspired by some ideas from Denmark, I wonder if we can create little corners of happiness at our hospitals and clinics.
12/3/2021 I wish someone had told me that part of winning the long-term doctor game is social. The more friends you have—real friends, caring friends—the more likely you are to survive and even rejoice in a lifelong medical career.
11/11/2021 We're all stressed like never before. COVID, no work, too much work, no nurses, kids crying at home, no child care. Who wouldn't want a drink when we can't take a break?
10/15/2021 Being a physician can be really lonely, starting with the pre-med competition and continuing into residency and fellowship, and then practice. What’s the solution?
10/8/2021 Sometimes it's tough. Too many villagers! Too many other mayors calling me because their villages are overrun. Too many sick villagers. Not enough resources for my villagers. But this was a good week.
9/25/2021 Have you noticed how hard it is to access a psychiatrist, including child psychiatry? Therefore family doctors bear the brunt. Treat them both like gold and rubies.
8/31/2021 We often compare ourselves to others, especially how much money we are making. What about your values? What do YOU want?
8/18/2021 My colleagues said: “It’s like being in an abusive relationship.” “Medical school is traumatic.” I thought, 'Yeah, I guess so,' and moved on. Then two things happened.
7/15/2021 Dear Melissa,
I saw a patient in the ER and called a resident at a tertiary hospital who was breathtakingly rude. What should I do?
7/2/2021 Why can't I be effortlessly masterful, rattling off 20 differential diagnoses while intubating with one hand and installing chest tubes with the other, before gliding through a relaxing evening marathon?
