Point of Care: Where Life Meets Medicine
Blogs
- 9/3/2013
How I keep the call gods happy
I’ve never considered myself a superstitious person. I don’t believe that small rituals can change future events—unless it’s related to call. - 8/12/2013
Goodbye Gramma
Last week, my 90 year-old grandmother, Gwladys Mair Giles, died (yes, the spelling is correct; my grandmother’s first language was Welsh). She was my sole surviving grandparent; I was named after her. I realize that I am extremely lucky to have had her in my life for 35 years when many of my friends never knew their grandparents. I feel especially blessed to have had her for so long knowing that she barely knew her own mother—my great-grandmother died during childbirth with twins in the 1920s (all three died). - 7/29/2013
Five overused and infuriating words I read every day
I recently read Dr. John Ross’s opinion piece in a Halifax newspaper. In the article, he comments on many lives touched by motor vehicle collisions and the very few words journalists use to describe accidents, “Three more dead on N.S. highway.” - 7/10/2013
A not-so-gentle reminder of the repercussions of head injuries
My pet peeve is litter. While out for a stroll in the N.W.T., I stooped to collect some discarded pop cans and WHACK! I smashed my head on a pipe. I didn't think much of it until later, when the headache, nausea and dizziness set in. Obviously, I had a concussion. - 7/2/2013
An unexpected surprise in the Canada Day parade
- 6/18/2013
A harder side of locum life
Until this month, I didn't realize how spoiled I'm become living the locum life. - 5/29/2013
Packing up my stress and heading north
Right now I feel like a giant ball of stress. I’m moving across the country, starting a new job, and heading back to school for a week. This should be old hat for me, but I still find it challenging to deal with change. - 5/16/2013
Words to live by
Have courage. These are the words I would offer if I were asked to address medical students on either the first or last day of medical school. I would utter these words because there is a dire lack of courage in medicine today. - 4/26/2013
When and how do we settle down in medicine?
One of the keys to being a successful family doctor is being comfortable with uncertainty. We have to understand that not all diagnoses are obvious from the onset and that serious conditions will worsen while transient conditions will naturally resolve. Right now, I feel that sentiment is a good analogy for my life - 4/11/2013
How do you spell relief? DTM&H!
After three exhausting months of study and two gruelling days of exams, the results are in: I passed! I am the proud new owner of a Diploma in Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. I am also incredibly relieved. - 3/21/2013
Returning to a student lifestyle is not as fun as you might think
Do you remember the last time you studied for a big exam? I’m not talking about reading through ATLS guidelines the night before the course; I’m talking about a BIG exam. It has been six years since I studied for my family medicine exam and while working toward my Diploma in Tropical Medicine and Hygiene here in London, U.K., I seem to have forgotten a few of the salient features of studying. - 3/1/2013
I got schooled by a toddler
I can’t remember the last time my brain felt this full. Now that I’m past the halfway point of my Diploma in Tropical Medicine and Hygiene here in London, U.K., I’m forgetting the early stuff, struggling to learn the current info, and dreading the final weeks to come. I have never been pushed so hard for so long. There have, however, been a few distractions along the way.