5 ways to make this your best year yet
Think about what you want to accomplish this year, then list how you can achieve your goals.
The danger in treating patients as customers
The push to provide customer service comes at a cost to the physician-patient relationship.
Protecting your sweet spot
Reflect on what requests you want to accept before obediently saying yes, especially those that detract from your career goals.
A Health Care System that Cares
This doctor believes the American health care system can and must do better in terms of providing for patients.
The Cost of Being Sick in America
A recent wave of sickness in this doctor's family made her realize how inconvenient it is for many people in this country to be ill.
How a Broken Health Care System Harms us All
A recent case of a patient left in the cold in Baltimore is not an aberration, it's a symptom of a larger problem with this country's health care system.
Women in Medicine Share Stories of Sexual Assault
Although women make up half of medical students and greater than a third of attending physicians, medicine has its fair share of problems.
Is a Career in Family Medicine Worth It?
This family medicine doc weighs the satisfaction of the job with the various challenges - finan-cial or otherwise - she faces.
Three Challenges to Encounter in the Coming Year
After the past year, it's imperative that we improve ourselves and our communities instead of lay-ing blame or complaining at the condition of our world.
Calling Physician Leaders: Step up and Advocate
With the future of healthcare as uncertain as ever, now is the time for physicians to step up and take a leadership role.
The Unnecessary Burden of Maintenance of Certification
Physicians understand there is nothing voluntary about MOC, and failing to maintain certification can lead to negative professional outcomes.
'Why I Hate My EHR'
A better EHR might seem to be the solution to many physicians' frustrations, but in reality, oppressive quality markers are at the heart of the problem.
Five Things You Should Know About MACRA
Because the replacement for Medicare's SGR is complex and potentially difficult to participate in, physicians must arm themselves with knowledge.
Five Reasons to Attend a Live CME Conference
Why should you go to a live CME conference? There are multiple benefits, not the least of which is networking with your peers.
A Physician's First Death
Death can haunt those of us in the business of healing. Despite our best efforts to stave it off, we ultimately find that we have little control over its arrival.
'I Still Find Satisfaction in Being a Physician'
Every year I continue to feel blessed to be a physician. I would never say it is easy, but I have yet to find myself wanting any other career.
Standardization May Not Provide the Best Patient Care
We need to accept that identical medical offices with rigid protocols may not serve our individual patient populations in the best manner.
Ensuring Continuity of Care Through Communication
This full-scope family physician worries that compartmentalizing medicine hinders doctors from fully understanding their patients.
The Physician Balancing Act
My office is understaffed, overworked, and I'm drowning in paperwork. I do not have time for vomiting.
Advice for Starting a Medical Residency
Having been a resident not that many years ago, here is some advice for the new doctors as they take on the world.
Mentoring the Next Generation of Primary Care
Primary-care docs will not be able to shape the future of medicine unless they attract young doctors to follow in their footsteps.
Physicians Do Cry
Physicians are expected to keep personal emotion distanced. Yet, even as we care deeply for our patients, we fail to do the same for ourselves.
Meaningful Use Doesn't Benefit My Patients
The demands of unproven quality measures create a constant stream of paperwork and erode the essential foundation of the doctor-patient relationship.
The Ever-Full Yet Fulfilling Days of Being a Physician
My week started with three deliveries in less than 24 hours. The last one occurred a mere 40 minutes before my first patient visit Tuesday morning.
When My Resident Struggled with 10-Minute Patient Visits
We are robbing our patients of the resource of our time and I truly believe their health is suffering for it.
How I Will Communicate Better with Patients in 2015
This year I resolve to communicate better with my patients. Here are five tactics I will use to accomplish my goal.
Why I am Proud of Being a 'Generalist' Physician
I am a family doctor, always seeking out ways to see one more patient in the day, finding one more resource, helping one more patient through challenges.