Insights on Residency Training

June 2nd, 2022

The Importance of Psychological Safety

Brandon Temte, DO

Even before starting residency, I knew I wanted to be a critical care doctor. I chose my residency program and drove halfway across the country to get a solid hands-on clinical experience. As an intern in the ICU, I was eager to get involved in every possible way. One morning after team rounds, fully caffeinated […]

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May 25th, 2022

The Pandemic Through a Rearview Mirror

Abdullah Al-abcha, MD

Throughout medical school, the word pandemic was something distant from our world of advancements. We truly believed we had reached the epitome of a future where a virus is something we could contain. COVID-19 proved us wrong. In March 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a pandemic. An unprecedented event that would change our […]

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May 18th, 2022

Will Interviews Stay Virtual? Hopefully, Yes.

Madiha Khan, DO

About 10 minutes into my virtual fellowship interview, I hear a whimper from under the desk. Confusion turns quickly into panic as I feel the tiny paws of my puppy grab at me for attention, and I realize she has somehow escaped her playpen and sneaked into my interview room. I try to keep my […]

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May 10th, 2022

“Look at Me …”: The Problem with Clinical Documentation

Khalid A. Shalaby, MBBCh

It was a couple of months into my second year of internal medicine residency. One of my patients canceled a 4 pm appointment. The spot was immediately filled with an urgent visit by another patient in our clinic. I had been working on improving my efficiency in the clinical setting since the start of my […]

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May 4th, 2022

Insights from the AAFP Physician Health and Well-Being Conference

Mikita Arora, MD

Physician well-being has long been an issue in all medical fields, but especially in primary care — the concept of well-being is to heal the healers. Right now, this is especially important to those who have are burdened with burnout and the COVID-19 pandemic. A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to attend the […]

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April 26th, 2022

Enjoy the Journey – You Deserve It

Brandon Temte, DO

A few years back, I was a third-year medical student, exhausted on my general surgery rotation. I woke up at 4 am to the sound and smell of my coffee maker, muttering to myself, “only 1 week left.” I did not intend to become a surgeon, but I showed up early each day to get […]

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April 19th, 2022

Calling out Impostor Syndrome

Abdullah Al-abcha, MD

As chief resident, I have been in a position to observe and mentor students, interns, and residents. I have always believed in the importance of recognition and support in a workplace. On a recent encounter with an intern, as I was praising her for her work, she responded rather unexpectedly! She thanked me for recognizing […]

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April 13th, 2022

A Glimpse of Being an IMG

Khalid A. Shalaby, MBBCh

“God on high, Hear my prayer In my need, You have always been there He is young, He’s afraid Let him rest, Heaven blessed Bring him home” Jean Valjean praying for Marius in Les Misérables I was back in my childhood bedroom on the outskirts of Cairo when I first met our wonderful executive editor and my fellow chief […]

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April 5th, 2022

#MedTwitter: The Good, the Bad, and the Surprisingly Useful

Madiha Khan, DO

“Does this look professional enough for Twitter?” My co-resident holds up her phone to show me her newly minted Twitter profile. A picture of a distant, shadowy figure in sand, framed by a circular thumbnail, is her profile picture. Underneath this vague portrait is what could only be presumed to be her twitter handle: her initials […]

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May 17th, 2021

“Feel the Musicality”: How Do Surgeons Learn?

Vivek Sant, MD

My friends and I spent Thanksgiving 2018 attending surf school in Jacó, Costa Rica. We spent that week fully immersed in twice-daily surf sessions interspersed with conditioning, balance exercises, and of course, downtime to explore the town and rainforests of Jacó. Having been on a surfboard only a handful of times previously, this was a […]

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