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 […]
December 31st, 2020
What Time Is It?
Sneha Shah, MD
How many minutes have you given yourself to read this post? There was a time when none of us could tell time. Imagine not knowing what the ever-moving hands of a clock are trying to reveal. My memories skew, but in that era before I could tell time, all I remember is laughter, effervescence, and […]
August 19th, 2020
Residency Reflections from an Intern Gardener
Stephanie Braunthal, DO
Starting Our Garden Last year, my boyfriend asked if I wanted to join a community garden. As he handed me the paperwork, he said he would be the “primary,” I would be listed as a “helper,” and for only $10, we could grow our own vegetables. Distracted by whichever rotation I was on, I agreed […]
September 25th, 2018
Medicine-Induced Metabolic Syndrome
Justin Davis, MBBS
I run a clinic a couple of times a week as part of my nephrology training here at Barwon Health. I love my clinic. In addition to enjoying the longitudinal follow-up of patients and the relationships you build with them (one of the quintessential things that drew me toward physician training, and nephrology in particular), […]
September 19th, 2018
I Was Nearly Kicked Out of the Cafeteria
Scott Hippe, MD
The nature of the crime? Bringing my reusable food container down for meals. I just wanted to avoid the Styrofoam plates and plastic silverware, but the lunch ladies were convinced I was asking for two portions’ worth of side dishes and then only paying for one. I wasn’t, although I admit to once sprinkling cheese from the salad […]
October 6th, 2017
We All Give Up Something
Cassie Shaw, MD
We all give up something, usually many somethings, to become doctors. It all starts with medical school where we spend hours listening to lectures, studying books, reviewing slides and reading notes. It continues into residency where we have little control over our schedules, working weekends and holidays; cherishing each of our 4 days off per […]
June 27th, 2017
Four-Oh-Wonk. The Reboot.
April Edwards, MD
At the beginning of the year, I wrote about the rude awakening I was experiencing with regard to my own finances. I heard from more than a few other imminent or recent resident graduates who expressed some degree of similar feelings of being inadequately prepared in the financial realm. At the risk of being incredibly rudimentary, I […]
July 15th, 2016
What Is Resilience?
Jamie Riches, DO
NEJM Journal Watch is happy to welcome a new panel of Chief Resident bloggers for the 2016-2017 academic year. Here’s a sample of what our new bloggers will be discussing, starting on August 1! “Resilience” is defined as the capability of a strained body to recover its size and shape after deformation caused especially by compressive stress. […]
September 25th, 2015
More Work Hours, More Strokes?
Andrew Ip, MD
Do doctors work too much? Residents would probably say “Yes! I’m burnt out,” and supplement it with some form of “I’d much rather work less.” Outside of residency, the answer may be a mix of yes, no, and maybe. Recently, Lancet published a meta-analysis on work hours and its effect on incident coronary disease and stroke. The study showed that […]
December 11th, 2013
Making Value-Based Decisions About Ordering Tests
Paul Bergl, M.D.
As Dr. David Green reported this week in NEJM Journal Watch, the American Society of Hematology is the latest society to comment on appropriate and cost-conscious care in the ABIM Choosing Wisely campaign. I’ve followed the Choosing Wisely campaign closely and have been using it on the wards and in clinic as academic ammunition. A specialist society’s […]