August 19th, 2022
Developing Resident Educators
Brandon Temte, DO
We currently find ourselves at the start of another academic year. By this time in August, many medical trainees are settling into new roles. Recently graduated medical students are getting used to hearing Dr. before their name. New senior residents who were interns a short time ago now find themselves leaders of their own teams. […]
August 12th, 2022
Beginnings
Abdullah Al-abcha, MD
The Beginning of Fellowship I was driving from Lansing, Michigan to Rochester, Minnesota and the view of green mountains overlooking the lake was so breathtaking it made me forget the hard work of packing my entire apartment away to begin again, elsewhere. It was something I had never seen before. I was eager to see […]
August 4th, 2022
Uncertainty in Medicine — The “July Effect” and Beyond
Khalid A. Shalaby, MBBCh
When I first started residency, I was uncertain and hesitant with most of my clinical decisions. As medical students, we gain considerable knowledge through our medical school curriculum. But gaining knowledge and applying it to practice are two different sets of skills. Because I followed medical school graduation by a hiatus doing bench research, I […]
July 12th, 2022
Training Alongside the Drug Epidemic
Brandon Temte, DO
The drug epidemic in America continues to worsen. In 2021, the CDC reported a historic high in overdose-related deaths of 107,622. This number is up 15% from 2020 and 100% from 2015 [1]. In Oregon, where I completed my residency training, substance abuse is still a significant concern. Opioid deaths in Oregon rose 40% last […]
June 16th, 2022
Dear Chief Year …
Madiha Khan, DO
If you ask anyone on Reddit or SDN (Student Doctor Network) about pursuing Chiefdom in residency, you’ll find numerous opinions about it being an undertaking not worth the burden of additional responsibilities, even if it is considered an honor. I was also advised gently — and accurately, in my opinion — by mentors that focusing […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]