When most of us were pre-med students, we were incredibly motivated to succeed. We aggressively, and single-mindedly, pursued our objective of becoming physicians. We allowed nothing, and I do mean nothing, to stand in our way. Regardless of socioeconomic status, gender, religion, citizenship, race, etc., we all shared a commonality….we were driven to achieve an…
In the early 1900s, the American Medical Association(AMA) formed the Council on Medical Education(CME) to restructure medical education. Why? Because it was a hodgepodge of inconsistency. The AMA wanted better doctors, better medical education, and better quality of care. Why? Because it was necessary to ensure the safety and care of the public. The CME,…
col·lab·o·ra·tion /kəˌlabəˈrāSH(ə)n/ noun The action of working with someone to produce or create something.“he wrote on art and architecture in collaboration with John Betjeman” cooperation alliance partnership participation combination association concert teamwork joint effort working together coopetition OR Traitorous cooperation with an enemy.“he faces charges of collaboration” fraternizing fraternization colluding collusion cooperating cooperation consorting sympathizing…
On January 28, 1986, the Challenger air shuttle disaster occurred. The shuttle broke apart 73 seconds after takeoff. The cause: a flaw in the design of the O-ring seals on the solid rocket boosters which were not designed to withstand very cold temperatures. This flaw was previously known by managers at NASA (since 1977) but…
Earlier this year I was reading an article entitled, “The Death of Expertise”(https://thefederalist.com/2014/01/17/the-death-of-expertise/?fbclid=IwAR0PTqplHQQSRifprtAOjY7u9dDYyTGyKFBGcaBwTwbQNF_PlxamhF8RVZs). It was a brilliantly written piece of work expounding on the current cultural phenomenon of individuals possessing a particular aptitude for a particular skill or specialty being challenged by those who have no proficiency in said skills. The fact that the demand…
I’m irked. While minding my own business perusing the net, I happened across a post on Twitter complimenting RNs and all the hard work they do. Nice post….I thought. It’s not that I didn’t agree with the sentiment, I completely supported it. I don’t believe RNs get enough recognition or appreciation for the hard work…
I’m writing this letter because I give a damn. About my patients. Since August of 2017, I have been a member of a patient/physician advocacy group, Physicians for Patient Protection(PPP). We formed in March 2016 out of concern for the number of patients we were seeing who had been grossly mismanaged by non-physician practitioners(NPPs) practicing…
THE PARADIGM SHIFT: ONE DOCTOR’S VIEWPOINT Many of us who have practiced for years are well aware of the value nurse practitioners(NPs) and physician assistants(PAs) have brought to the medical team. There was a time when there was a mutual respect amongst all within that physician-led health care team. Every role was well-defined and each…
It has been nearly 24 years since I began practicing medicine. Since that time, I have been witness to changes that represent the complete antithesis of what medicine should be. Our society thinks it is progress. I beg to differ. The desensitization of medicine has been a laborious, insidious, gradual process that was intentional, born…
It has become so easy to blame physicians for all the wrongs that are occurring in health care. And it is unfair. So let me clarify some things. Medical school and residency taught us how to care for the human body and all of its requisite ills. It did not prepare us for the onslaught…