When you’re told that you have COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease), this may cause a variety of reactions: Ignore or deny the news. Feel down or depressed. Be angry. Face the news head on and learn to advocate for yourself. Feel it’s your fault for having started smoking (if you ever had smoked). So, I’m … Read more

MABA – MAINTAIN BALANCE The fourth and final lesson that I shared in my June 2014 convocation speech is about maintaining balance between medicine and life. In a survey published in a 2012 issue of JAMA Internal Medicine, nearly one half of physicians who responded reported at least one symptom of burnout. Less than half … Read more

SUFA – SUCCESS vs. FAILURE There were new indications that the patient was improving. Then, an hour after my morning exam, his blood pressure dropped and his heart abruptly stopped. For an hour, we performed CPR and advanced cardiac life support (ACLS) — we ran the code – but his pulse and blood pressure never … Read more

Hello again. So far, we’ve learned the two lessons of ANEL – ANYTHING ELSE? and AVNI – AVOID NIHILISM. This week and the next, we discover what SUFA – SUCCESS vs. FAILURE means. SUFA – SUCCESS vs. FAILURE I remember my first experiences in the Medicine Intensive Care Unit (MICU) as both a fourth-year student … Read more

Hello.  This week, we pick up where we left off and finish learning what AVNI – AVOID NILISISM means. Isn’t it great to not take a formal test afterwards?! AVNI – AVOID NIHILISM … Yet I tried to keep my promise to not give up on these patients. Then something happened one rainy day in … Read more

Thank you for joining us again! Last week, we learned about ANEL – ANYTHING ELSE? This week, let’s discover what AVNI – AVOID NILISISM means… AVNI – AVOID NIHILISM Like many healthcare students, I began my clinical years of medical school with lofty ideas about I would help patients improve their lives. When I heard … Read more