August 28th, 2010 by KerriSparling in Better Health Network, Health Tips, Humor, Opinion, True Stories
Tags: Carbohydrates, Counting Carbs, Diabetes Diet, Diabetes Management, Diabetes Tools, Dietetics, Endocrinology, Food and Nutrition, Good Food Choices, High-Carb Foods, Imbalanced Food Selections, Precision Carb Guessing, Six Until Me
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I keep measuring cups in my purse so that I can measure out my dinners out to be exact. I keep a small food scale in the glove compartment of my car so I am never guessing how many ounces a certain item might be. And I have the Calorie King booklet in my pocket at all times, so that I’m never left guessing. I even sewed pockets into all my clothes, just to bring the booklet around.
(The previous paragraph is filled with lies. Big, fat ones.)
I wish I was a precision carb counter. I wish I had the patience for it, always either eating pre-packaged and factory-analyzed foods or spending my time carefully measuring and weighing any home cooked adventures. But I am not a precision carb counter. I’m a precision carb guesser. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Six Until Me.*
August 25th, 2010 by BobDoherty in Better Health Network, Opinion, True Stories
Tags: ACP Advocate, American College Of Physicians, Becoming A Doctor, Cynical Time, Doctor's Feelings, Doctor's Point of View, Dr. Don Berwick, Family Medicine, Future Physicians, General Medicine, Humanism, Internal Medicine, Medical Profession, Medical Student, Message to Physician Colleagues, New Generation of Doctors, Physician Behavior, Physician Outlook, Physician Value, Primary Care, Profession of High Calling, Profession of Nobility, Profession of Selflessness, The Gift of Being a Doctor, Voice of Idealism, What Does The Title Doctor Mean, What It Means To Be A Doctor
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I’m going to do something unusual: Reprint in its entirety a commentary from a fourth-year medical student, Jonathan. He posted it in response to comments from other readers to my blog about Dr. Berwick’s commencement address to his daughter’s medical school class.
I tweeted about Jonathan’s post, calling it a needed voice of idealism at a cynical time. This is what Jonathan had to say to his physician colleagues:
“To begin, I am a fourth-year medical student going into primary care and this directly applies to me. We have two options when reading [Dr. Berwick’s] address. We can take, in my opinion, the weak road or the strong road. Our new generation, as well as the one that raised us, is one of apathy and selfishness. We are only concerned about how changes affect us. We have lost the sacrifice and the consideration of our patients and fellow staff. This address, no matter how hard your heart may be, springs up a humanism in you that is undeniable. You can choose to brush it off and make excuses about policies and money, or you can stand up and be the physician that is described. I agree that there are a lot of issues in medicine today (billing, paperwork, bureaucracy to name only a few). However, if those issues render you cold and uncaring, my friend, I strongly suggest you find another profession. This profession is one of nobility. It is one of selfLESSness. This is a high calling. A good book states, ‘To whom much has been given; much will be expected.’ Well, if you are a physician, much has been given to you. What are you going to do with it?”
Today’s question: How would you answer Jonathan?
*This blog post was originally published at The ACP Advocate Blog by Bob Doherty*
August 25th, 2010 by DrRob in Better Health Network, Health Policy, Opinion, True Stories
Tags: Doctor-Patient Communication, E-Consults, E-Visits With Patients, Electronic Medical Records, Emailing With Patients, EMR, General Medicine, Interacting With Patients Online, Internet-Based Medicine, Internet-Based Treatment, Luddism, Meaningful Use, Medicine and Healthcare Online, Primary Care
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My recent post on the subject of email from patients raised more eyebrows than I expected. It also put me in a position I’m unfamiliar with: Looking like a luddite.
Perhaps I’m not forward-thinking enough in my reluctance to embrace this advance. Perhaps I’ve gotten conservative as I’ve grown grey. Electronic communication is a great idea (I’m doing it right now), so why not apply it to my medical practice? Has Ned Lud gotten into my circle of influence?
This is, of course, extremely ironic. I lived so much on the cutting edge that my butt developed calluses. The calluses, however, were not just put there by the edge, they also came from occasional kicking.
The problem is I have an addiction: I’m addicted to change. I’m constantly looking for new and perhaps better ways to do things, then impatiently going after anything new and shiny. This served us well in the sense that I got us on EMR, got it working well, and have continued to keep us away from repeating mistakes too often. If something doesn’t work, I’m quick to look for the cause, and more importantly, how to fix it. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Musings of a Distractible Mind*
August 24th, 2010 by Emergiblog in Better Health Network, Humor, Medblogger Shout Outs, Opinion, True Stories
Tags: Best of Nursing, Change Of Shift, Clinical Nursing, Difficult Nursing Moments, Emergiblog, Kim McAllister, Nurses Who Blog, Nursing Blogs, Nursing Care, Nursing Profession, Stories of Nursing Success
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Welcome to Change of Shift!
We have some old friends and some new additions. Our submissions cover the best of nursing and the most difficult moments. Some share successes, others could use some collegial support.
So grab a latte, put your feet up, and enjoy…
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Change of Shift: Volume 5, Number 4
I love adding nursing blogs to my blogroll! This week, thanks to his CoS submission, I’ve found Stephen at A Nurse Practitioner’s View, where he presents Team Work. When it comes to patient care, check our egos at the door.
Some teams we chose and some we’re born into, as noted in this heart-warming story from Keith at Digital Doorway, We’re All in This Together.
Nurses are expected to be super-humanly objective and non-judgmental. As this honest post from Nurse Me shows, there are limits, and don’t forget to Always Look Behind the Curtain First. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Emergiblog*
August 22nd, 2010 by Happy Hospitalist in Better Health Network, Humor, Opinion, True Stories
Tags: Alcohol Use, Doctor's Lifestyle, Doctors Who Drink, Doctors' Behavior, Drinking Behavior, General Medicine, Heavy-Drinking Peers, Medical School Reunion, Medical Students, Social Drinking
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I just had my ten-year medical school reunion. It’s hard for me to imagine it’s been ten years since my last medical school class. It’s been fourteen years since that first week of gross anatomy. That class was so hard, I almost dropped out of medical school after one week.
A bunch of us local docs from my medical school class of 2000 rode to academic mecca in a stretch limo. What did I learn from my experience at my ten-year medical school reunion? Other than forgetting a few names:
- When I was in medical school, lots of medical students, on occasion, would drink heavily. I learned ten years later some doctors, on occasion, still drink heavily and get drunk.
- When I was in medical school, lots of medical students smoked cigarettes. I learned ten years later some doctors, on occasion, still smoke (but only when they’re drinking). Apparently.
- When I was in medical school, some students were really funny. I learned ten years later some doctors, on occasion, are still really funny, even when they aren’t drunk.
- When I was in medical school, some students were really smart. I learned ten years later some doctors, on occasion, are still really smart. Most of us others have been dumbed down with years of practice.
It was fun to learn about what my colleagues have been doing. Ten years later the cellphones are a bit fancier, everyone’s talking about their Facebook page, and I’m completely content sitting on the couch with Mrs. Happy watching everyone else get drunk like it was yesterday.
*This blog post was originally published at The Happy Hospitalist*
