I spoke to a group of academic physicians recently. Afterward I was and asked, “Shouldn’t my hospital be responsible for my online reputation? I don’t have time to look after that sort of thing. And wouldn’t it make sense for them to promote my research?” 4 thoughts on online reputation: 1. The management of academic physician's online reputation should be an ... Continue Reading about A Doctor’s Online Reputation is Not a Hospital’s Responsibility
The Stethoscope’s Quiet Eclipse
My concerns about the stethoscope’s future began at lunch recently among a group of doctors where it was suggested that the revered icon had evolved as an ornament of clinical medicine – an iconic relic of medicine’s past. Others around the table held firmly to the idea of the stethoscope as a critical diagnostic tool. The contrast was striking. The more I looked ... Continue Reading about The Stethoscope’s Quiet Eclipse
The Buzzing Pager
It's funny what we remember. For example, as a 3rd year medical student rotating in surgery I remember clearly sitting in my attending's office at Worcester Memorial Hospital. He was a vascular surgeon. I don't remember his name. On this particular day I had followed him to his office after rounds. He had just received his new pager and placed a call to whomever had ... Continue Reading about The Buzzing Pager
Think Much; Publish Little – A Call For Education Reform
Lately I’ve been reading about medical education reform. I found this quote from Abraham Flexner, “Think much; publish little.” Ironic given that this is the man who’s early 20th century disruption of medical education spawned modern academic medicine and its adopted credo, “publish or perish.” It seems the idea of publishing less never took hold in the system he ... Continue Reading about Think Much; Publish Little – A Call For Education Reform
Typing as a Critical Physician Skill
I always loved to type. It started in high school with typing class. We were told that typing was critical for college term papers. I liked it so much that I took advanced typing. It was myself and 12 girls with Farrah Fawcett hair. Heaven. Fast forward to 2011. My interface with the medical record is my fingers. Most of my communication flows through my ... Continue Reading about Typing as a Critical Physician Skill
Cut and Paste Medicine
I saw it begin to happen in the '90's. Residents came to rounds with their daily notes produced on a word processor. The notes were impressive. Legible, lengthy and meticulously detailed at first glance. Then I started to notice a pattern. The impressive notes began to look very much alike. The thorough exam varied little from patient to patient. And ... Continue Reading about Cut and Paste Medicine