medicine

The Flame-Broiled Doctor: Book Review

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Flame-Broiled Doc

Physician burnout is something of a hot topic nowadays. I say that not to belittle it—it is a major problem that needs to be discussed—but rather to make the point that it sometimes seems that the conversation is so broad and spans so much that there is nothing new to add to it. It can be difficult, among all of the thinkpieces, podcasts, and blog posts, to find anything about physician burnout that hasn’t already been said before. I am happy to report that Franklin Warsh’s The Flame-Broiled Doctor brings to the table a fresh perspective that adds nuance to this timely topic.

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Your Research Can Change Medicine: Interview with Dr. Jeffrey Drazen, Editor-in-Chief, NEJM

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Jeffrey drazen

Medical journalists and researchers have a responsibility to perform meaningful, reproducible research to guide the direction and practice of medicine, both now and in the future. As upcoming researchers and practitioners, your work could have a significant impact on future medical practice. In this video, Nirmal Gosalia of DocThoughts discusses the future of research and medical journals with Dr. Jeffrey Drazen, Editor-in-Chief of the New England Journal of Medicine.

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What’s Causing This Persistent Cough?

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A 75-year-old female presents with a two-year history of a persistent cough and fatigue. The cough is occasionally productive of purulent sputum. She was treated for a community-acquired pneumonia two years earlier and underwent an anterior cervical discectomy and fusion previously, but is otherwise well. On examination, she appears well-groomed, polite, and thin. Chest auscultation reveals wheezing in the mid zones bilaterally and a later chest X-ray and CT scan demonstrate the findings seen here.

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Medical Practice Settings: A Quick Guide for Young Physicians

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practice settings

For a physician about to finish residency or fellowship, the differences in practice types may seem unclear. Each type of practice has its own positives and negatives, and some may be a better fit for your career needs.

If you are starting your job search, or at least thinking about your future practice options, you should be weighing the pros and cons of each practice type. Keep reading to see the upsides and downsides of each and how they differ from a residency or fellowship training environment.

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What To Expect: Intern Year

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Medical Spouse

You’ve likely heard the rumors about the dreaded Intern Year. It’s the worst of the worst. Say goodbye to your partner and hello to lonely days and nights. But are the rumors really true? And if they are, what can you do about it?

I remember when my husband was a few months into MS3, and we were feeling the med school blues. Third year was particularly challenging for my family, so I already felt like my life and relationship were struggling. One day, I happened to attend a “Baby and Me” yoga class with my nine-month old, and the mom sitting next to me started a conversation by asking me what my husband did. I replied “he’s in medical school,” and she just laughed and shook her head. She replied, “My husband is an intern. I wish someone had told me how horrible it was going to be. If you think it’s bad now, just wait. It gets so much worse.”

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What’s causing this teenager’s vision loss?

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A 14-year-old boy is brought to the pediatrician by his mother over concerns of difficulty walking and worsening clumsiness. He reports a gradual loss of night vision, and a long history of chronic diarrhea which is pale and foul-smelling. Examination reveals an ataxic gait, and loss of deep tendon reflexes. Bilateral retinitis pigmentosa is noted on fundoscopy and a peripheral blood smear reveals the findings seen here. Which additional laboratory finding is most likely?

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Q&A with Dr. Harris Eyre, Psychiatry Trainee, Pharmacogeneticist

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Harris eyre

By Gloria Onwneme, Medical Student, University of Nottingham, UK

Dr. Harris Eyre, MD, PhD, Fulbright Scholar (WG Walker) is a psychiatry trainee, and Chief Medical Officer and Co-Founder of CNSDose, a company which has developed and deployed a world-leading genetic test to aid the antidepressant selection process for primary care physicians, psychiatrists, and people with depression. He is also an executive-in-residence at the Texas Medical Center in Houston, the world’s largest medical complex.

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