Doc McStuffins and Diversity in Medicine
When I was a young girl I loved reading Berenstein Bear books with my parents before bedtime. The beautiful illustrations, the stories, always entertained me. I imagined that sister bear was one of my friends; she reminded me of any of the young girls that were in elementary school with me at that time. What […]
Baby Code Blue: I am Yours, Forever
There you are in your father’s arms. He is practically running to keep up with the triage nurse. The nurse is walking quickly toward the room that we leave open for true emergencies and the sickest patients. Your father’s eyes are full of fear, and the nurse’s tone is worrisome. I look down at you […]
I’m Not a Super Mom; I Have a Stay-At-Home Husband
Neonatology Whispered To Me
Neonatology first whispered to me when I was 8 years old, in 1985. The guest speaker at one of my Girl Scout meetings was a pediatrician. I was mesmerized by both the stories she told us about her job taking care of kids and also by the fact that she was a female doctor. Up […]
Vampires Among Us…in the ER
It all started out seeming like a pretty routine visit. My patient was in her early 30’s and had come into the emergency department for weakness, but was in no distress. As I was talking with her about her symptoms she would flash the occasional smile. It was then that I noticed that she had […]
When Will Women Become the Physician Stereotype?
If I had a penny for every time somebody asked me to get them pillows or empty out their bedpan, I would be a rich woman. It is not that I find these things beneath me, I would happily fluff my patients’ pillows or clean out their urinal. What bothers me is the stereotyping that […]
Every Med Student is a Harry Potter
As luck would have it, I flew (figuratively speaking, of course) down the highway to work this afternoon while listening to the sweeping saga of Harry Potter. As you may know, not unlike the medical students we teach, no student enters the hallowed halls of Hogwarts without a gift. All possess the potential to master […]
Slow Cooker to the Rescue: Katie Bean Soup
The worst time of day to make dinner is dinner time. It’s the witching hour, that horrible stretch between 5:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. You’re hungry, you’ve probably just dragged yourself home from an exhausting (if hopefully rewarding) day at work and maybe your choice of the dreamy nude pumps you put on that […]
Finding Peace Despite Residency Challenges
I’m from New York City; a cultural melting pot, better known as the city that never sleeps. I made many fond memories growing up there. Double dutch on the sidewalks as a kid, free summer concerts and street fairs, not to mention tons of great food from all over the world just a subway ride […]
When the Doctor Becomes the Breast Cancer Patient
Prior to my breast cancer diagnosis, when I thought about the doctor-patient relationship I only considered it in the context of my interactions with my own patients. Beyond that, I never really considered myself to be a “patient” or the co-existence of the two titles in my life. I saw my own doctors for annual […]
