A Card For Father’s Day
One evening this week I was strolling the stationary aisle of my local grocery store looking for Father’s Day cards. The selection of cards was dizzying; a wealth of color and sparkle and sentiment. This card poked fun at a love of fishing, that one was grateful for patience and integrity, another one was affectionately […]
Traveling Year Round with a Family of Five
If there is such a thing as a travel bug, we have been bitten. I don’t know if this desire was passed on to me or created when my mother would take us on an adventure every other week when we lived in Jamaica. We would travel to the sites on the island and once […]
The Double Standard for Doctors
“Some reports have come in that you are unapproachable” “Excuse me” I said stone faced while my mind began racing and searching memory banks and files for any instance where I could have been accused of being rude, unapproachable, or unprofessional. No specifics were given but it was conveyed that there was a mass feeling […]
How to Get into Medical School With A Low GPA
I’m an orthopaedic surgeon…but if you told me I’d be here when I graduated from college, I’d be laughing at you! When I got started in college, I thought I was going to be a premed and apply to medical school. It was not a well-thought-out decision. I thought that this was what good Chinese-American […]
My Journey as Dr. Mom
MD vs Momma I always knew that I would be a mother. I grew up in a family that loves and dotes on babies. What I didn’t imagine was my journey as a mother would also include my desire to become a physician. I was able to complete medical school with a newborn who turned […]
Why I Chose to Be a Night Shift Doc
Just the other day, someone asked me how long I have been working night shifts in the Emergency Department. The question made me think about the amazing way in which time has flown by and that my stint doing the night shift has been for about 13 years. That is just a little more than […]
Finding a Community: Reflections From the 1st Women In White Coats Conference & Wellness Retreat
Community…tribe….collective…sisterhood… These were a few of the words —no— feelings which were echoed through the halls of Chateau Elan during the inaugural Women in White Coats Conference and Wellness Retreat. These feelings expressed the pervasive spirit of unity which flowed through the group of powerful women assembled. When I arrived, my cup was empty. Countless […]
Avoiding Day Zero
“Our teacher says we are destroying the planet. It’s so bad we may not be able to breathe the air and it will be super hot in the future.” On a typical day as we leave the carpool line I always enjoy conversation with my kids. The topics span current events, politics, fun historical facts, […]
Mommy Doc vs Woman Doc
Sometimes it takes looking at your life through someone else’s eyes to be truly grateful for what you have. I had a chance encounter the other day at the Honda Dealership, while waiting for an oil change. My 15 month-old son and I were sitting next to an older Caucasian woman. She was talking to […]
What Does It Really Mean To Be A Physician?
Phy·si·cian /fəˈziSHən noun: a person qualified to practice medicine. a person who cures moral or spiritual ills; a healer. This week is National Physicians’ Week, with March 30th being designated as a day to recognize and celebrate us as a profession. However, in this current environment we may not feel appreciated, in fact, it may […]
