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Category: May 2021

We asked members to share a lesson they’ve learned from a patient. Whether it was a book recommendation that influenced our lives or a child exhibiting profound strength, it is clear that hand surgery patients can be quite the educators as well.

Resilience

By Rodrigo F. Bolaños G., MD The ability to be happy after something bad or difficult has happened, the ability to return quickly to its usual shape after being pressed, the ability to improve quickly after being hurt, or the ability to return quickly to a previous good condition after problems, are the various definitions […]

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Hand Essay: Partners in Crime

By Richard A. Brown, MD Covid 19 has brought into clear focus so many issues of importance. The pandemic has forced each of us to recalibrate and reprioritize. What is it that I miss? Relationships. To me Zoom is, at best, a poor substitute for face-to-face human interaction. There is so much to be learned and enjoyed from each other. […]

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The (Re)Birth of a Hand Surgeon

By Sandra Buchman Collins, MD I love my job as a hand surgeon. I can think of no better way to spend my medical career. As anyone who has made the journey from student to practicing surgeon knows, however, there is a price we all pay. Long hours and nights in hospital during training are followed by […]

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True Grit

By Shawn Diamond, MD I discovered “true grit” in of all places a five-year-old from the Chihuahua desert. I started practice this year in Paso del Norte, a region comprising sister-cities of El Paso, Texas and Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. When driving East on I-10 toward downtown El Paso, the Rio Grande reflects a border wall, […]

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Putting Others First

By James R. Fowler, MD, FACS It is a privilege to write for perspectives in hand surgery to share a lesson I have learned from a patient. I suspect all of us have learned lessons from our patients over the years. My memory is of “Gary,” a cerebral palsy patient in his early twenties. He […]

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The Thorn On My Side

By James R. McClurg, MD, FAAOS I knew early on during my orthopedic training that I was going to pursue fellowship training in hand surgery. One of my attendings was a member of the ASSH and would constantly talk with pride about his membership. It was clear to me that membership in the ASSH was […]

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Start with “WHY”

By Amar Arun Patel, MD Most surgeons become surgeons to do surgery. Plain and simple. We would much rather be in the operating room than the office. But some of the best learning comes when we take a few more minutes to talk to our patients on those busy office days. It was another Wednesday […]

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