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By Robert Harold Ablove, MD “If I am not for myself, who will be for me? If I am not for others, what am I? And if not now, when?” The above quote is from Hillel the elder, a second century Rabbi. It has largely informed my career. The purpose of my career has been […]
By James H. Calandruccio, MD Trust. JB makes me think about his examination room door jamb height and date marks at my clinic in room number 3. At his last office visit, JB, who was 17 years old and soon to be graduating from high school, wanted the final opinion on what could be done […]
By Margaret Woon Man Fok, MD Trust between a patient and a doctor can be very delicate. It can be broken by one unintentional clinical misjudgment. Once broken, it can take a long time to rebuild trust that patients have in their clinicians. Recently, I came across a case from one of my juniors: The patient […]
By Nick Iannuzzi, MD As surgeons, we are privileged. It may be possible to lose sight of our privilege during the daily toil of charting and calling for peer-to-peer authorizations; however, patients seek our help in periods of weakness and discomfort. They find us in their most vulnerable moments and ask us to cut them, to remove […]
By Nina Lightdale-Miric, MD During my general surgery internship, this concept was offered as dogma. The ability to be self-reliant was taught as critical of a skill as examining a patient or suturing. This perspective helped shape my understanding of personal accountability as the physician in the care of patients. Delegation was a risk as it […]
By Victoria R. Masear, MD It was a routine clinic at the University, ending at about 6 pm. There was a new hand fellow on my service. He had been with us 3 months, but this was his first day with me. I also had a new PA who had only previously done spine. I […]
By Amy L. Speeckaert, MD “Can you see the motor branch and be sure that you’re protecting it?” I asked my fellow as he held a rongeur in his hand, ready to excise fragments of a fractured hook of the hamate. “I need to sit where you’re sitting,” he said. Oh, man, I thought, I […]
By Martti Vastamäki, MD I have worked 50 years as a surgeon now. I received my orthopedic specialty in 1978 and graduated as a hand surgeon in 1980. My first two scientific publications were published in 1968. One dealt with the structure of mollusc collagen (Finland was that time one of the leading countries in […]
By John Elfar, MD In this era of large competing practices and electronic medical records, there are many patients who do not get the benefit of ever meeting a doctor. They are often surprised when I introduce myself as they are expecting to meet a mid-level provider. During training, I received sage advice from Dr. John […]
By Bea Grasu, MD My best clinical pearl is also what I value most about our profession – listening to our patients and building a rapport. It is essential to understand their stories and corroborate the information they provide with the physical exam. Removing the distance between the patient and physician is best done through time, conversation, […]