Memorial Day 2018

I never served in the military. My father served for 39 months during World War II, but was never in harm's way. He was in the navy, stationed in California. Had President Truman not ended the war in Auguts 1945, I think it is likely that he would have been sent to join in an invasion of Japan.

Because I have not served, and no one in my close circle is in the military, it is difficult for me to grasp the full depth and meaning of Memorial Day - a day that the nation honors and remembers its sons and daughters who have served, been wounded and have fallen.

Arlington National Cemetary

I try to connect with the experience as best as I can. I watch, I read and I listen. I recently watched Ken Burn's monumental documentary, The Vietnam War, trying to absorb its lessons. But, I realize that I am still a spectator who will never comprehend the experience as the actual participants and their loved ones appreciate.

I have been honored to have served many men in The Greatest Generation. One man fought in the Battle of the Bulge, one was wounded on Iwo Jima and another was in Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941.

While we can never fully repay the debt that we owe to our veterans and to those in active service today - nor do they ask for this - we can pause together to remember and honor them all.

Comments

When Should Doctors Retire?

I am asked with some regularity whether I am aiming to retire in the near term. Years ago, I never received such inquiries. Why now? Might it be because my coiffure and goatee – although finely-manicured – has long entered the gray area? Could it be because many other even younger physicians have given up their stethoscopes for lives of leisure? (Hopefully, my inquiring patients are not suspecting me of professional performance lapses!) Interestingly, a nurse in my office recently approached me and asked me sotto voce that she heard I was retiring. “Interesting,” I remarked. Since I was unaware of this retirement news, I asked her when would be my last day at work. I have no idea where this erroneous rumor originated from. I requested that my nurse-friend contact her flawed intel source and set him or her straight. Retirement might seem tempting to me as I have so many other interests. Indeed, reading and ...

The VIP Syndrome Threatens Doctors' Health

Over the years, I have treated various medical professionals from physicians to nurses to veterinarians to optometrists and to occasional medical residents in training. Are these folks different from other patients? Are there specific challenges treating folks who have a deep knowledge of the medical profession? Are their unique risks to be wary of when the patient is a medical professional? First, it’s still a running joke in the profession that if a medical student develops an ordinary symptom, then he worries that he has a horrible disease. This is because the student’s experience in the hospital and the required reading are predominantly devoted to serious illnesses. So, if the student develops some constipation, for example, he may fear that he has a bowel blockage, similar to one of his patients on the ward.. More experienced medical professionals may also bring above average anxiety to the office visit. Physicians, after all, are members of...

Inpatient vs Outpatient Care;: Can Doctors Do Both?

Five years ago, I left hospital wards and emergency rooms behind and entered a new & improved medical practice model, at least for me. Since then, I only see patients for office consultations and procedures. Office medicine is a very different trade than hospital practice each having very distinct skill sets. If I were to return to the hospital now to see patients, it would be uncomfortable for me (and them) having not used these skills for years. Similarly, hospital-based doctors might find transitioning to an office practice to be clumsy and uncomfortable. While it might seem that a gastroenterologist or any medical specialist should be able to see patients in any location, this is not the case for most of us. Hospital medical issues are quite different from office medical complaints. Physicians, as in so many other occupations, need repetition in order to maintain high competency levels. There’s a reason, for example, that airline pi...

MD Whistleblower

Search This Blog