Medical school, residency and specialty fellowship cannot prepare physicians for every eventuality. Many important skills must be acquired on the job. And, of course, physicians need to remain current with respect to cognitive and procedural advancements. Here are just few critical subjects that I was not prepared for when I entered the healing profession. What happened to my phone medicine lectures? Phone medicine. Treating a patient with abdominal pain at night on the phone requires different skills than when the patient is in my exam room. And, te phone call may be the first time I have ever spoken to this patient. Breaking bad news to patients and their families. Wouldn’t you think that we would have received training for such a critical skill? Nutrition. Patients are understandably amazed at my paucity of nutritional knowledge. I suspect that most gastroenterologists can make the same claim. Wouldn't you think that nutrition science would be part of a
MD Whistleblower presents vignettes and commentaries on the medical profession. We peek 'behind the medical curtain' and deliver candor and controversy in every post.