Eric W.’s Post

It was not the weekend I expected moving my daughter into college. She sadly developed some very concerning symptoms, which I agreed needed emergency evaluation. When we got to the ER, she was asked her pronouns and her mental health status but nobody bothered to ask about her past medical/surgical history or current meds. Not the nurse (3 different RNs during the course of the day) Not the doctor (MD, who wanted to order many tests including lumbar puncture and CT scans exposing her to unnecessary radiation), Noone from start to discharge. Luckily, I was able to put my hippocratic oath abiding neurologist hat on and advocate for her needs as an individual human being - not some hospital algorithm used for allcomers. I explained why none of that very expensive work up was necessary given empiric treatment of the most obvious explanation (based on initial labs) was already showing signs of significant improvement. We sat all day in disbelief at how horrible "Healthcare" has become since I completed my training in Medicine 15 years ago. At a world renowned academic medical institution, I certainly expected better. No wonder so many are needlessly harmed and bankrupted as soon as they need to enter today's medical industrial complex. I used to think it was all about profits and the corporatization of my once sacred profession (especially after the ACA got passed), but now I realize it's much worse than that. We are producing inept physicians who stereotype patients based on immutable characteristics, and worst of all, they are apparently taught to do this in medical school. Patients Beware! https://lnkd.in/gyCt6q43

#ICYMI: Center for Empathy and Technology seed grant awardee Dr. Matthew Herbert and his research team recently published findings from their study "A New mHealth Tool to Evaluate Changes over Time in Empathy and Compassion" in the Journal of Clinical #Psychology in Medical Settings. This project measured the impacts of empathy and compassion training within UC San Diego School of Medicine (#UCSDSOM). In doing so, it examined a micro-ecological momentary assessment (or, micro-EMA) approach for measuring the temporal dynamics of compassion in medical students during the #COVID19 pandemic. Medical students completed demographic information and self-report questionnaires assessing empathy and compassion for self and others. The results suggest it is feasible to use micro-EMA to assess daily levels of compassion among students. Additionally, there was wide variability in day-to-day fluctuations in compassion levels among medical students, with some showing substantial increases in daily compassion across the training year and others showing decreases. Learn more about this study at the jump ➡️ https://lnkd.in/gGP8QC8f

#SundayReads: “Compassionate care lies at the foundation of good patient care and is a quality that patients and providers continue to value in the fast-paced setting of contemporary medicine. Compassion is often discussed superficially in medical school curricula, but the practical aspect of learning this skill is often not taught using a formal framework. In the present work, the authors present an 8-session curriculum with a mindfulness-based approach to compassion that addresses this need. It is hypothesized that students in this curriculum will improve in their levels of compassion based on validated scales.” Read the research in BMC Medical Education (Springer Nature Group) by Krisha Mehta, Shafkat Salam, MD, MA, Austin Hake, Rebecca Jennings, Afra Rahman & Stephen G. Post: https://lnkd.in/enf2QTak. #SelfCareSunday #compassionateleadership #compassionatehealthcare #compassionmatters #compassioninsideout #compassionateworkplace          

I frequently write about the critical need for increased investment in primary care, which will help us build our primary care workforce and recruit the best and brightest in medicine to choose primary care specialties. Building a robust primary care workforce requires us to think comprehensively about the issues that have led us to where we are today - loss of autonomy, insufficient investment/payment, administrative burden, and a lack of focus on the value of comprehensive primary care. Another issues that needs greater attention is the role of medical schools in creating a pro primary care culture. This morning, I came across an op-ed written by a fourth-year family medicine student that reminded me of just how bright the future of family medicine is. Medical student Danielle Gabuzda wrote eloquently about the need to address medical school cultures, to bolster primary care experience in medical schools, and to invest in primary care. These are big challenges. Thankfully, there are people like the future Dr. Gabuzda entering primary care who are committed to identifying and addressing shortcomings so that we can make primary care for all a reality.

Forget about learning how to formulate a differential diagnosis or comprehensive treatment plan for these future "doctors" - just like we saw in Nazi Germany, physicians in the US today are no longer prioritizing learning to become healers, rather they must denounce medical ethical principles, which prioritize the sanctity of individual human life, and instead they must pledge alegience to racist dogma, dutifuly embrace critical social ideology and by all means necessary, justify the desecration of the hippocratic oath to dehumanize the patient for the sake of their "progressive" collective goals. ... "Stanford Medical School sprinkles lessons on "microaggressions," "structural racism," and "privilege" throughout its curriculum. Residents at Yale Medical School must complete an "Advocacy and Equity" sequence focused on "becoming physician advocates for health justice," while those in the infectious disease program must complete additional lessons on "Diversity, Equity, and Antiracism." Columbia Medical School promotes an "Anti-bias and Inclusive" curriculum by encouraging educators to use "precise, accurate language." Instead of "women," guidelines for the curriculum state, faculty should refer to "people with uteruses." https://lnkd.in/gxstNgJq

Following a once in 300 year event in our lives, and no apocalypse for those who thought that way, I am struck by the things in our everyday lives we don't pay attention to. Physician workforce shortages in the US have been building for decades especially in rural areas like where I live. But the recent data are stunning, as a local doc point out to me A national survey conducted from from 2019 to 2021, showed only 9.4% of internal medicine residents planned to pursue a career in general internal medicine. This is down from 19.9% in 2011 and 25% in 2004. Elsevier Health's survey of some 2200 medical students revealed that 25% of U.S. medical students are considering quitting their studies, and 63% see their current education as a steppingstone to medicine that does not involve direct patient care. Read the this piece from the American College of Physicians and think about it. https://lnkd.in/e2N-u5zX

Test grades and effort are important for medical students, but they also need to be ready to practice the basics of clinical medicine as they transition to residency. This is an interesting read on how the transition from medical school to residency could be improved by communicating student strengths and weaknesses in specialty-specific areas. #MedicalResidency #MedicalStudents #MedicalSchool #Healthcare

Earlier in the week, The Bronx Times reported on the Associated Medical Schools of New York (AMSNY) press conference celebrating $4.89 million in funding to the state’s Diversity in Medicine programs with Dr. Yaron Tomer, dean of Albert Einstein College of Medicine, and State Health Commissioner James McDonald on July 17, 2024. Here are the key points from the page: Funding Announcement: The New York State Department of Health awarded $4.89 million to 18 Diversity in Medicine programs, including the Bronx Community Health Leaders Program at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Program Impact: The funding will support 950 students and provide full-tuition scholarships to 23 students, aiming to improve diversity in the medical field. Diversity Benefits: A diverse medical workforce enhances innovation, creativity, and problem-solving, and improves patient-provider relationships and health outcomes. Community Impact: The program helps elevate families and communities, contributing to a healthier Bronx and New York. https://lnkd.in/eg5bNhgP

In our most recent paper with Wesley J Marrero, Karen Blackmon, PhD, ABPP-CN, Abigail Konopasky, and Matthew Duncan, we introduce a Precision Well-Being framework for medical students. https://lnkd.in/eRub3KsM Focusing solely on the negative side of mental health and well-being in medical trainees disregards the importance of individual flourishing and thriving as part of a career in medicine. By integrating measures from mental health and positive psychology into a unified quantitative framework, this approach classifies individual medical students into distinct and meaningful well-being phenotypes based on their holistic mental health. Unsupervised machine learning techniques commonly used in precision medicine were applied to uncover patterns within multidimensional mental health data of 3,632 medical students. This framework represents a basis for personalized interventions and support tailored to individual student profiles. See here for the PDF: https://lnkd.in/e5sxdE-e

Announcing Publication of Best Medical Schools As we continue to evolve our rankings to produce the best available data in a clear, easy-to-understand format for students considering applying to medical school, we are pleased to announce the upcoming publication of the 2024 Best Medical Schools. There will be specialty rankings based on data from the American Academy of Family Physicians on practicing in primary care fields, comparing schools on their student diversity, and producing graduates who practice in rural and medically underserved areas. However, after significant evaluation of submitted and publicly available data, the new research rankings will not make use of any bibliometric data or award transparency credits as previously announced and will not include rankings of specialty areas in medical research. https://lnkd.in/g4hahfGu