A Time to Renew and Expand Our Sense of Professionalism
Retirement is a time of reflection. Most of one’s agency lies in the past. I must organize opportunities to transfer bits of experience, insight and wisdom to those who still do the work if I am to have the joy of continuing to contribute to the dream of a future...
D. F. Wallace, Burnout, and Healthcare
What does David Foster Wallace have to tell us about burnout? More than most healthcare professionals might think. The publicity for The End of the Tour, a new film starring Jason Segel as Wallace, has reminded me of the message I took away from the first Wallace book...
The Moral Injury of Avoidable Death
Last week I passed on a story my friend Dr. Doug Beers told me about a case of avoidable death as a result of medical “overkill.” It was a distressing story, but Doug recently told me another story that disturbed me more. We were sitting on the dock at my place on...
Overkill Can Be Deadly
Dr. Doug Beer, my former colleague and longtime friend, told me a story about the way healthcare overkill can actually kill a patient. Doug, who practices internal medicine at Emanuel Hospital in Portland, Oregon, and I were talking about cancer treatment during a...Case Study – Elizabeth Mcarthy
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