I recently went to my high school reunion where a classmate said to me “you seem too nice to be a surgeon”. It was a reminder to me that the stereotype of the mean, angry surgeon as recently discu...
Dear Pat, I am a junior general surgery resident rotating at a new hospital. No matter if I’m wearing my badge which says MD in large letters or my white coat which also says MD on it, patients a...
Dear Pat, My intern is a tall, white male. Every morning on rounds I introduce myself as the Chief Resident and state the roles of everyone on the team. However, patients continue to direct their q...
For 14 days after Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico, I had no way of knowing if my parents were dead or alive. They’re fine, I told myself. Our house is not in a flood-prone area. The roof and walls a...
By Joanelle A. Bailey, M.D. My last call of my intern year is on June 30th, which means that I will be supervising the new incoming interns when they come to care for patients for their first time ...
By Madeline Torres It was another night in the SICU: 5:30 pm sign out, resident rounds, and dinner. As usual, I’d go into Mr. X’s room to examine him and make small talk with his wif...