Failing Up and Failing Better

In Physicians as Humans by Sara Gray4 Comments

Do you have a case that haunts you? I do. The details aren’t relevant, but the case was terrible and stayed with me. Over the following days and weeks I stopped sleeping. I stopped going to the gym. I started dreading work. I swore more. I drank more. I started falling apart. Despite my years of studying and training and striving, I felt I wasn’t good enough. My residency, fellowship, and graduate degree …

Physicians as Humans Podcast E04: A break for parenthood

In Physicians as Humans, Podcast by Niresha Velmurugiah1 Comment

In the fourth episode of the Physicians as Humans project, I speak with Dr. Kevin Dueck, a family medicine resident at McMaster, about his decision to take parental leave during residency. Also check out the blog post that led to this podcast and his personal blog! This is an ongoing project, so if you or anyone you know have a story about managing personal struggles while in medicine, please contact [email protected]. If you are unfamiliar with the …

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Physicians as Humans Podcast E03: Struggling with Depression

In Physicians as Humans, Podcast by Niresha Velmurugiah1 Comment

In the third episode of the Physicians as Humans project, I corresponded with a Canadian emergency physician who sent me her personal account of depression.  The result is this beautiful, thoughtful story that she has graciously allowed me to read for the podcast. This is an ongoing project, so if you or anyone you know have a story about managing personal struggles while in medicine, please contact [email protected].   If you are unfamiliar with the …

Physicians as Humans Podcast E02: An Illness Close to Home

In Physicians as Humans, Podcast by Niresha VelmurugiahLeave a Comment

In the second episode of the Physicians as Humans project, I speak with Dr. Rob Rogers (@EM_Educator), a leading educator in emergency medicine and director of The Teaching Course. He shares his experiences of dealing with a devastating illness in his own family and the effect it had on his career as an emergency physician. This is an ongoing project, so if you or anyone you know have a story about managing personal struggles …

Physicians as Humans Podcast E01: An Addiction that Almost Killed Me

In Mentorship, Physicians as Humans by Niresha Velmurugiah2 Comments

On behalf of the Physicians as Humans project, I’m thrilled to present the first episode of the series: An Addiction that Almost Killed Me. If you are unfamiliar with the project, please read this post for more information on the origin of this podcast series. In this first episode I speak with a Canadian medical student about his personal battle with drug addiction during medical school. He candidly describes his experience and the powerful impact it has had on his …

Physicians as Humans: Physician Mental Health

In Featured, Physicians as Humans by Bruce Alex Fage2 Comments

In the competitive and paradoxically-isolating era of modern medicine and social media, we must reduce the stigma of not only mental illness, but also of occasionally being less than stellar. Improvements in work environment and lifestyle balance are key to improving the physician condition, but we must also endeavor to support each other with empathy and compassion for the benefit of our patients and our health care system.