He stands, bent, outside the front of the house, the two steps up to the door being too far to lift himself leaning hard on the old stick, cloth padding the top as a cane or maybe a crutch. I step down to greet him, “Jambo,” (how are you) and to wish him “Salama,” (peace). … More What I Learned About American Family Medicine in Rural Tanzania
I teach Physician Assistant (PA) students the art of the medical interview and this morning had just finished teaching the lecture entitled, “Delivering Bad News.” I walked the students through the S.P.I.K.E.S model, encouraging them to plan out the Setting, think about the patient Perception, get an Invitation from the patient to present information, impart … More “Bad News:” Any information which adversely and seriously affects an individual’s view of his or her future.
Debra Hampton wants to meet in the family room outside of the ICU so that she can be close by the commotion of an unstable patient being taken back for emergent surgery. The lights in the room are soft and the hum of the heating system gives a blanket of background noise. Debra is wearing … More The Art of Identifying Jane Doe
Like many of my colleagues in medical education, I am a part-time clinician. My time is split, spending less than half in my own clinical practice with the rest devoted to resident education. This is precisely why I love my job. The diversity of each day keeps me engaged, challenged, and excited about the … More The Doctor is in…24/7?
Osman Sanyer MD As a teaching family physician, I am frequently asked, by friends, students, and colleagues working in other areas of medicine, to share my thoughts on which skills and traits best define the specialty of family medicine. My customary response is, I suspect, fairly similar to the response that would be offered … More God took your only child – Choosing words for our patients’ stories
By Sarah Riley-Burnett, DO Her eyes were crazed and glassy when she finally opened them. She had been writhing in the gurney, gyrating her jaw with clinched teeth and breathing heavily. When she answered questions, all her movement would stop, and she would respond in a clipped staccato formal way as though she were a … More The Girl With Chest Pain
Family Medicine Vital Signs 