Rajiv Vasudevan

May 30, 2024 | opmed.doximity.com | Marjorie Ordene |Brittany Panico |Abraham Kim |Rajiv Vasudevan

The emotional bond I establish with my patients may be the most important tool in my toolkit. It goes without saying that my patients must have confidence in my medical competence and knowledge. But in order for them to feel comfortable communicating to me their deepest concerns, they must feel an emotional connection as well. Recently a young woman, Marilyn, came to me with the unusual complaint, “The trouble is my qi.” It took me a while to figure out what she meant.

May 30, 2024 | opmed.doximity.com | Brittany Panico |Marjorie Ordene |Abraham Kim |Rajiv Vasudevan

Every day feels the same. Stuck in the grind, spinning around and around in the hamster wheel. See a patient, write the note, close the chart, on to the next. Then answer messages, refill prescriptions, fill out forms, and hide from the endless questions from my office staff about what I want to do for the patient who has called three times already that day. As a young attending, I felt stuck. Many of us feel stuck. Medicine is not at all what we thought we signed up for as medical students.

May 30, 2024 | opmed.doximity.com | Abraham Kim |Rajiv Vasudevan |Dinesh Arab |Manasvi Khullar

Physician shortages are weighing down the health care industry. In a Doximity survey of 1,179 physicians conducted in March 2024, 88% report that their clinical practice has been directly impacted. At least 30% of physicians describe the impact as "severe," 44% as "moderate," and 14% as "mild.” Only 12% say they are not directly impacted. For a large swath of the medical community, the overarching results come as no surprise.

May 28, 2024 | opmed.doximity.com | Dinesh Arab |Rajiv Vasudevan |Manasvi Khullar |JoAnn Pinkerton

The recent heart issues of professional cyclist Peter Sagan have again put the spotlight on endurance training. This wasn’t new for me: when my colleague, who had just completed an Ironman race (2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike, and a 26.2-mile run), presented to the hospital with chest discomfort, I knew it was something serious. People who participated in these races were hard people who rarely complained.

May 28, 2024 | opmed.doximity.com | Rajiv Vasudevan |Dinesh Arab |Manasvi Khullar |JoAnn Pinkerton

Several images may come to mind when one hears “admissions advisor” — a crowded office, college pennants scattered on the wall; someone scrutinizing your curriculum vitae behind a tidy desk; or that one doctor-cousin who your mom always compares you to. After the “Varsity Blues” scandal in 2019, a negative connotation arose: someone who can offer a backdoor to coveted positions in higher education … for a fee.