Thought Leaders
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Being Human in the ICU
“I don’t think of all the misery, but all the beauty that remains.” – Anne Frank As a fellow in the intensive care unit (ICU), sometimes it’s hard to see the beauty through the misery. The misery of my patients, their families, the nurses, fellow trainees and...
A Fellow’s Perspective: Journey of a Healthcare Couple Through a Pandemic
"As I walked into my empty apartment one evening after a vigorous day in the COVID-ICU, I pondered over the idea of calling my wife. She had just started her night shift at the COVID unit in her hospital, so I resolved to a simple text ‘Call me when free’. As the...
How to Integrate Medical Education Training into PCCM
I started PCCM fellowship with an interest in clinical teaching and education research, and a desire to focus my career on medical education. I chose a fellowship that was open to new ideas and supportive of unique areas of research interest, but not one with a...
Walking The Tightrope: Life as a Physician Mom in Fellowship
A year ago today, I was hurriedly finishing my notes at nine o’clock in the evening while eating a birthday cupcake my intern left me. Like many birthdays over the last 10 years, I spent it alone. When I reached home my daughter had already been asleep for an hour,...
Supporting Trainees During COVID-19 Pandemic: A New York Perspective
The COVID-19 pandemic crisis has posed an unprecedented challenge to training programs such as deployment of trainees to unfamiliar units, safety and well-being concerns, and strains on existing educational frameworks. Based on my first-hand frontline experience as Fellowship Director of a Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine training program in New York, here-in I share vital lessons learned during the peak of the pandemic. I hope that my approach during the anticipatory surge-planning phase and proactive management of trainees during the peak of the pandemic will provide useful guidance to others.
Fellow First: Choosing a Mentor Through the Eyes of a Fellow
One of the most important decisions a fellow will make during fellowship is choosing their mentor. Mentors serve to help us reach our career (and life) goals, utilizing both their experience and developed network of connections to facilitate the journey. Having gone...
You Matched! What Next? Tips on Transitioning from Residency to Fellowship
Congratulations to those who recently matched into pulmonary and critical care! In the coming months, you may find that a feeling of anxious anticipation encroaches on your current level of excitement and relief. That is perfectly normal and will hopefully be abated...
Operationalizing a Wellness Curriculum in a Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine Fellowship
“How many today?” I ask. “Just four” comes the reply. My heart sinks. Ugh, again! Out of 16 fellows, only four thought a wellness hour of facilitated discussion with a dedicated clinical social worker (SW) with healthy snacks was worth their time. This triggered...
Twitter—Opportunities for Learning, Novel Scholarship, Professional Development, and Recognition
"I think I need to join twitter…" I am a millennial physician. I tweet, podcast, and blog. The 21st century has brought significant shifts in communication technologies, spread of data availability, and restructuring of networking channels. Through social media,...
A Program Director Job Description: Lessons from Little League
After coaching my sons in a little league baseball game, my 12-yr-old asked me, “Hey Dad do you coach at work too?” I responded quickly with “Yes, yes I absolutely do!” and cracked a smile. Right then, after some apparent reflection (possibly triggered by our team’s...
