It seems like a new article makes the rounds every week complaining about medical costs. A recent example published in USA Today blasted the use of screening tomosynthesis, a newer technology that involves the use of a three-dimensional mammogram. The point of the article seems to be that money-hungry companies and doctors are pushing […]
I’ve been thinking about words a lot lately. It all started when my wife brought home some donut holes. I immediately took issue with “donut holes.” Not the little balls of fried happiness themselves, but rather, the name. These little treats are not, in fact, holes. They are balls. They should be called donut
My first day of medical school was incredible. I didn’t have any classes, but I learned a lot nonetheless. Shortly before classes started, I was offered the chance to attend an autopsy. At that point in my education, I was fired up, and ready to dive into everything. So I asked to go, and one
I occasionally meet a young person who wants to become a doctor, and asks for advice about how to make this happen. Probably more often, I work with a nurse or tech who has a child or niece or nephew who wants to become a doctor, and they’ll ask for advice. Apparently, these youths
There are a lot of phrases, idioms, and metaphors in the English language which confuse me. For example, “going cold turkey,” or “under the weather.” I know how we use them, but I have no idea how they came to be. And I’m too lazy to Google it. Another odd example is the
I’ve gotten into this new exercise routine, called “Running While Fat.” You might know it as “FatRunning.” It’s awesome. All you have to do is be fat, and go outside and run. It’s really fun, especially the getting fat part. I spent years doing that, with thousands of dollars spent on buffalo wings, chocolate
There is an old question that is asked during job interviews- “What is your worst characteristic?” Or flaw, or trait, or whatever. I’m not sure what the purpose is from an interviewer standpoint, but I do know that as the interviewee, your goal is to make up something that sounds like a flaw but
I thought of this phrase a few days ago, during a particularly difficult biopsy. Most of my procedures involve very little bleeding, but this one was giving me heartburn. No matter what I did, the patient continued to ooze. I even got some blood on my clothes “gasp!” Now, I recognize that the few cc’s
I was out for a springtime jog a few days ago, and I found myself daydreaming, as I do during exercise. It’s been a long, cold winter, and everyone is euphoric with the increasing temperatures and sunlight. The birds are singing, and I can see tiny fish darting through the dark water at the edge
I hate the Canadians. They are always crapping on the sidewalk behind my house and eating my grass seeds. I’m referring, or course, to Canadian Geese. I think, technically, they are called Canada Geese. That doesn’t change the fact that every winter, approximately 17 million of the dirty bastards descend on the lake behind my
