Welcome back to my Medical Ethics Series for the fourth installment! This is the first part of the Normative Ethics section, where we will be going over Normative ethics, or what rules we should follow. These theories will be more familiar, as Dr. Beyda has...
In the vital field of medical education, textbooks are more than mere academic resources. They are the bedrock upon which future healthcare providers build their understanding of human health and disease. Yet, there’s a critical and often overlooked flaw in these educational cornerstones. The stark...
As I joined the psychiatry team during morning rounds, it was my turn to present on a new admit: a patient with congenital deafness presenting with auditory hallucinations and suicidal ideation. Communicating in American sign language (ASL) through a video interpreter, I was poorly capable...
Week after week, my peers and I witness the countless inequities that people experiencing homelessness at each of our Street Medicine Phoenix service events face every day. Through street outreach, our goal is to meet the unmet health needs of people who live on the...
As the seasons change and the colors of leaves with it – as much as seasons and leaves can change in Phoenix – the time of great stress descends upon a particular group of students here at the...
Pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) represent over 266 million Americans as third party administrators managing the selection, purchase and distribution of pharmaceuticals on behalf of health insurers, union health plans and government purchasers. Functioning as brokers between drug payers,...
One day, before going to my CCE, I called their office to ask if my preceptor was in. It took five minutes of explanation for the person to whom I was speaking to understand I was a medical...
When we hear the words “lung cancer,” our minds immediately ask, “Did/does the patient smoke?” What do you as the physician, or maybe the physician-to-be, do when your patient says, “Lung cancer? Me? How could that be? I’ve...
Of all the ways that our world has changed in recent years, perhaps no one aspect of our lives has changed more than our relationship with technology. You already know this. You’ve read a similar statement hundreds of...
The treatment of intervertebral disc herniations vary widely, from conservative to invasive modalities. A common surgical procedure that is performed to manage this pathology is a microdiscectomy, where the extruded disc material is removed. In the lumbar spine...
One of the first doctors I shadowed as premed was a new attending at Mayo Clinic in Phoenix. He took a call halfway through his shift from his fiancé, telling me that this was the only time of...
I just got back to downtown Phoenix after spending time out at Ft. Defiance in the Navajo Nation for part of my Internal Medicine rotation. Rural medicine was an incredibly informative and unique experience, and there was a...
Picture this: the sun’s early morning rays shining through the windows, bathing wooden floors in a golden glow. Dust dancing in the air around you, as you sit perched on a mat, legs crossed, hands in lap, and...
If you’ve spent much time in hospitals, you know that no two are the same. Architecture differs, food varies, and good luck trying to find your way around. However, you can always count on one thing to be...
Many pregnant women at their first check-up will receive a pamphlet with an overview of their pregnancy, genetic testing, things to avoid, prenatal vitamin advice, and – on the back cover in glossy marketing – an ad for...
Throughout my clinical rotations, I’ve often found myself deeply, deeply exhausted by the end of the day. Some days that’s not a surprise, such as when I’ve been on my feet since 5 AM on surgery, or have...
