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Category: doctoring and motherhood

Having it All? How Men can Manage a Career in Medicine and Fatherhood: A Satire

Author’s note: The Amazon Prime show The Power, based on Naomi Alderman’s book, flips the gender power construct 180 degrees. By doing so, the show (and book) show us how when certain things happen to men, they become shocking and unbelievable. Whereas for women, it’s just our day-to-day lives. I wrote this piece as an…

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Dear Patient: An Open Letter on Why I’ve Been Working Part-time During the Pandemic

Dear Patient, I heard you were asking my staff about what I do all day when I’m not in the clinic and why I work part-time. This is an important question and one I’d like to answer. When I’m not in the clinic, I see my vaccinated teens off to school each weekday morning. Then,…

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Parents Don’t Stop Being Parents at Work

It’s April, which means it’s early in the pandemic, although we don’t know that yet. We’re all hunkering down because we hope it might be over soon. One night, I pull up an interview on the small screen of my smartphone. A woman reporter is interviewing a woman physician about COVID-19 — each in their own homes,…

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Practice of medicine: Six things to remember in your practice in 2019

There are small moments of reflection that pop up in any given day that can affect how we approach our practice of medicine. Something at home affecting us at work, or vice versa. Like a Venn diagram, the two circles overlapping by just that slight amount at the center. One such recent intersection for me…

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Stay at home dads and the movie The Incredibles 2: a missed opportunity

(warning: minor movie spoiler alert) As a working mom physician with a husband who is a stay at home dad, I was intrigued by the opening premise of the movie The Incredibles 2. Helen (Elastigirl) is tapped to return to work as a Superhero over her husband, Bob (Mr. Incredible). I looked forward to seeing…

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Working moms who are doctors: how many are there in the U.S.? The number will surprise you.

Did any of you other physician working moms out there get the dreaded made-at-school mother’s day card this year? You know, the one your kid makes in class, where they trace a flower (or some variation), and on each petal writes a word to describe you, their cherished mother? Why does the sight of this…

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Parenting stereotypes, and turning them on their head. “My mom is a doctor, my dad is a dad.”

“My mom is a doctor, my dad is a dad.” So stated one of our children in their autobiography assignment for school. I read on, curious what would come next. “My dad usually stays home and cleans up, and takes care of the pets.” I thought for a moment.  “That’s very good, honey, but do…

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Mom guilt and the physician mom: Doing Enough; not Perfection

Recently, I was enjoying a “mom day” running errands with the kids. You know, the usual essentials — groceries, school supplies, and espresso coffee drive-through. At this last stop, the barista made small talk and, seeing the kids in the back seat,  joked about school starting soon and how I must be looking forward to…

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On perceptions of female physicians, from planes to preschools.

updated 3/17/19 I recently read on kevinmd.com the accounts of female physicians who attempted to help passengers in air flight emergencies . They were incredulously pushed aside and not allowed to provide emergency care. Yes, you read that correctly.  Physicians blocked from providing emergency medical care because the flight attendants didn’t believe they were physicians.…

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