Category Archives: On the Job

Color Codes in Healthcare: Keep Us Safe or Keep Us Laughing?

By Linda | July 19, 2012

July, 2012: “Code red, Tanner 7, Code red, Tanner 7,” an electronic voice calmly announces on the overhead. All the elevators return to the ground floor. All automatic doors immediately close. Everything stops. No surgery can begin. No one can be transferred from the operating room to the recovery room. Everyone freezes.
“Hmmm, what does [...]

Also posted in Telling Stories | Tagged Hospital color codes, safety | Leave a comment

Response to Anne-Marie Slaughter’s Atlantic Article: “Why Women Still Can’t Have It All”

By Linda | July 5, 2012

Wise Women Can and Do Have It All. Professor Slaughter, You Missed the Boat on Feminism—You Had Too Much
Background:
The Atlantic Magazine’s feature article this month was hailed by some women as a long needed revelation, almost a soul bearing confession, one that freed them from the bondage of too many choices. This sensationalist account of [...]

Also posted in The Confessional, Women at Work | Tagged Anne-Marie Slaughter, Having It All, Wise Women | Leave a comment

You Kid Is Fat: Is It Your Doctor’s Fault?

By Linda | June 20, 2012

Obesity in children is a national epidemic. Duh?! AND, it seems that this is so because the nation’s doctors are not counseling the families of overweight kids about their lifestyle and dietary choices! Another hype piece from US News and World Report. This is simply the last straw.
I am going to weigh [...]

Also posted in Telling Stories | Tagged children, Obesity | 3 Comments

Behavior Problems in Your Kid? Check for Sleep Apnea

By Linda | May 21, 2012

“My kid has a touch of ADHD,” I heard in the office today. Meanwhile Mom thinks it’s cute that little Tony sleeps in all these weird positions at night and sit still in her seat at school where she has started to be defiant towards her teachers.
“He has been snoring since infancy,” was the complaint [...]

Posted in On the Job | Tagged behavior problems in children, sleep apnea | 5 Comments

Important Public Announcement: Did You Know April Is Esophageal Cancer Awareness Month?

By Linda | April 19, 2012

I didn’t. And I should. Why? Because I am in the business of preventing esophageal cancer by controlling acid reflux disease in kids. The picture you see is what an esophagus (the swallowing tube) looks like before it becomes a cancer. This is very rare in children, but not so rare [...]

Also posted in Ask Linda, Worthy Causes | 2 Comments

Who Needs Doctors Anyway? Let Health Insurance Companies and the Government Direct Patient Care

By Linda | April 2, 2012

Outrage #1. Wasting time of skilled caregivers. Everyday skilled nurses and physicians’ assistants waste hours of time on the telephone either getting approval for medications that we prescribe for our patients or trying to fight a rejection for a medication we requested.
Outrage #2. Choosing a medication for cost, not effectiveness. A child [...]

Also posted in Anger Management | 3 Comments

Creating New Policies and Procedures Can Be Harmful to Achieving Gender Equity

By Linda | March 16, 2012

Shared non-news item: A prominent and very large healthcare system that recently paid out a large sum of money for gender discrimination and a hostile work environment has produced new policies and procedures regarding such behavior. Step in the right direction? The old policies were pulled out and when compared to the new ones, little [...]

Also posted in Adventures in Advocacy, Women at Work | Tagged gender equity, policies and procedures | 3 Comments

Physicians in Trouble: Who Will Heal the Healer?

By Linda | January 31, 2012

This week I had a family thank me profusely not because their child came through a surgery well, but because the entire family went on a diet based on my one page simple “weight reduction strategies” (sounds better to a kid than “diet”). The whole family is “eating healthier” (their words not mine) and they [...]

Posted in On the Job | 2 Comments

Peer Review Fraud–Hospitals and Their War on Physicians

By Linda | January 5, 2012

Sometimes inspiration comes from the most unexpected people. I have to admit that being open to receiving such a gift, even from someone I would rather avoid, is not a practice I am particularly good at. But this week I let down my guard and listened intently to someone I could never imagine [...]

Also posted in Adventures in Advocacy, Anger Management, Flashbacks | 4 Comments

Growing Up With Autism–A Mother’s Journey

By Linda | December 20, 2011

Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter recounted the terrible punishment an adulterous woman had to bear. In the mid-19th century the “A” word was for adultery. One hundred and 50 years later the “A” word stands for autism. No red letter is needed. Just look at the red eyes of the parents who [...]

Also posted in Telling Stories, Uncategorized | 5 Comments