I took two weeks off over the holiday. This is the most vacation time I have had since January 2020. Like many of my colleagues, I have been working directly with patients: on an inpatient unit and in a school. While I was away from this clinical work for two full weeks, there was one …
It has certainly been a day of mixed emotions for many working in Healthcare in Ontario. On the one hand, it was such a relief to see the first people in Ottawa receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. Then, at the end of the day, as I sat down to write about how it felt to know …
Across North America, there is holiday planning happening. The pandemic has changed planning, but most people are still doing their best to eke out some pleasure from a period that is often considered one of the most joyous of the year. I hope everyone reading this is planning a happy holiday, but my heart will …
I have resisted thinking about United States politics during the past three months, keeping in mind that we have our own political problems in Canada. But today is the day Americans have their election and I have many American friends, including friends who are doctors, and they are worried. Every one of my American friends …
I took time off from work last week – the first week I have had off since January 2020. It was not a complete holiday since I had gone away to write, but it was a complete break from my usual work. Internet was lousy and cell phone coverage was even worse. I disconnected from …
COVID-19 has isolated us very effectively. We are all in our own “bubbles” in every sense of the word and isolation can magnify our problems by giving us the impression that we are alone to find solutions. For myself, I see my neighbours preparing with their children for a return to school and hear their …
I have been feeling as if, so far, my COVID-19 experience has been a fortunate one. I am working hard, but I am with a great team and, so far, we have not had any of our colleagues become ill with the virus. So far, my family has been well. Today I spoke with a …
Here is a second poem from the “archives” sent to me by my former English prof. What was interesting reading it was that, at the time, it was written, with the gender of the doctor being female, the poem shook the reader awake to the possibility of a female surgeon. There were not many female …
Continuing with yesterday’s email from an English prof, I have found a few poems related to medicine that I vividly remember writing. I remember writing this when I realized that that I could never be a paediatrician. When I first thought of becoming a doctor, I thought of being a paediatrician because I did like …
Of all the changes from a Youth Inpatient Unit to an Adult Unit, the one change that is most distressing to me is patients’ addictions to nicotine. Many patients who are transferred to this new unit from other community hospitals are most concerned about whether they will be able to smoke. As a Youth Psychiatrist, …
