Former GF Strong hospitalist Dr. Joanna Mereu holds a special place in her heart for the Nepalese Spinal Cord Collaboration (SpiNepal). This charitable organization works closely with Nepal’s specialized spinal injury unit, the Spinal Injury Rehabilitation Centre (SIRC), near Kathmandu. Inspired by SpiNepal’s founders (Dr. Peter Wing, retired spine surgeon, and his wife, retired physiatrist Dr. Claire Weeks), Dr. Mereu worked in Nepal this past spring. She spoke at GF … Read More
The benefits of mindfulness for physicians
Mindfulness—the ability to focus your awareness calmly and nonjudgmentally on the present moment—is becoming a popular technique among people of all ages, backgrounds and professions. The positive health effects of mindfulness have also been shown by a number of studies, although the exact neural mechanisms involved remain unclear. Practicing mindfulness can be especially effective in helping physicians increase their own personal well-being while improving empathy and psychosocial beliefs, which are … Read More
Why building your resilience will make you a better physician
Physicians’ jobs are stressful. As the recent CMA National Physician Health Survey reported, it’s not unusual for doctors to feel burned out and depressed. But building and protecting your resilience—how you react to tough situations—can make an important difference to your ability to bounce back and to care for yourself and others. You need to imagine resilience as your “energy” bank: if you make too many demands on it, you … Read More
What it takes: preparation; stamina; appreciation
A physician’s workload can be overwhelming and stressful. But we’re more than doctors. We have families and we have passions outside of work. How do we balance the demands of one without sacrificing the others? According to Dr. Esta Bovill, it takes preparation, stamina and appreciation. These were three of the four things she learned by competing in the grueling Marathon des Sables in 2013. (The fourth was that she … Read More
Excellent results coming in for project funded jointly by VPSA Facility Engagement and Physician Led Quality Improvement Initiatives
The hard work is paying off for Dr. Kelly Mayson and her multi-disciplinary team. Their project, Pre-operative optimization prior to major oncology surgery as a component of Enhanced Recovery After Surgery, is seeing some great preliminary results. “Over the past year we have seen a reduction in the incidence of anemia in gynaecology oncology and radical cystectomy patients presenting for major abdominal surgery based on our work,” said Dr. Mayson. … Read More