Undergrad Institution; Degree and Major:
Stanford University, A.B., English Literature
Medical School:
UCSF
In practice since:
2000
Your Specialty:
Emergency Medicine, Internal Medicine
Where and for how many years did you train AFTER medical school:
Emergency Medicine: Emory: 3 years (1997-2000)
Internal Medicine: Olive View-UCLA Medical Center: 2 years (2004-2006)
How did you choose your specialty?
Emergency Medicine:
variety of cases, ethics of seeing patients regardless of ability to pay, seeing undifferentiated complaints of which one has to determine the cause, variety of specialties, opportunity to save lives sometimes
Internal Medicine:
ability to keep people healthy and out of the ER, ability to influence the health system in a variety of ways, opportunities to work in clinic and inpatient wards, administrative opportunities
What do you like MOST, and like LEAST, about your specialty?
Emergency Medicine:
Most: variety of cases; ethics of seeing patients regardless of ability to pay; seeing undifferentiated complaints of which one has to determine the cause, variety of specialties; opportunity to save lives sometimes
Least: lack of follow-up of patients; time pressure; not establishing long-term relationships with patients; impact of awkward shift schedule on mental; physical, and sleep health; focus on “moving the meat” rather than learning and growing from each case
Internal medicine:
Most: ability to keep people healthy and out of the ER, ability to influence the health system in a variety of ways, opportunities to work in clinic and inpatient wards, administrative opportunities; opportunity to go into many subspecialties; focus on learning and growth; following patients through time (either in clinic or the hospital)
Least: poor pay of cognitive specialties compared with procedural specialties; primary care is kind of boring.
In your opinion, what attributes are important in anyone choosing this specialty?
Emergency Medicine: rapid adaptability, quick thinking, tolerance for uncertainty (often discharging patients without knowing the actual diagnosis), enjoyment of procedures, ability to negotiate with specialties and inpatient services who are not enthusiastic to see or admit patients, tolerance for awkward work schedules
Internal Medicine: inquisitiveness, patience (to see how a case evolves), interest in learning from how a case evolves, ability to adjust plans as case evolves
Hobbies/special interests:
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Sports, Literature, Cosmology, Philosophy, Religion ,Consciousness