Dr. Val, The Traveling Physician: Living La Vida Locums, Part 2
On Assignment In California Vineyard
This post is the continuation of my personal thoughts and reflections about what it’s like to work as a Locum Tenens (traveling temp) physician.
Q: Where are the most favorable locums jobs?
This is an interesting question and depends a little bit upon personal taste and priorities. While most locums physicians choose their work based on location (see this nice survey of locum priorities), more experienced locums docs choose their work based on circumstance. What I mean is that it’s more important WHY the hospital needs you, than where the hospital is physically located. It ...
Source: Better Health - August 11, 2013 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: Dr. Val Jones Tags: Opinion True Stories Advice Clients Hospitals How To Negotiate With Locum Tenens Agencies Internal Medicine Physical Medicine And Rehabilitation Primary Care Tips For Physicians Traveling Physician Source Type: blogs
Dr. Val, The Traveling Physician: Living La Vida Locums
It’s been a couple of months since my last post because I’ve been traveling around the United States working as a locum tenens (in Latin, “place holder” – a more elegant name than “temp”) physician. We’ve all heard of traveling nurses, but more and more physicians are also “living la vida locums,” as it were. There are actually over 300 agencies who find/provide temporary physician coverage for hospitals who need to fill gaps in their full timers’ schedules. You can find out more about these agencies at their trade organization site, the National Association...
Source: Better Health - August 4, 2013 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: Dr. Val Jones Tags: Opinion True Stories Costs Hospital How To How To Find The Best Locums Agency Internal Medicine Locum Tenens Physician Salary Traveling Physician Source Type: blogs
The Top 10 Things We Should Tell Our Patients About Weight Loss
In conclusion, obesity underlies most of America’s chronic disease burden but can be reversed with modest weight loss through diet and exercise modifications. Patient adoption of long-term lifestyle changes are challenged by economic factors (e.g. healthy food “deserts” in inner cities), sedentary lifestyles, poor urban planning, excessive fast food and sugary beverage consumption, increasing portion sizes, and high tech conveniences that reduce energy expenditure, among other factors.
Patients are more likely to begin weight loss programs if recommended to do so by their physician, though studies suggest...
Source: Better Health - June 21, 2013 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: Dr. Val Jones Tags: Health Tips Research Advice For Patients CDC Chronic Disease Diabetes Diet Exercise Guidelines Healthy Weight Loss Heart Disease HHS IOM National Weight Control Registry NIH Obesity Stroke Walking Weight Loss Tips Source Type: blogs
Runner’s Diarrhea: A Summertime Favorite?
A blogger friend of mine referred me to an article about a female runner struggling with gastrointestinal distress. She asked for advice regarding how to prevent the “runner’s trots” and felt fairly mystified regarding its cause. Since up to half of runners face this problem at some point (especially women), I thought I’d post some advice that comes from experience… ahem.
The urge to use the restroom during exercise is caused by increased intestinal motility, likely triggered by any (or all) of the following: jostling of internal organs, relative intestinal ischemia (decreased oxygen getting...
Source: Better Health - June 15, 2013 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: Dr. Val Jones Tags: Health Tips Exercise GI Distress Hormones How To Avoid Intestines Runner's Diarrhea Runner's Trots Running Summer Running Source Type: blogs
Yet Another Reason Why Dr. Oz Cannot Be Trusted: False Claims About Red Palm Oil
Dr. Oz is a powerful guy, blessed with a name that conjures up wizardry. He just unveils his latest “miracle,” which seems to happen on an almost daily basis, and people scamper off to the nearest the health food. Recently the great Oz anointed the oil extracted from the fruit of the palm tree that grows in Indonesia and Malaysia as a wonder product that can aid weight loss and reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s and heart disease. Introduced to this marvel by his a guest, a homeopath, Dr. Oz excitedly gushed about the beta carotene and “special form of vitamin E” found in “red palm oil.” A curious business. Tell ...
Source: Better Health - June 3, 2013 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: admin Tags: Opinion Quackery Exposed Alzheimer's Carotenoid Dr. Oz Dr. Oz Show Exaggerations False Claims Indonesia Malaysia Mehmet Oz Miracle Cure Red Palm Oil Snake Oil Vitamin E Weight Loss Source Type: blogs
When All You Have Is A Hammer: The Problem With Outsourcing Primary Care To Non Physicians
Image Credit: Dan Page, Boston Globe
What is the US going to do about our current and future primary care physician shortage? Many believe that the solution is to expand the scope of nursing practice, and license non-physicians (such as naturopaths) to practice medicine. In the face of scarcity, 17 states have licensed naturopaths to provide primary care and nurse-led, in-store pharmacy clinics are gaining popularity.
Studies have shown that nurse practitioners are as capable as physicians at treating common primary care complaints such as strep throat and headache. What studies have NOT shown is that nurse practitioners r...
Source: Better Health - May 19, 2013 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: Dr. Val Jones Tags: Opinion AMA Care Quality Differential Diagnosis Minute Clinic Naturopaths Nurse Practitioners Primary Care Risks What's The Harm Source Type: blogs
The Science Of Radiofrequency: Why Cell Phones, Microwaves, Wi-Fi, And Smart Meters Are Unlikely To Pose Health Risks
Cell phones, microwave ovens, wi-fi, smart meters. What do they have in common? They all emit radiation in the radiofrequency range. And they all radiate controversy. Given that these devices are set to become as commonplace as light bulbs, it is understandable that questions arise about their possible health effects. There are all sorts of allegations that exposure can trigger ailments ranging from headaches to cancer. Allegations, however, do not amount to science. And there is a lot of science to be considered.
Let’s start with the fact that an alternating current flowing through a wire generates an electromagnetic fi...
Source: Better Health - May 8, 2013 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: admin Tags: Better Health Network Health Tips Quackery Exposed Cancer Cell Phones Electromagnetic Field Evidence Headaches Health Risk Microwaves Myths Photons Radiation Radiofrequency Science Smart Meters Wi-Fi Source Type: blogs
Is Extreme Dieting And Exercise Worth It? My Personal Journey – With Photos
Conclusion: In my experience, the best a slightly overweight, middle aged woman can do (safely) in 8 weeks is lose 10 lbs of pure fat and gain 5 lbs of muscle. It is extremely difficult to achieve that much, and I would highly recommend doing it over a longer period of time. Is the pain worth the effort? Here are my “before” and “after” photos. What do you think?
Before: (151 lbs)
After (145 lbs): (Source: Better Health)
Source: Better Health - May 6, 2013 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: Dr. Val Jones Tags: Health Tips Opinion True Stories Best Case Scenario Body Impedance Clothing Fit Diet Eight Week Plan Extreme Weight Loss fat loss Female Is It Worth It Middle-aged Percent Body Fat Strength Training Wedding Diet Weight Trai Source Type: blogs
Are Doctors’ Orders Less Likely To Be Followed If The Doctor Is Overweight?
A recent, 358-person survey conducted by researchers at Yale University (and published in the International Journal of Obesity) suggested that patients may be less likely to follow the medical advice of overweight and obese physicians. Survey respondents were 57% female, 70% Caucasian, 51% had BMIs in the normal or underweight category (31% overweight and 17% obese), and were an average age of 37 years old.
Respondents rated overweight and obese physicians as less credible than normal weight doctors, and stated that they would be less likely to follow advice (including guidance about diet, exercise, smoking cessation, pre...
Source: Better Health - May 2, 2013 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: Dr. Val Jones Tags: Health Tips Opinion Research Compliance Influence Internal Medicine International Journal Of Obesity Obese Overweight Patient Compliance Physicians Primary Care Stigma Survey Weight Bias Weight Loss Yale Source Type: blogs
What Do Your Kidneys Have To Do With Finding Nemo?
Finding Nemo is one of my favorite Disney-Pixar cartoons. Not only does it have a cute story line, but it’s full of medical themes – consider the movie’s namesake with a congenitally deformed fin (Nemo), the shark with addiction problems (Bruce), and the blue tang fish with memory impairment (Dory). Even Nemo’s captor turns out to be a dentist! But when I think about the scene where the fish attempt escape from the dentist’s tank by plugging up the filter system to get him to remove them for cleaning, I always think about kidneys. Yep, you heard me right. Kidneys.
Kidneys are fairly under appr...
Source: Better Health - March 22, 2013 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: Dr. Val Jones Tags: Health Tips Anemia Chronic Kidney Disease CKD Diabetes Finding Nemo National Kidney Awareness Month National Kidney Foundation Nephrology Source Type: blogs
Are Plastic Products Safe? Educational Webinar Reviews The Science
Concerns about plastic safety have been growing over the years, and the media has stepped up its efforts to expose potential dangers associated with plastic compounds such as bisphenol A (BPA) and phthalates. The problem is – there is very little scientific evidence linking plastic to human harm, and no credible evidence that our current typical exposures to BPA poses any health risks at all (so say the health agencies of the United States, Canada, the European Union, and Japan). But that’s not a very exciting story, is it?
Instead, what we often hear in the news is that microwaving our plastic containers or dr...
Source: Better Health - March 21, 2013 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: Dr. Val Jones Tags: Health Tips Research Baby Bottles Biomonitoring BPA BPA-Free Charles McKay Emergency Medicine Phthalates Plastic Products Safe Levels Toxicology toxins Urine Urine Tests Source Type: blogs
Outsourcing Relationships And Peddling Influence: Why Social Media Is Not Fun Anymore
When I first started blogging in 2006, the medical blogosphere consisted of a small group of physicians, nurses, and patient advocates. We knew each other well, and spent time each day visiting our favorite blogs and posting personal comments of encouragement and insight. We developed real friendships, and were optimistic about our brave new online writing frontier. We thought we could change the healthcare system for the better, we believed that our perspectives could influence policy, and we were sure that our writing could help our patients lead healthier lives.
I remember with great fondness the medical blogger confere...
Source: Better Health - February 26, 2013 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: Dr. Val Jones Tags: Opinion Blog World Expo Blogging Exhaustion Facebook Friends IRL Medical Blogging Quitting Social Media Fatigue Twitter Source Type: blogs
When Is The Right Time To Tell Patients The Truth?
Although most doctors say they believe in the immediate free flow of information from physician to patient, the reality is that many hospitalized patients don’t receive a full explanation of their condition(s) in a timely manner. I’ve seen patients go for days (and sometimes weeks) without knowing, for example, that their biopsy was positive for cancer when the entire medical staff was clear on the diagnosis and prognosis. So why are patients being kept in the dark about their medical conditions? I think there are several contributing factors:
1. Too many cooks in the kitchen. During the course of a hospital st...
Source: Better Health - February 11, 2013 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: Dr. Val Jones Tags: Opinion Bad News Cancer Diagnosis Hospital Medical Ethics Patient Autonomy Patient Data Telling Patient Bad News Source Type: blogs
The Spirit Of The Place: Samuel Shem’s New Book May Depress You
When I was in medical school, I read Samuel Shem’s House Of God as a right of passage. At the time I found it to be a cynical yet eerily accurate portrayal of the underbelly of academic medicine. I gained comfort from its gallows humor – and it made me feel connected to my peers during the most stressful time of my training. So when I was invited to review Shem’s “bookend” to House Of God, it was with a sense of eagerness and nostalgia that I accepted the challenge. How had the author’s thinking developed since the launch of his first blockbuster in 1978? I hoped to find a kinder, gent...
Source: Better Health - February 6, 2013 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: Dr. Val Jones Tags: Book Reviews Bill Starbuck Fiction Orville Rose Samuel Shem Starbusol The House Of God The Spirit Of The Place Source Type: blogs
Is There Such A Thing As An Eye-Healthy Diet?
Eye diseases and vision loss are becoming more common in the United States as diabetes rates rise and the population ages. Many eye conditions worsen very slowly and have no noticeable symptoms in their early stages. For this reason, getting an annual eye exam is extremely important. But is there anything we can do to prevent eye disease from a nutritional perspective? Experts believe that there is such a thing as an “eye-healthy diet.” I interviewed Dr. Jeffrey Anshel, President of the Ocular Nutrition Society, and Dr. Elizabeth Johnson, a leading nutrition researcher, to get their views on the subject. Please...
Source: Better Health - January 8, 2013 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: Dr. Val Jones Tags: Health Tips Beta-Carotene Bugs Bunny Carrots Egg Yolks Eye Health Fat Soluble Vitamins Fish Healthy Vision Kale Lutein Macular Degeneration Ocular Nutrition Ocular Nutrition Society Omega-3 Fatty Acids Ophthalmology Optomet Source Type: blogs
