I had a wonderful time sitting down with Mona, my first Supervising Physician when I graduated PA School, to talk about a variety of topics related to patient care and the medical experience. This was an unplanned interview so we went wherever the conversation took us and I couldn’t have been happier with the results. Our relaxed 2 hour conversation after dinner was edited down resulting in a wonderful 50 mins that I honestly feel anyone interested working in Medicine should listen to. Thank YOU for listening to it and continuing to make Maybe Medical a success!

Medical Doctor (Physician)*

Diagnose and treat injuries or illnesses. Examine patients; take medical histories; prescribe medications; and order, perform, and interpret diagnostic tests. They counsel patients on diet, hygiene, and preventive healthcare using evidence based medicine.

2018 Median Pay: Wage is equal to or greater than $208,000 per year (or $100.00 per hour).

Educational Degree: Doctoral Degree (8 years of College on Average)

Number of US Jobs in 2016: 713,800

Job Outlook 2016 - 2026: 13% (Faster than Average)

*Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Physicians and Surgeons

Incredible Video by Brene Brown on Empathy

Urgent Care - Walk-in clinics focused on the delivery of acute care in a dedicated medical facility outside of a traditional emergency room. Urgent care centers treat injuries and illnesses that are not serious enough to require an emergency department visit.

Medical Residency - Training after graduating from Medical School. Minimum of three years for primary care physicians and some other specialties, but up to five years or more for some surgical specialties.

Biochemistry - The study of the chemical processes within and relating to living organisms.

Internal Medicine - The medical specialty dealing with the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of adult diseases.

Primary Care (AKA PCP or GP [General Practice]) - Day to day healthcare given by a provider including health promotion, disease prevention, health maintenance, counseling, diagnosis and treatment of acute and chronic illnesses, and patient education.

Mammogram - The imaging process using low-energy X-rays to examine the breast for diagnosis and screening, commonly with the goal of early detection of breast cancer.

Anxiety - Intense persistent, or transient, excessive worrying and fear about factors not usually fear inducing.

Depression - Medical illness with a variety of symptoms with the main one being a depressed mood or loss of interest in activities, may cause significant impairment in daily life and may result in suicidal attempts if severe enough and untreated.

CMP (Comprehensive Metabolic Panel) - Blood test that generally includes Albumin, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), Calcium, Carbon dioxide (Bicarbonate), Chloride, Creatinine, Glucose, Potassium, Sodium, Total Bilirubin and Protein. Different from a Basic Metabolic Panel in that it usually includes Liver Enzymes of Alanine aminotransferase (ALT), Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and Aspartate aminotransferase (AST).

SSRI (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor) - Very common class of medication used for depression and a variety of other mental health issues.

Acid Reflux (AKA “Heartburn” or GERD [Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease]) - Usually due to excessive eating, laying down after eating in bed, or medication related in which there is a burning sensation in the chest, very common and may lead to further damage or cancer of the esophagus if untreated.

Stages of Grief (Kubler-Ross Model) - Progression of emotional states experienced by both terminally ill patients after diagnosis and by loved-ones after a death. The five stages are chronologically: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. The stages vary in duration depending on the person and not everyone experiences all five stages.

GI (Gastroenterology) - The branch of medicine focused on the digestive system.

Prilosec - Common Proton Pump Inhibitor that is used to treat GERD.

Lipase - Pancreatic enzyme (used in the digestion of food) in which it is elevated due to alcoholism, medications, pancreatic cancer, and other reasons.

Numbers Need to Treat - Average number of patients who need to be treated to prevent one additional bad outcome.

Colon Cancer - Cancer of the large intestine, at times may not be apparent until a perforation (hole in the colon) or bloody stool occurs.

Sepsis - A potentially life-threatening condition caused by the body's response to an infection.

Extubate - To remove the endotracheal tube (breathing tube) when someone is ventilated (on a breathing machine). May be removed as they are improving and no longer need it, or when the determination of brain death has been made to allow the patient to die.

Subdural Hemorrhage - Blood gathers between the inner layer of the dura mater and the arachnoid mater of the brain, generally related to trauma and may be life threatening.

Blood Culture - A critical lab that checks for blood infection from bacteria, yeast, and other microorganisms. Having a blood infection is a condition known as bacteremia.

Hospitalist - Medical Provider responsible for care of a patient admitted to the hospital.

CHF (Congestive Heart Failure) - Heart’s inability as a pump to maintain blood flow to meet the body's needs. Signs and symptoms often include shortness of breath and leg swelling.

Pneumonia - Infection of the lung, may be life threatening, usually due to bacteria, but may be fungal, chemical, or viral in nature.

“Crashing” - A slang term used to describe a patient who is doing poorly and may be imminently dying soon. May include severely low blood pressure, heart arrhythmias, or issues breathing as a few common examples.

8 on 13 off - Working 8 days in a row of 10 or 12 hour shifts, then having 13 days off. Often a 7 on 7 off schedule is common.

Scrubs

Patient Advocacy - Doing what is best for the patient in all facets of care provided.  Listening to and understanding their needs.

Renal Failure - May vary in severity from mild to “end-stage” kidney failure. May include leg swelling, feeling tired, vomiting, loss of appetite, or confusion. May require the person to be on dialysis.

Vancomycin - A very strong antibiotic used to treat a variety of infections, may be used intravenously or by mouth.

Drug Trough - The lowest concentration reached by a drug before the next dose is administered, often used in therapeutic drug monitoring.

Tenements

TB (Tuberculosis) - An infectious disease often caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Affects the lungs, but can also affect other parts of the body.

Great Depression Era

Aflotoxin Aspergillus Flavum Mold - A fungal toxin that commonly contaminates corn and other types of crops during production, harvest, storage or processing that may cause cancer.

PA (Physician Assistant) - Providers who practice medicine on teams with Physicians and other healthcare workers. They examine, diagnose, and treat patients autonomously and as part of a team in all various specialties of medicine. On average a Master's level degree of education.

MA (Medical Assistant) – A health professional that works along side a medical team in an inpatient or outpatient setting.

NP (Nurse Practitioner) - A nurse practitioner is trained to assess patient needs, order and interpret diagnostic and laboratory tests, diagnose illness and disease, prescribe medication and formulate treatment plans. They may work in a solo practice independently or they may work within part of a hospital system. They graduate from a Master's or Doctorate level medical program.

OR (Operating Room) - Where surgeries take place.

Reimbursement - Payment for care provided.

Medicare - Government provided healthcare insurance to those over 65, young people with disabilities, and people with end stage renal disease.

On-Call - Being ready and available to go into the hospital to provide patient care or answer medical questions while being away from the hospital/clinic.

Insulin - Hormone the pancreas produces to help metabolize food for absorption and often either does not work or is not produced in diabetics, thus they may need external insulin.

Scribe - Entry level medical personnel responsible for charting medical provider-patient encounters in real time, such as during medical examinations to assist the person in seeing more patients over a time frame.

Homeopathy - A medical system with it’s foundation believing that the body can cure itself or with the use of tiny amounts of natural substances, like plants and minerals.

Pulmonology - A medical specialty that deals with diseases involving the respiratory tract.

Human Genome Project

Neurology - The area of medicine focused on the nervous system.  This includes the nerves, brain, and spine.

Psychology - The science focused on personal behavior and the mind, including conscious and unconscious process, as well as feeling and thought.

MCAT (Medical College Admissions Test) - Standardized test used for students trying to get into Medical School.

Meharry Medical School

CVA (Cerebral Vascular Assault, Stroke) – Possible permanent damage to the brain from a loss of blood flow from either rupture of a blood vessel or obstruction from a tumor, clot, plaque, etc.

9 to 5

Tootsie

Each and every episode of Maybe Medical is for educational purposes only, not to be taken as medical advice.  The opinions of those involved are of their own and not representative of their employer.