Annual Assembly
This is my second AAHPM-HPNA conference and I have gravitated to the Wounded Healer talk both years. The care and treatments we provide to our patients and loved ones, can take a toll on us as providers. But as Henri Nouwen states our woundedness we can become a source of life for others. I provide … Read moreA Quiet Place and Labyrinth Room 215
Some time ago, my AAHPM teammate (and social media maven) Jennifer Bose asked me if I’d write a blog post on my experience at the Assembly today. I’d be lying if said I was anything less than brimming with excitement about the prospect. You see, this is my second Assembly as a member of the … Read morePOTENTIAL ENERGY. ACTIVATION. KINETIC ENERGY.
The release today of the 3rd edition of the NCP Guidelines was a wonderful occasion for everyone involved in palliative care, but especially for chaplains. While the palliative care model emphasizes all four dimensions of care- physical, emotional, social and spiritual, it is often the case that the spiritual dimension is neglected in practice. As … Read moreRelease of NCP Guidelines, 3rd edition
I was sitting in the airport ready to board the plane to New Orleans yesterday and felt ill. OMG I realized I had been masking several symptoms for over a week. This was my first trip to NOLA I couldn’t be sick! Quickly I started web surfing for urgent cares and pharmacies near the Convention … Read moreFeeling Sick?
As I write this post, the AAHPM & HPNA Annual Assembly hasn’t officially started, but I learned important lessons in leadership today. Some I anticipated – others were unexpected – but when I reflect on my day, here’s one that sticks with me (I will share another soon). I had the opportunity to sit in … Read moreBehind the Scenes: Lessons in Leadership, Part I: Dancing with Doctors
You’re Not Just a Doctor Anymore: The New Art of Leadership is a pre-conference workshop I had the pleasure to attend. Everything you didn’t learn in medical and nursing school you learn from Kevin O’Connor, is how it all started. Mr. O’Conner led with a metaphor that informed and shaped the content for 5 hour … Read moreJust One More Degree
Over the next few days, more than 2,400 physicians, nurses and other healthcare professionals will be descending upon “The Big Easy.” This doesn’t include exhibitors, guests and staff members who will also join us for all or some of the program. Preparations for this conference starts more than a year in advance and onsite staging … Read moreBehind the Scenes: Setting the Stage for the AAHPM & HPNA Annual Assembly
Soon over 2,400 people will be arriving in New Orleans for the AAHPM & HPNA Annual Assembly. While the attendees will be traveling to The Big Easy for the inspiring and captivating education sessions it would be hard to deny that many attendees are excited to get to explore the amazing city and all that … Read moreNew Orleans- Here we come
It seems innocuous, but the term ‘dual diagnosis’ describes a very complicated subset of patients — those who have a substance use disorder as well as a primary psychiatric disorder (anything from depression to schizophrenia). Throw a serious medical illness into the mix, and you have a recipe for one very overwhelmed palliative care physician. … Read moreDual Diagnosis, aka Substance Abuse, Mental Illness, and Palliative Care
You’ve all been there – the elderly couple shuffles into your office, peering through oversize glasses, slightly disoriented but helping each other out. Did you ever stop to think how they got to your office? They almost certainly drove – but should they? Shouldn’t it be their children’s job to tell them to stop?? Focus … Read moreDriving Miss Daisy