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
Has this happened to you? Your elderly patient can’t sleep their last night in the hospital before being discharged home with hospice care so the on-call physician orders a sedative-hypnotic. When the patient becomes confused and agitated, a CT scan of the head is ordered. Or how about this one: Your patient with stage IV … Read moreChoosing Wisely in Hospice and Palliative Medicine
In my very first week as a home hospice physician, my mentor, a veteran home hospice doctor told me, “Start a feel-good file. It’s important.” I nodded in agreement, mentally documenting new EHR passwords and the location of the bathroom. I think about the words “feel-good file” often. Honestly, I once found it to be … Read moreThe Feel-Good File
Since 2010, I have been actively engaged The Personal Caring Initiative at Mayo Clinic Health System and I have given a lot of thought to the future of caring for seriously ill people and spent many hours in front of diverse audiences talking about health care and palliative care. Most recently, I have created a … Read moreA Paradigm Shift in Medicine