There’s been a good deal of attention recently on the graying of the medical workforce, but at the other chronological end, millennials (by some influential definitions, adults born after 1982) are also having a major impact on medicine, constituting as they do, anything from a quarter to a half of physicians in certain [...]

The nurses in the corridor outside O.R. 6 could hear it, and when they heard it they cringed: the voice of Dr. Cliff D. in full explosion. “You take out the retractor because I tell you to!” Indistinct reply. Dr. D. again, louder: “Oh, for God’s sake!” Another reply, also indistinct. Dr. D.: “Gita, I run this show ‘til we’re [...]

There’s nothing wrong with one or two drinks after work. Or is there? As I write about substance abuse concerns for us physicians, I could have easily started with worst-case scenarios, or cautionary tales. Some of the risks of alcohol use have been known for decades, if not centuries. But what about moderate use? When does [...]

When it comes to the behavior of physicians, the lines between what’s appropriate, what’s merely inappropriate and what is genuinely disruptive are not always easy to draw. Here’s how the Model Medical Staff Code of Conduct, developed by the Organized Medical Staff Section (OMSS) of the American Medical Association, explains [...]

Discussing the need to deal with disruptive behavior on the part of physicians, one of the most prominent researchers in the field, H. Alan Rosenstein, MD, writes: "The greatest potential for success in the intervention process is to intervene before a disruptive event actually occurs. Once an event occurs the damage is [...]

When a physician engages in disruptive behavior, defined by the AMA as “verbal or nonverbal conduct that harms or intimidates others to the extent that quality of care or patient safety could be compromised,” the ripple effect of the behavior can be extreme and the results quite dire, according to studies.1

Today is #GivingTuesday! Giving Tuesday is a global day of giving. Celebrated on the Tuesday following Thanksgiving (in the U.S.) and the widely recognized shopping events Black Friday and Cyber Monday, Giving Tuesday kicks off the charitable season, when many focus on their holiday and end-of-year giving. Today, in honor of [...]

When Physicians Lash Out Medicine is a high-pressure environment. It’s also an ongoing-learning environment where more experienced physicians are expected to show younger colleagues best practices and share their expertise with colleagues in allied fields, like nursing. Sometimes the high-stakes, high-speed, life-or-death [...]

Workplace Bullying We have all heard stories about workplace bullying, and many have experienced some type of bullying in their lifetime. In a 2017 study from the Workplace Bullying Institute, 60.3 million workers have been affected by bullying.