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Articles by Alyssa Ehrlich
Why mindfulness fails to cure existential anxiety
For the past several decades, Western spiritual culture has been profoundly shaped by the rebranding of Buddhist contemplative practices (mindfulness, presence, and the exaltation of “the now”). As a psychiatrist, I have witnessed the arrival of this movement inside the consultation room. Patients arrive quoting teachers, apps, and books urging them to stay present, to watch their breath, to release attachment to the future or past. Many have tried, often earnestly and courageously.
When ASL Interpreters Transform Doctor-Patient Relationships
When I walked into the exam room, Sarah, a 17-year-old girl, sat quietly beside her mother. As we began speaking, it became clear that there was an invisible barrier to our communication. Sarah is deaf, and her primary language is American Sign Language (ASL). Until then, her mother, who speaks Spanish and limited ASL, had always interpreted for her during doctor’s visits because no doctor had provided an ASL interpreter. As a result, Sarah had never experienced a direct conversation with a doctor.
Bringing Pulmonary Rehab Home
As a pulmonary and critical care physician, I see patients every day struggling to breathe. Chronic lung diseases like COPD are relentless, robbing people of their independence, mobility, and, in many cases, their will to keep fighting. Many of these diseases are incurable, progressing over time and leaving patients with debilitating symptoms and a reduced quality of life.
5 Things I Wish I'd Known About Switching Specialties from Internal Medicine to Psychiatry
Like many medical students, I entered residency eager to make a difference. I chose internal medicine for the intellectual stimulation and the ability to give and prescribe medications that could directly improve patients’ health. But over time, I realized something was missing. My path took an unexpected turn during the COVID-19 pandemic, and by my second year of residency, I knew psychiatry was where I belonged. Switching specialties is daunting — logistically, emotionally, and professionally.
How to Become a Clinical Master: Screw Up
In medical school, I found myself captivated by the seemingly effortless excellence of veteran clinicians. These "master" physicians consistently arrived at optimal decisions with an almost supernatural intuition. Burning with curiosity, I approached one such master and asked the question that had long simmered in my mind: "How does one achieve this level of clinical mastery?" His response – "decades of screwing up" – initially jarred me with its brutal honesty.
7 proven strategies to beat test anxiety and ace the USMLE
Test anxiety is a prevalent challenge among medical students, particularly when facing the USMLE—a crucial exam that can shape the trajectory of your medical career. While anxiety can fuel your drive to excel, it can also become a debilitating cycle of “what-ifs” that hampers success. Here’s how to transform anxiety from a foe to an ally, ensuring you perform at your peak during these pivotal exams: 1. Recognize the role of anxiety. Accept that a certain level of anxiety can be a motivating force.
This medical student scored a 281 on the USMLE Step 2 CK. You can, too
Once a minor hurdle on the road to Match Day, the USMLE Step 2 CK is now required by many residency programs before ranking applicants. For those with low Step 1 scores, Step 2 CK is even more critical, as it represents a student’s only opportunity to compensate for Step 1 performance. I was happy with my Step 1 score but planned to take Step 2 CK well before applying for internal medicine residency and ultimately pursue a highly competitive subspecialty, gastroenterology.
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