ahaagsma's blog

I have to admit that the comics page is my favorite page in the daily newspaper. My current favorite is Agnes. The other day I was checking out the day’s Monty, another daily strip that I enjoy. The Monty character was saying, “I will be vaccinated soon. Life will return to normal. . . . And I’ll have wasted all this COVID time!” I sat up when in the next frame the character said, “Shakespeare wrote King Lear during the plague . . . Newton discovered . . . uh . . . something important.” I was out of my seat to check this out in Wikipedia.

Reports of physician burnout are increasing as BC doctors work to meet the unprecedented demands generated by the COVID-19 pandemic. But what does burnout look like? How do you recognize the early warning signs so you can take steps to prevent it? And where do doctors go for help?

In the latest episode of DocTalks, psychiatrist Dr Jennifer Russel and family doctor Dr Lawrence Yang share their perspectives about how burnout affects doctors, how to recognize it, and what steps to take to minimize the impact. 

There are 60 school districts in BC, with 1578 public and 364 independent (some private) schools, filled with about 555 000 students. I set out to learn which of these schools are named after a physician and, with a great deal of help from librarians at the BC College of Physicians and Surgeons, I tracked down eight schools in BC named after a medical doctor to honor their memory and inspire students and staff. We may have missed some schools because, as in the case of Carson Graham Secondary School in North Vancouver, the Dr appellation may not be included in the name.

Shortly after I started medical school, friends and family members began asking me questions about their health, as if my acceptance into medical school had granted me automatic knowledge to interpret lab tests, give opinions about prescription medications, and diagnose diseases. At first I was uncomfortable with these questions because I didn’t know the answers. As I progressed through medical school, my uncertainty in these situations diminished and I felt more confident in my answers, at least until COVID-19 appeared. 

I often witnessed the most heartwarming sight while doing my weekly post–hip replacement rehab exercises on a stationary bike next to a window at the West Vancouver Community Centre. Little kids, probably 3 or 4 years old, happily and with visible eagerness holding onto their father’s hand as they were coming into the building, probably for a bit of swimming or some playful exercise. Recalling my pleasure at seeing such lovely examples of father-and-child bonding, I thought I would write a blog article for Father’s Day.