Encounters — A medical student and a patient help each other hold on just a bit longer

05/13/19 • 5 min

In this narrative, Dr. Calvin Santiago, who was a medical student at Queen’s University at the time, describes an encounter with a patient who was at peace with stopping his treatment. The essay won the 2017 Undergraduate Narrative Award for Palliative Medicine. Dr. Santiago is now a first-year neurology resident at the University of Toronto.He wrote a Humanities Encounters article published in CMAJ called "Three."To read the article: www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.190091-----------------------------------Music: Earnest by Kevin MacLeod, YouTube audio library-----------------------------------For more stories like this one, get your copy of CMAJ’s Encounters Book. This anthology of prose and poetry of some 100 Canadian authors including Drs. David Goldbloom, Shane Neilson, Allan Peterkin and Monica Kidd, has been specially curated and includes a study guide. shop.cma.ca/products/encounters-----------------------------------Subscribe to CMAJ Podcasts on Apple Podcasts, iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Overcast, Instacast, or your favourite app. You can also follow us directly on our SoundCloud page or you can visit www.cmaj.ca/page/multimedia/podcasts.

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Physician suicide

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In this interview, Dr. Joy Albuquerque and Dr. Sarah Tulk talk about physician suicide, the only cause of death more common in physicians than the general public. They discuss factors that can lead to suicide and suicidal ideation (such as regulatory complaints, mental illness, culture in medicine), and they talk about what can be done to prevent this occupational health hazard. They also discuss how suicidal physicians face unique barriers to care, including concerns regarding confidentiality and discrimination.Dr. Joy Albuquerque is a psychiatrist in Toronto and medical director of the Ontario Medical Association’s physician health program. Dr. Sarah Tulk is a family physician in Milton, Ontario. She has written multiple blogs for CMAJ Blogs, such as https://cmajblogs.com/physician-mental-health-why-we-need-to-share-our-stories-of-struggle-and-success/ They co-authored a practice article published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal. Full article: www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.181687-----------------------------------Where to get help:Provincial physician health program: https://www.cma.ca/provincial-physician-health-program Canada Suicide Prevention Service: 1-833-456-4566 (Phone) | 45645 (Text) | crisisservicescanada.ca (Chat)In Quebec (French): Association québécoise de prévention du suicide: 1-866-APPELLE (1-866-277-3553)-----------------------------------Subscribe to CMAJ Podcasts on Apple Podcasts, iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Overcast, Instacast, or your favourite aggregator. You can also follow us directly on our SoundCloud page or you can visit www.cmaj.ca/page/multimedia/podcasts.

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Encounters — A physician struggles to thank her neurosurgeon

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In this narrative, Dr. Debra Hamer reflects back on brain surgery she had many years ago, before she became a physician and a mother. She tries to find closure and get to a place of gratitude. Dr. Hamer is an assistant professor and psychiatrist at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario.She wrote a Humanities Encounters article published in CMAJ called "A letter to my neurosurgeon."To read the article: www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.181526-----------------------------------Music: A Nostalgic Place, YouTube audio library-----------------------------------For more stories like this one, get your copy of CMAJ’s Encounters Book. This anthology of prose and poetry of some 100 Canadian authors including Drs. David Goldbloom, Shane Neilson, Allan Peterkin and Monica Kidd, has been specially curated and includes a study guide. shop.cma.ca/products/encounters-----------------------------------Subscribe to CMAJ Podcasts on Apple Podcasts, iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Overcast, Instacast, or your favourite app. You can also follow us directly on our SoundCloud page or you can visit www.cmaj.ca/page/multimedia/podcasts.