The “Email Yourself” Reflection Habit
Micro Reflections Promote Mindfulness
At the end of each clinic day, send yourself a short email listing 3 patients who taught you something new. It might be a unique presentation, a clever question, or a reminder of compassion. Over time, these micro reflections form a record of growth and a reminder of why dermatology remains endlessly fascinating. This ritual fosters mindfulness, combats burnout, and keeps curiosity alive amid busy practice life.
Ronald Vender, MD | Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Tie One on for Size
If the needle breaks off during a running suture near the end of your suturing, consider tying another suture to it like a knitting job so you do not have to start over.
Jo Herzog, MD | Vestavia Hills, AL
No Free Lunch
I recently attended a talk by Dr Christopher Bunick and realized my joint issues of 8 months’ duration were from dupilumab. Now, when introducing my patients to biologics and Janus kinase inhibitors, I tell them, “They are safer than anything we have had in the past but still there is no such thing as a free lunch.” This is what my friend of over 40 years, rheumatologist Dr Arthur Kavanaugh, texted me after I told him about this adverse side effect.
David Gross, MD | Saint Augustine, FL
Treating Delusions of Parasitosis
When treating a patient with delusional parasitosis, I believe giving them an “out” for their friends and family is equal in importance to medication, so I discuss their issue as “surface fibromyalgia” and emphasize that trifluoperazine is 1/40th the psychiatric dose. These patients will not accept being considered psychiatric patients even though their condition is most likely a low-grade delusional state.
Joseph Jorizzo, MD | Winston-Salem, NC
