Tag: burnout

Paul Thomas Paul Thomas (3 Posts)

Contributing Writer Emeritus

Wayne State University School of Medicine


Critical thinker, photographer, and writer, Paul Thomas has an unquenchable thirst for knowledge and understanding. He studied biology and bioethics at Michigan State and is finishing his medical degree at Wayne State. His clinical skills have been enhanced by serving the uninsured in Detroit and by learning from patients with unique challenges.

Recently, Paul has been trying to cure a severe case of wanderlust — cross country road trips and backpacking adventures have thus far been unsuccessful. He once came in second place in a three-legged race, which both cemented his status as a good team player and reminded him of his own fallibility. He blogs, he tweets, and he holds merit badges in astronomy and motorboating.




Stress Management in Medicine

Editor’s note: This article was originally published here by contributing writer Paul Thomas. Stress in medicine is a topic that often comes up in the medical literature, in the popular press and in our own interpersonal experiences. But what does stress management look like for a young physician in training? And what are large health systems doing to promote stress management among their employees? This week, I had the good fortune of attending a one-hour session on …

Barriers to Mindfulness in Med School

The life of a medical student is a rapid succession of lectures, small group sessions, exams, clinical experiences, workshops, meetings, eat, sleep, rinse and repeat. As such, there has never been a more perfect time to stop and smell the roses. Seriously. As described in the blossoming literature, mindfulness techniques quite literally offer the opportunity to stop, breath, and take in the present moment -– roses, exams and all. Mindfulness is the nonjudgmental observation and …

Defining Mindfulness in Med School

Listen carefully and you may hear the whispers that mindfulness is becoming yet another buzzword in medicine, following in the steps of “cultural competency,” “narrative medicine,” and the like. It is trendy among its niche and it is being compelled into the curriculum of med schools across Canada and the United States in the hopes of creating a generation of physicians who haven’t burnt out by their ten-year reunions. Yeah, I’ve heard of mindfulness, but what is it, really? …

Nicole Perkes Nicole Perkes (3 Posts)

Contributing Writer Emeritus

University of British Columbia Faculty of Medicine


Nicole is a Class of 2015 medical student at the University of British Columbia, Canada, who enjoys the unique perspective her bachelor's of tourism management provides her in medicine.