Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/1485806
20 PATIENT & CAREGIVER EXPERIENCE Q: What has been your biggest accomplishment? HT: One of my most memorable accomplishments as a physician was solving the "Sleeping Beauties" case. My colleague and I were presented with two young girls; they would repeatedly go in and out of coma and this had been going on for months. Twenty or so other physicians at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center could not figure out what was wrong despite extensive testing. We decided to take a step back, look at all known factors in the case, and I soon realized that this was likely a case of barbiturate poisoning by the mother. I ordered additional blood work which, sure enough, confirmed my theory. While this discovery received widespread recognition and press in the early 1960s, I am always delighted when I can make a difficult diagnosis and ultimately help the patient. In addition to becoming a physician in 1947, I also received my law degree and passed the Ohio bar exam in 1989 at 67 years old, which I'm extremely proud of. I've always been fascinated by law and was inspired to get my degree aer three of my children became lawyers. I'm also intrigued by medical-legal cases and continue to act as an expert medical witness for various cases. I've been blessed that I can continue practicing and doing the things I love. Q: What advice do you have for young physicians or those who are interested in pursuing a career in healthcare? HT: In addition to taking a thorough history and thinking through a case before jumping right to ordering a scan, my advice for young physicians and those interested in pursuing a career in healthcare would be to stay current on new treatments and medical literature, but take caution to not be the first to prescribe a relatively new drug or therapy. ere are so many advancements occurring in medicine each day; it is extremely important to wait until a sufficient amount of evidence regarding potential complications is presented before deciding to move forward with a treatment. Also, go into medicine for the right reasons; make sure it is something you absolutely love. n Medscape: 52% of female physicians don't feel fairly compensated By Cailey Gleeson F ifty-two percent of female physicians don't feel fairly compensated compared to their male counterparts, Medscape's "Female Physician Compensation Report 2022" found. The report, published Oct. 14, was based on collection for Medscape's wider "Physician Compensation Report" between Oct. 15, 2021, and Jan. 19. Key findings: • Compensation rose for female primary care physicians by 8.1 percent and for specialists by 8.5 percent. • Female physicians at office-based single-specialty group practices earned the most, $304,000 annually. • Outpatient clinic female physicians earned the least, $241,000 annually. • Only 6 percent of female physicians have a net worth over $1 million compared to 14 percent of male physicians. n 64% of disabled physicians report mistreatment from patients, co-workers By Erica Carbajal P hysicians with a disability are significantly more likely to report mistreatment from patients and co-workers, according to a study published in the October edition of Health Affairs. Researchers affiliated with the Association of American Medical Colleges, the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and the University of Texas in Austin surveyed 5,851 practicing physicians from the Association of American Medical Colleges' national sample. Of the 3.1 percent of respondents who self-identified as disabled, 64 percent said that in the last 12 months, they had experienced at least one form of mistreatment — physical harm or threats of physical harm, unwanted sexual advances or offensive comments regarding the respondent's gender, sexual orientation, race and ethnicity, disability or personal beliefs — from patients or co-workers. Other statistics from the study: • Nearly 40 percent of disabled physicians report unwanted sexual advances from patients, compared to 16.4 percent of physicians who are not disabled. • Nearly 40 percent of disabled physicians report being threatened with physical harm, compared to 22.6 percent of physicians who are not disabled. • More than 26 percent of disabled physicians have been physically harmed by patients, compared to 5.3 percent of physicians who are not disabled. • Nearly 29 percent of disabled physicians report hearing offensive remarks related to a disability from patients and co-workers. Almost 4 percent of physicians who are not disabled report the same from patients, and 3.5 percent report these remarks from co-workers. • Disabled physicians were 12 percent more likely than their peers who are not disabled to report racist remarks from patients, and 16.6 percent more likely to report them from co-workers. n