I really, REALLY hate to have a fan page on Facebook. To me, it feels kinda schmaltzy; like, I’m limited to the number of friends, but fans? Hey, they’re just numbers. Well, I don’t think of any of my connections as just a number. Rather, I think of pretty much everyone I’ve ever met as a friend.
Yet, Facebook makes the rules. And the rules say no more than 5000 friends on a single page, unless it’s a fan page. So, I created one.
If you’re so inclined, please go to my fan page at:
www.FaceBook.com/MarcusEngelSpeaker
I’d love to be able to transfer all my connections over to this fan page and communicate just as actively with it. Until then, thanks to ALL my friends, fans and connections!
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Sunday, January 16, 2011
The Value Of Associations
For the last week or two, I've been doing a good deal of health care marketing. Typically, this is to let individuals and organizations know of my services and products for the health care community.
Today, while culling through a list of nursing orgs in California, I was struck by just how much time and effort is put into associations that help promote, well, whatever the association promotes. I ran through list upon list of nurses and health care professionals who not only put in their typical 40 hour week at their job, but who also donate an extraordinary amount of time to perfecting their skills. For me, this is where the true expounding of one's skills lies. I belong to probably five or six associations of speakers and professionals. Not only do I learn as much from these orgs as I can on my own, but it comes into my brain at a fascinating rate. I'd not be half the professional as I am today were it not for the professional orgs of which I'm a member.
What about you? Do you simply put in your hours? Or do you try to improve yourself by associating with like-minded professionals? If the answer is the prior, I hope you'll consider joining an org to help you retain your current skills, build new ones and help create a more a more competent, compassionate professional.
Today, while culling through a list of nursing orgs in California, I was struck by just how much time and effort is put into associations that help promote, well, whatever the association promotes. I ran through list upon list of nurses and health care professionals who not only put in their typical 40 hour week at their job, but who also donate an extraordinary amount of time to perfecting their skills. For me, this is where the true expounding of one's skills lies. I belong to probably five or six associations of speakers and professionals. Not only do I learn as much from these orgs as I can on my own, but it comes into my brain at a fascinating rate. I'd not be half the professional as I am today were it not for the professional orgs of which I'm a member.
What about you? Do you simply put in your hours? Or do you try to improve yourself by associating with like-minded professionals? If the answer is the prior, I hope you'll consider joining an org to help you retain your current skills, build new ones and help create a more a more competent, compassionate professional.
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Ozzy Obscenity
I should be finished reading Ozzy Osbourn's autobio later today. Ya wouldn't think that a book about the prince of darkness rocker would have anything related to health care, but it does!
K, picture it...the mid to late 90s. And AIDS. News about AIDS is just everywhere. Reader's Digest, sitting on the tank of my parents' toilet, had an article entitled, "AIDS: Is Anyone Safe?" Every homosexual was suspect, no matter their sex. Diabetics had eyebrows raised because, hey, who knows? Maybe those really aren't insulin syringes. Maybe it's heroin. And everyone shooting heroin obviously has AIDS, right? Well, 20 years later, we know that there is a correlation between AIDS and high risk behavoir, but we no longer think anyone and everyone is living with AIDS or HIV. But, again, think back to those fearful times...
Ozzy, having just gone on a tour and after consistently having unprotected sex with all kinds of groupies, learns of this HIV and AIDS phenomenon. He smartly chooses to have himself tested. Doctor takes his blood and it's a week before the results come back. When Ozzy goes in to get the results, the doctor says, "Well, the good news is that you don't have the clap, herpes or any of the usual sexually transmitted diseases. The bad news is that you're HIV positive." Never mind he's the prince of darkness and the evil persona that is Ozzy...he does what anyone would do: breaks down crying with the knowledge his days are limited.
Then, the doctor's phone rings. After a short conversation, the doc turns back to the Oz Man and says there's been some confusion. His tests did not actually come back as HIV positive, but rather inconclusive. They'd have to do another test and wait another week for the results.
Can you even imagine the emotions that go along with being told you've got a death sentence? Then, whoops! My bad! J/K! You may not die, but I'm going to keep you in limbo for another week until we know for sure.Just hearing this made me sick to my stomach about how this could happen with any patient. It really speaks to the health care professional doing his/her homework before sharing info with a patient. Even if it's as something as a hormone test, a patient doesn't want incorrect news. Inconclusive results with a repeat test is bad enough, but incorrect info? There's just no excuse. And when it's as frightening as AIDS and HIV were in the 80s, that's just pathetic.
So, what was the reason behind this? Ozzy had been doing so many substances that his immune system was no longer functioning. Like, at all. Hence, inconclusive blood tests...but again, inconclusive is one thing, handing someone their death cert is quite another.
Before sharing bad info with patients, check, double check and triple check the information. That emotional dip issomething no patient should have to walk through because of your mistake.
K, picture it...the mid to late 90s. And AIDS. News about AIDS is just everywhere. Reader's Digest, sitting on the tank of my parents' toilet, had an article entitled, "AIDS: Is Anyone Safe?" Every homosexual was suspect, no matter their sex. Diabetics had eyebrows raised because, hey, who knows? Maybe those really aren't insulin syringes. Maybe it's heroin. And everyone shooting heroin obviously has AIDS, right? Well, 20 years later, we know that there is a correlation between AIDS and high risk behavoir, but we no longer think anyone and everyone is living with AIDS or HIV. But, again, think back to those fearful times...
Ozzy, having just gone on a tour and after consistently having unprotected sex with all kinds of groupies, learns of this HIV and AIDS phenomenon. He smartly chooses to have himself tested. Doctor takes his blood and it's a week before the results come back. When Ozzy goes in to get the results, the doctor says, "Well, the good news is that you don't have the clap, herpes or any of the usual sexually transmitted diseases. The bad news is that you're HIV positive." Never mind he's the prince of darkness and the evil persona that is Ozzy...he does what anyone would do: breaks down crying with the knowledge his days are limited.
Then, the doctor's phone rings. After a short conversation, the doc turns back to the Oz Man and says there's been some confusion. His tests did not actually come back as HIV positive, but rather inconclusive. They'd have to do another test and wait another week for the results.
Can you even imagine the emotions that go along with being told you've got a death sentence? Then, whoops! My bad! J/K! You may not die, but I'm going to keep you in limbo for another week until we know for sure.Just hearing this made me sick to my stomach about how this could happen with any patient. It really speaks to the health care professional doing his/her homework before sharing info with a patient. Even if it's as something as a hormone test, a patient doesn't want incorrect news. Inconclusive results with a repeat test is bad enough, but incorrect info? There's just no excuse. And when it's as frightening as AIDS and HIV were in the 80s, that's just pathetic.
So, what was the reason behind this? Ozzy had been doing so many substances that his immune system was no longer functioning. Like, at all. Hence, inconclusive blood tests...but again, inconclusive is one thing, handing someone their death cert is quite another.
Before sharing bad info with patients, check, double check and triple check the information. That emotional dip issomething no patient should have to walk through because of your mistake.
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Soothing Trauma
This is probably breaking all kinda HIPAA rules, but here goes anyway...
A few weeks ago, my wife and I were out of town on a biz trip. While heading into Target to grab a couple road items, Marvelyne suddenly started experiencing abdominal pain. Now, my wife is tough as nails and does not complain. So, when the first words out of her mouth were, "I need to get to a doctor", I knew there was no messing around.
Off to urgent care, but urgent care suggested a CT scan. Off to the E.R. where we spent the next four hours. Seriously, E.R.s of the world, run a tighter ship. But, I digress...
After her CT scan showed up clear, her pain subsided and the docs couldn't find the cause of the earlier pain, she was released to go to our temporary Doubletree home.
If you've never been in an emergency room, consider yourself lucky. VERY lucky. No matter what your ailment, these days, it seems like three hour minimums are the norm in the E.R.Yet, with all the hustle and bustle and trauma and weirdness of the E.R., there was a single oasis: Marvelyne's doc.
He came in, sat down next to her gurney and leaned in to converse. His tone was never much more than a low breath, his words came slow and compassion just oozed from the man. Even in the craziness that is the E.R., his tone and demeanor neutralized everything except the patient, the doc and the ailment.
Is this helpful? Absolutely. Is it even MORE helpful when the patients the doc usually treats are in traumatic situations? Double absolutely.
His tone did so much to calm our fears; just by speaking quietly and slowly and sitting down. We weren't just a couple of yahoos who were in for no reason. We'd endured some terrible and unexpected and immediate pains. Well, SHE had, at least.Yet, the scary fears associated with the E.R. were negated by one person's ability to communicate effectively.
A few weeks ago, my wife and I were out of town on a biz trip. While heading into Target to grab a couple road items, Marvelyne suddenly started experiencing abdominal pain. Now, my wife is tough as nails and does not complain. So, when the first words out of her mouth were, "I need to get to a doctor", I knew there was no messing around.
Off to urgent care, but urgent care suggested a CT scan. Off to the E.R. where we spent the next four hours. Seriously, E.R.s of the world, run a tighter ship. But, I digress...
After her CT scan showed up clear, her pain subsided and the docs couldn't find the cause of the earlier pain, she was released to go to our temporary Doubletree home.
If you've never been in an emergency room, consider yourself lucky. VERY lucky. No matter what your ailment, these days, it seems like three hour minimums are the norm in the E.R.Yet, with all the hustle and bustle and trauma and weirdness of the E.R., there was a single oasis: Marvelyne's doc.
He came in, sat down next to her gurney and leaned in to converse. His tone was never much more than a low breath, his words came slow and compassion just oozed from the man. Even in the craziness that is the E.R., his tone and demeanor neutralized everything except the patient, the doc and the ailment.
Is this helpful? Absolutely. Is it even MORE helpful when the patients the doc usually treats are in traumatic situations? Double absolutely.
His tone did so much to calm our fears; just by speaking quietly and slowly and sitting down. We weren't just a couple of yahoos who were in for no reason. We'd endured some terrible and unexpected and immediate pains. Well, SHE had, at least.Yet, the scary fears associated with the E.R. were negated by one person's ability to communicate effectively.
Sunday, September 26, 2010
The Whitest Of White Coats
Are you a little nerdy? I am! Got no probs admitting it, either!
One of my nerdy things is some lighter exploration of science, the brain, really anything. I don't want to get a Ph.D. in astrophysics or anything, but I like learning a little about a lot of different topics. One way I do this is through Radio Lab.
What's Radio Lab? A NPR program featuring two highly intelligent scientifically minded individuals. For one hour per week, they explore everything from the evolution of ancient practices in medicine, to the effects of love on the brain, to whether or not animals can reason like humans, just a wide variety of interesting topics. If you check out RadioLab.org, you'll also find a program on the placebo effect.
One of the hosts' father is a M.D. at a major university hospital. In observing his father, the host watched his father prepare to see patients in his office. One of his rituals was to open his closet, choose the whitest of a half dozen white coats hanging there and don it for the day. As the host said, there was a perceiveable change when his father put on his white medical coat. That change? Confidence and competence.
As they stepped into the hall, his first patient of the day, a woman, ran to the doc and hugged him. "I'm just so glad to see you," she murmured over and over. Her life had gotten out of control; family stuff, her health, etc. Just the sight of the doc in his lab coat was enough to cause her feelings of comfrt, that all was well now that her doc was in control.
This is exactly what the white coat SHOULD communicate. A physician who is compassionate, comforting, competent and confident. After all, a patient is giving up his/her control of their health as soon as the doc walks in.
But what about if the doc does NOT communicate compassion and competence? Could the reverse happen? Absolutely...and this is why, I feel, docs owe it to their colleagues to practice compassionate care. Is it unfair to think a physician's moment of frustration or weakness could tarnish the entire field of medical docs, at least in the mind of a single patient? Sure it is...and that doesn't change the reality.
Yet another reason docs should take a moment to put on a coat of compassionate, not just the identifier of their position.
One of my nerdy things is some lighter exploration of science, the brain, really anything. I don't want to get a Ph.D. in astrophysics or anything, but I like learning a little about a lot of different topics. One way I do this is through Radio Lab.
What's Radio Lab? A NPR program featuring two highly intelligent scientifically minded individuals. For one hour per week, they explore everything from the evolution of ancient practices in medicine, to the effects of love on the brain, to whether or not animals can reason like humans, just a wide variety of interesting topics. If you check out RadioLab.org, you'll also find a program on the placebo effect.
One of the hosts' father is a M.D. at a major university hospital. In observing his father, the host watched his father prepare to see patients in his office. One of his rituals was to open his closet, choose the whitest of a half dozen white coats hanging there and don it for the day. As the host said, there was a perceiveable change when his father put on his white medical coat. That change? Confidence and competence.
As they stepped into the hall, his first patient of the day, a woman, ran to the doc and hugged him. "I'm just so glad to see you," she murmured over and over. Her life had gotten out of control; family stuff, her health, etc. Just the sight of the doc in his lab coat was enough to cause her feelings of comfrt, that all was well now that her doc was in control.
This is exactly what the white coat SHOULD communicate. A physician who is compassionate, comforting, competent and confident. After all, a patient is giving up his/her control of their health as soon as the doc walks in.
But what about if the doc does NOT communicate compassion and competence? Could the reverse happen? Absolutely...and this is why, I feel, docs owe it to their colleagues to practice compassionate care. Is it unfair to think a physician's moment of frustration or weakness could tarnish the entire field of medical docs, at least in the mind of a single patient? Sure it is...and that doesn't change the reality.
Yet another reason docs should take a moment to put on a coat of compassionate, not just the identifier of their position.
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Got Any Good Book Reccos?
In a few days, yours truly will be sitting in an office at an Ivy League university, chatting with faculty of a grad school about continuing my education. I'm looking into a highly specialized form of health care that'll help me do an even better job on the platform, in my writing, anything you associate with your ol' pal, Marcus.
If I'm accepted into the program, and if all the cosmos align properly, I'll start the year long master's work in about a year. In the meantime...I need your help.
First, since I haven't been a student for, oh, 10 years, I need to get back in the swing o' things. So, do you have any health care book reccomendations you'd like to share? Anything from the patient/caregiver element to systems and institutional/organizational psychology? Anything?
Second, If you know of funding sources for grad schools, I'd love to hear of them! Scholarships, grants, work for hire by Marcus Engel-I'm all about the creative ways we can make this happen! Thanks, friends!
If I'm accepted into the program, and if all the cosmos align properly, I'll start the year long master's work in about a year. In the meantime...I need your help.
First, since I haven't been a student for, oh, 10 years, I need to get back in the swing o' things. So, do you have any health care book reccomendations you'd like to share? Anything from the patient/caregiver element to systems and institutional/organizational psychology? Anything?
Second, If you know of funding sources for grad schools, I'd love to hear of them! Scholarships, grants, work for hire by Marcus Engel-I'm all about the creative ways we can make this happen! Thanks, friends!
Friday, August 27, 2010
Spells and Some Awesome Ideas From Snyderman
I've just finished reading Dr. Nancy Snyderman's "Medical Myths." If you're not familiar, Dr. Snyderman is the health correspondent for one of the major television networks. Truth be told, I did not know this before starting her book; probably b/c I usually watch cable news. Anyway, I digress...
Dr. Snyderman told a story I think we should all heed. As a young med student in Omaha, Nebraska, a woman came into the emergency room at the teaching hospital where Snyderman was working. The female patient was middle aged and appeared healthy, for the most part. The patient filled out her paperwork, waited in the ER waiting room until she finally got her turn with the ER doc.
When the female patient spoke with the doc as the students looked on, she complained of the feel of ice in her back as she inhaled. A few other symptoms were discussed, but none were the classic symptoms of heart attack, stroke, diabetes and the woman had suffered no trauma. The physician asked the students what a possible diagnosis may be. Students called out several possibilities, but the doc dismissed all of them and said quietly, "She could just be hysterical."
Simply put, this doc thought the woman was a hypochondriac, or crazy, or attention seeking. The catch all phrase of "hysterical" was primarily used for women, further reinforcing the stereotype of women as unreasonable and afraid of everything (aren't you glad we've come a little further than that in society?) The ER doc gave the woman some Rolaids and the name of a gastro specialist then released her from the ER. The woman walked out of the hospital and dropped dead of a heart attack in the hospital parking lot.
What a fantastic teacher! And no, I'm not kidding! Is this a horrible tragedy? Most certainly it was. But, what a fabulous time for students to always know to be cognisant of symptoms...and not to disregard patient complaints as nothing IF those complaints don't fit a pattern.
Have you ever known someone like this ER doc? While there's a sick part of me that takes pleasure in knowing this doc had to eat a whole flock of crows, and while it wasn't his intention, he taught a fabulous, FABULOUS lesson. I'm sure many of us can think back to someone we disliked or disagreed with. I sure can think of a few! If you're like me, you may have even made a vow to do everything NOT to be like that person. I've gotta bet that Dr. Snyderman made that vow, too. It's certainly not worth the death of a medical mistake, but the lesson changed Dr. Snyderman. And she's hopefully inspired and influenced docs along the way...I know that reading "Medical Myths" certainly gave me a lot to think about.
Dr. Snyderman told a story I think we should all heed. As a young med student in Omaha, Nebraska, a woman came into the emergency room at the teaching hospital where Snyderman was working. The female patient was middle aged and appeared healthy, for the most part. The patient filled out her paperwork, waited in the ER waiting room until she finally got her turn with the ER doc.
When the female patient spoke with the doc as the students looked on, she complained of the feel of ice in her back as she inhaled. A few other symptoms were discussed, but none were the classic symptoms of heart attack, stroke, diabetes and the woman had suffered no trauma. The physician asked the students what a possible diagnosis may be. Students called out several possibilities, but the doc dismissed all of them and said quietly, "She could just be hysterical."
Simply put, this doc thought the woman was a hypochondriac, or crazy, or attention seeking. The catch all phrase of "hysterical" was primarily used for women, further reinforcing the stereotype of women as unreasonable and afraid of everything (aren't you glad we've come a little further than that in society?) The ER doc gave the woman some Rolaids and the name of a gastro specialist then released her from the ER. The woman walked out of the hospital and dropped dead of a heart attack in the hospital parking lot.
What a fantastic teacher! And no, I'm not kidding! Is this a horrible tragedy? Most certainly it was. But, what a fabulous time for students to always know to be cognisant of symptoms...and not to disregard patient complaints as nothing IF those complaints don't fit a pattern.
Have you ever known someone like this ER doc? While there's a sick part of me that takes pleasure in knowing this doc had to eat a whole flock of crows, and while it wasn't his intention, he taught a fabulous, FABULOUS lesson. I'm sure many of us can think back to someone we disliked or disagreed with. I sure can think of a few! If you're like me, you may have even made a vow to do everything NOT to be like that person. I've gotta bet that Dr. Snyderman made that vow, too. It's certainly not worth the death of a medical mistake, but the lesson changed Dr. Snyderman. And she's hopefully inspired and influenced docs along the way...I know that reading "Medical Myths" certainly gave me a lot to think about.
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