Apr 2024
15 Apr
I want to be a doctor because (taking off the golden handcuffs)
‘I want to be a doctor so I can . . .’ How would you fill in that blank? asks Dr. Melissa Yuan-Innes.
Mar 2024
22 Mar
When the college greenlights firing a patient
Dr. Melissa Yuan-Innes is skeptical about the effectiveness of ‘zero tolerance’ signs in deterring inappropriate behaviour.
15 Mar
Kid guilt
Dr. Melissa Yuan-Innes grapples with guilt over the perceived imbalance between a demanding medical career and the time spent with her children.
Feb 2024
20 Feb
Charting: chore or charm?
A colleague had an emotional moment over an AI program that significantly streamlined her charting process, saving about 90 minutes of time.
Jan 2024
26 Jan
Just for pun: Some much-needed humour in medicine
Imagine you're at the operating table, and someone on the surgical team demands you come up with a clever pun relating to the vital organs you have before you!
19 Jan
Quit
Physicians need to learn to balance their grit and quit ratio, kind of like the gas and the brake pedal.
Nov 2023
28 Nov
When the standard of care is wrong
What if the guidelines we've come to rely on are based on flawed data?
14 Nov
To locum or not to locum?
I stopped doing locums because I wanted to have children, but now they're big enough that I could travel again...
02 Nov
Dr. Innie and Dr. Outie
Try reversing the amount of time you spend on your external vs. internal self for one week and see what happens.
Oct 2023
11 Oct
Health is finite . . . truly
We run around thinking we're healthy, we're happy, and that's true, for X amount of time. If we're lucky, it's years, but for others it may only be minutes.
Sep 2023
19 Sep
Nannies gone wild
How do you evoke genuine pleasure, well-being and connection, whether you're in the nanny state or Wild West?
12 Sep
Gluttony and the religion of diet
With my newest book, Sugar and Vice, now available, I certainly had food on the brain in trying out three new diets garnering rave reviews.
Aug 2023
21 Aug
Before the body says no
A recent incident at a Vegas conference reminds me that when you're too driven to stop and rest, your body will force you to do so.
15 Aug
Dr. Cheap in the Vegas desert
A summer stroll in the desert proves to be too much for even this heat-welcoming doctor.
July 2023
25 Jul
Are the medical students all right?
I'm questioning if our next generation of learners is at severe disadvantage right now and how we can help them.
17 Jul
Dear Doctor, are you intuitive?
Every time you choose not to listen to a patient because you want the money, it’s the medical equivalent of logging a forest—you don’t care about the soil erosion and the desertification that will result.
June 2023
13 Jun
Six ways Ted Lasso teaches you to how to become a better doctor
If you've watched the show Ted Lasso, high five! If not, I'll give you some quotes and explain why I think they're relevant to your life!
May 2023
30 May
Too many doctors in the arts?
In some form or another, all human beings are creative as we all want to express ourselves—including doctors.
12 May
The power of 'Eh'
I'm still working on harnessing my "Eh," but I definitely don't worry about stuff as much anymore.
Apr 2023
26 Apr
Falling out of an airplane with no parachute
Sometimes life can be hopeless, but what if we stayed curious nonetheless?
12 Apr
The ice storm cometh (and goeth)
Turns out I'm a survivalist at heart, even if I didn't stockpile enough water.
Mar 2023
31 Mar
‘Don’t fall’ seems like good advice, right?
But we're all bound to fall someday so the key is being able to get up, says Dr. Melissa Yuan-Innes.
23 Mar
Exercise, that demon
Dr. Melissa Yuan-Innes proves that slow and steady wins the race when it comes to a lifetime fitness regimen.
02 Mar
Wrath and incompetence
When it comes to your reaction to anger, are you a mountain or a river, wonders Dr. Melissa Yuan-Innes.
Feb 2023
16 Feb
Public or private?
When it comes to educating our youth, Dr. Melissa Yuan-Innes questions if private school really makes a difference.
Jan 2023
21 Jan
The secret is to know when to stop
Keep your patients as healthy as possible but know how to look after yourself in the process, advises Dr. Melissa Yuan-Innes.
17 Jan
What if they're killing medicare on purpose?
Dr. Melissa Yuan-Innes has never supported a two-tier healthcare system, but she can't handle the atrophy of our current one either.
Dec 2022
22 Dec
The bonsai doctor
As the year winds down, Dr. Melissa Yuan-Innes reflects on sacrifices made and the satisfaction in setting down new roots.
12 Dec
Happier at any size
As Dr. Melissa Yuan-Innes observes, words carry weight and there are more satisfying stories to tell ourselves.
Nov 2022
17 Nov
Who made you?
Dr. Melissa Yuan-Innes reflects on all the people (and pets) who have contributed to her evolution.
10 Nov
Welcome to the end of days
As Dr. Melissa Yuan-Innes notes, platitudes don't help when you're slipping on vomit in the ER and there's no one left to help you up.
Oct 2022
25 Oct
The sixth sense
As physicians, are we relying too much on imaging and not enough on instinct?
10 Oct
Are you caught in the perfect doctor trap?
Given that perfect doesn't feel as good as it looks, Dr. Melissa Yuan-Innes advocates for more fun.
Sep 2022
15 Sep
When a nurse needs your help
It's a great day when you can help a beloved healthcare worker, says Dr. Melissa Yuan-Innes.
06 Sep
There's a song for that
Dr. Melissa Yuan-Innes explores the song lyrics speaking to us now more than ever.
Aug 2022
08 Aug
Doctor, how bad is it?
In travelling cross-country to make people laugh, Dr. Melissa Yuan-Innes reflects on physician burnout.
July 2022
12 Jul
The power of people
As a writer at the Winnipeg Fringe, Dr. Melissa Yuan-Innes got billeted with a family. Why not a hotel? Being billeted made her feel ‘nurtured and cared’ for.
June 2022
13 Jun
Should we bother educating the public?
Physicians feel like the public doesn’t care. We quietly wish each other a happy doctor’s day while nurses loudly and proudly celebrate an entire nursing week.
May 2022
26 May
Confessing our mistakes
In this safe space, Dr. Melissa Yuan-Innes reflects on what can go wrong—and sometimes does.
12 May
Try a little tenderness
Dr. Melissa Yuan-Innes shares why nurses make her life better, even when they don't get along.
12 May
Don't be a hero
One of the hardest things to learn as a practising physician, says Dr. Melissa Yuan-Innes, is figuring out the point at which to stop and put on your own oxygen mask before you go on to save the others.
Apr 2022
06 Apr
Who hates forms?
'Why do people have forms for referrals?,' one doctor asked. 'I personally hate them. I often make referrals and the form is a total hold up. It is often not downloadable to my EMR.' Dr. Melissa Yuan-Innes says 'hear! hear!'
Mar 2022
31 Mar
What kind of doctor are you?
Dr. Melissa Yuan-Innes matches up the 6 different human archetypes with what kind of doctors they make.
09 Mar
A broken March Break x 3
An FP said to Dr. Melissa Yuan-Innes: 'I’m tired. I need two weeks to do nothing.' For doctors with kids, timing your time off with March Break is important but hasn't been so easy.
07 Mar
War is a health issue
Doctors are told not to speak up: “Stay in your lane,” commanded the NRA when trauma surgeons spoke up against gun violence.
Feb 2022
14 Feb
The Swiss cheese holes
It was our sixth code in a week. This is unusually high at our small community hospital. Sometimes the ‘holes ’ lineup and things go very wrong.
03 Feb
Thank U, Medicine
‘I’m not going to sugarcoat this,’ says Dr. Melissa Yuan-Innes. ‘Medicine is the toughest I’ve seen right now. But I’m still grateful for it.’
Jan 2022
31 Jan
The shapes of wrath
Anger keeps me sharp, reading up and asking questions, so I don’t make the same mistakes. But I worry about the personal cost.
09 Jan
Happy New Year—or is it?
Medicine is one giant disconnect from the rest of the world—'cause we're awake when our friends and families are asleep. We're working when they're celebrating. But still, I can't help reflect on my life at New Year's.
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