​As you saw from our colleagues at Moose and Squirrel in Sundre in the post we shared this week, health care is in for a big change in Alberta. For those of you who lived through the Ralph Klein days, you have an idea of what we're in for. I didn't live through those cuts, but yesterday was one of those days that truly highlighted for me how the go...

​Just a few weeks to go until I'm officially done residency. I feel like a kid at Christmas, anticipating Santa's arrival with such angst the days seem longer than usual. After all, if you include all my university training, from BA to MA to PhD to MD, I've been in university for 18 years (albeit with 3 maternity leaves). That's a long time as a st...

​First day of school today for my girls and every year my heart palpitates with worry as I drop them off and hope they have a good year. A caring and patient teacher. An inspiring classroom. Kind peers. At their age, I loved school because I had a voracious appetite for learning absolutely anything. But I was also terrified of school because I was ...

I recently admitted a patient dying of cancer and after running through our impression and plan with him (treat the anemia with a transfusion, stop the GI bleed with a scope and pantoloc infusion, alleviate his bone pain with radiation and opioids), I asked if there was anything else we could do at this time. "Sing to me," he said. Not because he k...

We just had our second successful celebratory BBQ last week. I can't believe it's already been 2 years for Riverside Medical. I'm so impressed by my spouse and the team. The obstacles they've overcome and their dedication to patient-centered care never ceases to impress me. I'm equally awestricken by our Legion members, who come host the BBQ every ...

I wasn't born to run. In fact, at 18 months of age I was diagnosed with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis and spent most of my early years in and out of hospitals. Luckily, I was fortunate to outgrow the illness, as many children with pauciarticular arthritis do. Nonetheless, it certainly made my childhood difficult and lonely. I didn't have the physic...

Some of you may not know that I am a reader and book lover. I've read easily over 3000 books in my lifetime to date (this does not include kids' books, which I have the pleasure of delving in daily). As my mom's best-friend noted when we crossed paths at my father's funeral this summer, reading was always part of my being, and she remembers how I'd...

We've made it over the hump: less than one year away from being in Drumheller and at Riverside Medical permanently. As educational and wonderful as this journey has been to date, it'll be nice to finally be home for good. I recently did a countdown on Instagram before attending a Brandi Carlile concert and it was so much fun and built such exciteme...

​If you've been to the clinic these past few months, you've likely heard us playing the soundtrack to The Greatest Showman. In fact, if you've been to the legion on a Friday night, you may have even heard Rithesh's one man show performance of the entire album. We love the songs and play them at home, and at the clinic, daily. We dance, we sing, we ...

We would like to introduce Nahlyn Sewbarath Ram, who was born April 8, 2018 at 7:11am. This is my third Sunday baby. According to astrology, those born on Sundays are never satisfied with the ordinary and shine with brilliance amongst others. Physiologically, I must have a very regular cycle. Nonetheless, this birth was definitely not ordinary. Thi...

I haven't written a new blog post for awhile: I apologize. I took a social media holiday – Facebook, Blog, Internet. This was mostly as a result of overall fatigue. I am expecting Baby 3 in early April and combined with my residency program training, family responsibilities, and just life stuff, I've been exhausted. Pregnancy is always an adventure...

 The annual physical exam: dreaded by patients and physicians alike. Why? Confusion regarding expectations, fear of judgement, discomfort with poking and prodding. Surprisingly there is no definitive way to perform an "annual physical exam" and you'll notice, if you see multiple doctors, that each has an approach unique to their practice style...

I recently had a meet & greet with my new family doctor in Lethbridge. It had been a long-time since I had met a doctor for the first time that would be treating me as a patient, other than my OB nearly 5 years ago. I sat there 15 minutes before my appointment, feeling my heart race and my palms get sweaty. I was nervous and anxious. What if sh...

You've likely seen those dooming signs in some medical offices that warn you: "All no-show appointments will be charged $50 for the missed visit." These threats are generally made to avoid missed appointments that could have been used by other patients that day requiring treatment or management. But charging patients hasn't been proven to be succes...

As a 30-something female, I've had many Paps. As a female doctor, I've performed many as well. My greatest concern, however, is the lack of information female patients are provided on the importance of cervical cancer screening, but also on the updated guidelines regarding the timeline for screening. For example, most women don't require a yearly Pap and women under 25 don't need them at all. When I tell patients this, they seemed surprised: "But my doctor says I need one every year" or "I was told I need one because I've become sexually active, even though I'm just 16." I thought I'd outline the guidelines for the general female patient here and hope they help alleviate some confusion.

When do I start cervical cancer screening?

The Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care recommends starting routine Pap tests at the age of 25. Routine Pap tests are NOT recommended for sexually active women under the age of 25. Routine Pap tests are also NOT recommended in women over the age of 25 who are not sexually active.

The Alberta TOP guidelines (Toward Optimized Practice) build on the Task Force suggestions, but highlight that for ages 21-24, screening can be based on patient choice and/or where women may benefit based on risk (i.e.: mulitiple sexual partners, no HPV vaccination, early teen sexual encounter, smoking).

Females under 21 should NOT be screened.

As you know from coming to the clinic, instead of having personal physician offices, our examination rooms are "Themed Spaces" and the physician comes to you. The aim is to dismantle the hierarchy of the patient entering a physician space, and instead to make the exam room a mutual area inspired by the art of medicine: the patient-physician encount...

Rithesh has always been a thoughtful gift giver, but this year he truly outdid himself. For my birthday and graduation he gave me a professional recording studio certificate to record a selection of my favourite songs. Not only did I have fun singing in a studio, but also the girls now have tracks to listen to when I'm away for residency training. ...

Yesterday was my first day of residency: July 4th, Independence Day. I couldn't help but smile given it was my first day as an independent doctor…well, sort of What is residency? How does medical school work? Patients often ask these questions, curious about the training requirements. They often laugh and make side comments such as "man, you've pro...

Big news: Kindness is healthy! Being kind releases oxytocin, which triggers the release of nitric oxide, which in turn shrinks inflammation, reduces blood pressure and minimizes heart disease. But do doctors need to be kind? Like many television fans, I've watched House and enjoyed the sarcastic intelligence and conniving manipulations of Dr. House...

Yesterday's The Medical Post featured an article on how 90% of Alberta family physicians endorse the new approach to team-based primary care. The new model being proposed will deliver more community-based health care and representatives from all zones will form committees to shape this framework and develop a successful service plan. I have to begi...