I am Dr. Michael Ritchie, EM/ICU Attending: How I Stay Healthy in EM

Dr. Michael Ritchie is an emergency and ICU physician from Brooklyn, NY. When he is not busy working in the emergency department or ICU, Dr. Ritchie, can be found training for marathons, or keeping fit by keeping up his ball game. Ever wonder how to occupy your time on those long subway rides, he’s got some tips for you! Here’s how he stays healthy in EM!

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By Zafrina Poonja, MD|2018-10-28T21:28:28-07:00May 13, 2017|Healthy in EM|

Wellness and Resiliency during Residency: EM is a career with unresolved stories

“We do make a difference, but not just in the setting of resuscitating critically ill or injured people, but in putting people on the pathway to health. We often get cheated out of the ending of the movie. We don’t see the romantic side of what we’ve helped facilitate. We certainly don’t get credit for it.” – Dr. Richard Cantor

There are lots of reasons why Emergency Medicine (EM) has one of the highest burnout rates compared to other medical specialties.^1,2 We have long and erratic hours, difficult patients, and an increasing number of bureaucratic tasks such as clicking boxes in an electronic medical records system or ensuring high patient-satisfaction survey responses.² These stresses are not unique to EM, but our high-volume and high-acuity patient loads do amplify those stresses compared to other fields.

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By Arlene Chung, MD|2026-06-16T16:11:38-07:00May 10, 2017|Wellness, Wellness Think Tank|

I am Dr. Michael Schick, Co-Director of Technology Enabled Active Learning: How I Stay Healthy in EM

Dr. Michael Schick is an emergency physician from the University of California. Dr. Schick keeps well by maintaining resiliency and always trying to find that fine balance. When he is not busy in the department, he can be found staying active or spending time with his family. Here’s how he stays healthy in EM!

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By Zafrina Poonja, MD|2017-05-11T00:34:42-07:00May 6, 2017|Healthy in EM|

Wellness and Resiliency During Residency: Professional Identity Formation (featuring a podcast with Dr. Michael Weinstock)

“So I had medicine in my blood. But just because you have medicine in your blood doesn’t mean that it’s always smooth sailing.” —Michael Weinstock, MD

What is “professional identity formation”?

As Abraham Fuks and colleagues once said, “One does not simply learn to be a physician, one becomes a physician.”¹ Professional Identity Formation (PIF) is the slow transformative process by which an idealistic pre-medical college student becomes a battle-hardened emergency physician attending. PIF occurs slowly over years of exposure to the culture of medicine. From Day 1 of medical school, we watch how doctors in the world around us think, teach, feel, and act and slowly absorb those lessons over time, often without even being consciously aware of it happening. These lessons can be inspiring or toxic.

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By Arlene Chung, MD|2026-06-16T16:11:33-07:00Apr 24, 2017|Wellness, Wellness Think Tank|

I am Dr. Victoria Brazil, Director of Simulation: How I Stay Healthy in EM

Dr. Victoria Brazil is an emergency physician from Australia’s Gold Coast. Despite her busy schedule, Dr. Brazil still takes the time to stay well and appreciate her environment around her. When she isn’t working in the ED or on academic work, she can be found fitting in a run or spending time with her family. Being an experienced clinician, Dr. Brazil provides us with solid advice for maintaining our careers. Here’s how she stays healthy in EM!

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By Zafrina Poonja, MD|2017-04-20T16:58:41-07:00Mar 25, 2017|Healthy in EM|

I am Dr. Kate Groner, Associate Medical Director: How I Stay Healthy in EM

Dr. Kate Groner is an emergency physician and Associate Medical Director from Newark, DE. When she’s not keeping busy in the department, she can be found participating in all sorts of different activities. Staying active with family and friends is an important part of how she stays well. Her advice on understanding our own limitations and taking each day, one at a time, it something we could all put into practice. Here’s how she stays healthy in EM!

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By Zafrina Poonja, MD|2017-03-05T13:15:34-08:00Mar 4, 2017|Healthy in EM|

Wellness and Resiliency During Residency: Life happens despite your best plans

When I got back home from taking [my board exams], having all these [negative] feelings swirling through my head, I remember driving up and seeing my wife and baby sitting on the porch and suddenly being like, “Isn’t this what life is all about? Is it really about studying for an exam? Is it really about pushing yourself to get triple-boarded or do this or that within medicine? I mean, isn’t THIS what it’s about? Having a wife and a child, a family to call your own, aren’t these the things that are most important that we should value?” After that point, after seeing them on the porch and over the next couple weeks, things really started to change for me.

— Haney Mallemat, MD
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By Arlene Chung, MD|2026-06-16T16:11:09-07:00Feb 20, 2017|Wellness, Wellness Think Tank|