Questions on Blogging for Readers Past/Present/Future

I’m not really sure what my place is, these days. And whether it still is with this blog. I will forever be Barefootmeds, but will I continue to tread my footprints here? 

If You Plan To Spend Mandela Day At A Hospital…

But every year, I and my colleagues find ourselves a little annoyed by many of the people who arrive to do their bit. Here are some pointers if you intend to visit a hospital this Mandela Day – or any other day.

A Key To Disillusionment In Work And Play

Shame, I feel sorry for us; because all we want is to belong, but somewhere along the line we have taught ourselves that to belong means to be among people who think like us; never realising how deprived such a community would be.

What I See In Your Photos With “Poor African Children”

5. I see someone who took a picture of an attraction.

We take pictures of the Taj Mahal and Mauna Loa and the Shwedagon Pagoda and Table Mountain and so, why not, of these adorable African children. And we post them online too, because the world must see what we saw.

My Booming Frontal Cortex

It started with a feelings of disconnect and then intense reconnection; and a lot of confusion about my role in society as a doctor, a daughter, a sister, a partner, a citizen.

On ComServe, and the Desroches Case

My friends and I have this joke among ourselves. We say that medical school is like slavery. But then we say, it’s actually WORSE than slavery, because we PAY to work ridiculous hours in ridiculous conditions. As you can see it’s kind of more of a tragedy, but we’ve chosen to make it a joke.

Poetry For People Who Need It Most

I mentioned a while ago how enamoured I am with Shane Koyczan’s work. An especially special poem (is “poem” the right word?) is Instructions for a Bad Day. It struck me. It gave me hope. And I’ve been telling people about it over and over.

Hope for the Medical Community

The medical world is small, and like any small community it has its inherent problems. Piss someone important off and you can find doors closed in your face all over the world. Those born into the medical world often seem to have an advantage over the First Generations. Know the right people and you’ve got

Blog it for Babies: About How I Almost Wasn’t

In keeping with my general broodiness and my current Neonatology rotation, I couldn’t let “Blog it for Babies” go by. BIFB is an attempt to raise funds and deliver equipment to a clinic in Bangladesh, where infant mortality is extremely high. They want to raise awareness too, so if you can’t afford to donate (like

Surgery in the Wild

So, here is a little secret about my horrible little third year surgery experience: I never got to assist. I never got to cut. I never got to stitch. I think it was a combination of me having a poor attitude, me being too scared to ask, and the registrar being an arse. BUT my