You searched for professionalism - Page 2 of 10 - CLOSLER

February 12, 2020 | 1 min read

Agents of Change—Learning From Gen Z Healthcare Students

By Kevin Pan, Medical Student, Ohio University School of Medicine

Excellent clinicians are committed to reducing health inequity.

December 10, 2024 | 1 min read

A breath of fresh air

By Mike Fingerhood, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

Healthcare professionals can prioritize ongoing conversations about the risks of smoking and vaping with young patients, tailoring their approach to address specific concerns and misconceptions.

July 10, 2024 | 2 min read

Lessons from earlier in life: bagging groceries

By Laura Hanyok, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

The service industry principles I learned while working in a grocery store apply to medicine. These include prioritizing customer needs, actively listening, and appreciating colleagues.

October 25, 2021 | 1 min read

Helping Patients Practice Healthy Habits

By Sajida Chaudry, MD, MPH, Johns Hopkins Medicine

Imagining a healthier lifestyle is the first step toward wellness. You can then help patients to make small changes to their daily routine.

December 9, 2024 | 2 min read

Unmasking unconscious bias

By Lillie Shockney, RN, MS, Johns Hopkins Medicine

Healthcare professionals must be vigilant against implicit bias, particularly racial bias, which can lead to delayed diagnosis and poorer outcomes for marginalized patient populations.

July 9, 2024 | 3 min read

Takeaways from the book “Progress Notes”

By Abraham Nussbaum, MD, Denver Health

Excellent clinicians understand patients not just as bodies, but also as individuals within a community. Healthcare professionals should be trained in both for a more holistic approach to patient care.

"Blue Rider," Franz Marc, 1911.

May 14, 2019 | 4 min read

Review of “Critical Crash”

By Andre Lijoi, MD, York, Pennsylvania

We all have our woundedness, and our own story is important in the context of caring for our patients. These stories and wounds operate in the background of our consciousness and we must recognize and manage them.

April 18, 2024 | 1 min read

Anger: a sign of trauma

By Lucia Ponor, MD, MBA, Johns Hopkins Medicine

Healthcare professionals can move beyond simply treating the physical condition by creating a safe space for patients to share traumatic experiences.

September 25, 2023 | 5 min read

Less is More

By Jonathan McFarland, Medical Humanist, Autonomous University of Madrid & University of Pompeu Fabra

The Japanese concept of wabi-sabi can help us appreciate impermanence and approach death as part of life.

July 30, 2018 | 1 min read

What’s a book club doing at a medical conference?

By Scott Wright, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

Join a book club or start a book club - in either your professional or personal context. You'll be glad you did!

March 14, 2019 | 4 min read

How to Help Your Patient Understand Genetic Testing Results

By Leslie Ordal, MSc, CGC

To help your patient with their direct-to-consumer genetic testing results, use skills that apply for any sensitive clinical encounter: listen, acknowledge, and reassure of your presence in the process. Then connect your patient with a genetic counsellor for follow-up as needed.

February 23, 2022 | 1 min read

Why we Must be Mentors

By Panagis Galiatsatos, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

Mentoring is essential to supporting trainees. Helping learners find their passion and grow will ultimately allow them to find happiness and meaning in their work.

Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, Washington, D.C.

March 25, 2020 | 1 min read

Standing With Courage During Challenging Times

By Juliette Perzhinsky, MD, MSc, Central Michigan University

"The ultimate measure of a [person] is not where [s/he] stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where [s/he] stands at times of challenge and controversy." -Martin Luther King Jr.

February 19, 2025 | 3 min read

Respecting boundaries

By Sarah Kim, medical student, Cooper University

Earning and maintaining patient trust can be accomplished through consistent check-ins to ensure they feel heard and understood. Equally important is clear communication related to all aspects of the physical examination.

Image by Diana Anderson.

September 16, 2019 | 2 min read

Is Hospital Design Equitable?

By Diana Anderson, MD, MArch, Clincial Geriatrics Fellow, University of California, San Francisco

Design impacts our emotions, behaviors, and overall health. To ensure design equity for all, the culture of healthcare advocates for patient-centered design, and needs to do so for spaces that affect staff.

October 22, 2020 | 2 min read

Patient voting matters

By Patrick Hemming, MD, Duke University

Clinicians are in a position of influence and can encourage patients to vote. Expressing confidence in patients’ ability to make a difference as a voter may motivate them to take action.

"Deliberate practice is needed."

January 19, 2022 | 2 min read

Cognitive Psychology And Patient-Clinician Connections

By Christine Ko, MD, Yale University

To foster warmth toward patients, first be aware of how you’re feeling. If you're feeling burned out, you can intentionally practice cultivating a more caring attitude.

Ask your patients, "Are you concerned about how expensive the treatment is?" You don't need to know your patients' income or out-of-pocket costs, but you can think about starting with less expensive but effective treatments.

March 16, 2021 | 3 min read

Best Practices in Shared Decision-Making

By Kevin Frick, PhD, Johns Hopkins Carey Business School

Giving exceptional care includes honoring your patient’s goals and addressing any challenges they might have with the care plan. Be mindful of the financial costs that your patients may face and discuss alternatives when possible.

August 13, 2019 | 2 min read

How Does Bullying Relate to Clinical Excellence?

By Scott Wright, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

There is no place in medicine for bullying. It interferes with growth of individuals and collaborations among team members – both of these are critical for serving our patients.

December 11, 2018 | 3 min read

Five Lessons From Architectural Design

By Diana Anderson, MD, MArch, Clincial Geriatrics Fellow, University of California, San Francisco

Architects are taught to respect context and design for the experience of being in a place. As providers, learning the context of our patients and their social determinants of health is key to the biopsychosocial model of care.

How can we make hospital care even more patient-centered?

March 2, 2021 | 2 min read

Patient-Centeredness in The Hospital

By Patrick McMurray, RN, North Carolina

One way to demonstrate patient-centered care is creating spaces in which patients feel less vulnerable. A space that is safe, calm, and private is ideal for healing.

December 6, 2021 | 1 min read

Replacing a Void With Joy

By Kevin Frick, PhD, Johns Hopkins Carey Business School

I recently went from being vice dean at a business school to “just” a professor. Although society generally measures success by whether a person “moves up,” returning to what I find most interesting and inspiring has increased my well-being, happiness, and fulfillment.

Aiden Crowley said that “a hug can be medicine” and that simple “presence and accompaniment” provides more for the patient and family than we might think.

November 23, 2022 | 1 min read

Using CLOSLER For Grand Rounds

By Richard Schaefer, MD, MPH, Johns Hopkins Medicine

CLOSLER has a wealth of material that can be leveraged to enhance teaching in a variety of settings, including lectures, bedside, and small group discussions.

I love the question “What can you tell me about what your disease means to you?” Every experience of illness is different, and this question gives the patient a chance to tell us what their life is like. How would I know, without asking the question, that my 70-year-old patient values the opportunity to re-enact the Civil War and is an aficionado of historical swordplay, and that his shortness of breath makes it hard to carry the heavy ornamental swords?

October 4, 2018 | 4 min read

Intellect, Integration, and Interaction

By Zackary Berger, MD, PhD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

Taking good care of patients requires openness, curiosity, and honesty about all the dimensions of a patient’s life. This helps us navigate the different, intersecting domains that affect health, and achieve a measure of self-knowledge that motivates our improvement as physicians.

December 14, 2023 | 2 min read

Listening for meaning

By Ben Roberts, CRNP, AGACNP-BC, ACHPN, Johns Hopkins Medicine

In my palliative care career, I’ve learned that aligning care with patient goals is one of the most important parts of clinical excellence. To do this, I listen to truly understand what the patient wants.

July 26, 2018 | 1 min read

A Taste of Their Own Medicine

By Scott Wright, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

Videos spreading misinformation to patients, promoting unproven therapies, can spread like wildfire on social media. We are sharing another video to fight fire with fire.

November 9, 2022 | 2 min read

Trust

By Joanne Shay, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

While caring for a four-year-old girl diagnosed with lymphoma, I learned that acknowledging and validating patient and family fears strengthens relationships.

June 11, 2019 | 2 min read

Burnt out on Burnout: how to understand what burnout means to you

By Hannah Wilson, MBBS, Harvard Medical School

In order to truly understand and prevent burnout, we must first define what it is that burnout means to each of us.

January 8, 2020 | 1 min read

Medical Overuse: When the Care we Give Doesn’t Help

By Daniel Morgan, MD, University of Maryland

The clinically excellent clinician must commit to reducing overuse.

April 24, 2025 | 5 min read

Time machine

I recently cared for a patient labeled as “difficult” and struggled. Learning more about his life story would have allowed me to serve him more effectively.

About Us

OUR MISSION Stimulating healthcare professionals and trainees to reflect on giving exceptional care to every patient.

"Sunflowers," Vincent van Gogh, 1889. Philadelphia Museum of Art.

May 2, 2019 | 4 min read

Grieving Unexpected Patient Outcomes

By Stacia Dearmin, MD, Akron Children\'s Hospital

Acknowledging and processing grief can bring healing to the clinician.

September 26, 2019 | 3 min read

The Necessity of Being an Advocate

By Zackary Berger, MD, PhD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

Clinical care and advocacy are intertwined. In every clinical encounter, we should think about ways that we can advocate for our patients.

April 7, 2025 | 2 min read

The connective cure

By Allison Pugh, PhD, Johns Hopkins Univeristy

The art of genuine human interaction is a vital clinical skill that no algorithm can replicate. This building of connection can foster trust, enable healing, and facilitate holistic care.

July 16, 2018 | 2 min read

Commitment, Integrity, and Humility

By Luca Vricella, MD, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

Humility is what allows us to approach clinical challenges. Thus we should behave with humility to all of those around us: patients, families, and co-workers.

April 24, 2023 | 1 min read

How CLOSLER Has Improved My Care of Patients: A Five-Year Retrospective

By Jeffrey Millstein, MD, Penn Medicine

Through CLOSLER, I’ve learned about the power of active listening and how better to navigate challenging conversations. It has also provided many ideas for re-energizing myself both personally and professionally.

April 1, 2025 | 1 min read

The PICC line

By Miriam Colleran, MD, St. Brigids Hospice & Naas General Hospital, Ireland

As a clinician, writing this poem about my daughter’s PICC line was a reminder to focus on optimizing patients’ quality of life. While a medical device can alleviate a patient’s health problem, its presence is a constant reminder of illness.

November 5, 2024 | 1 min read

From ICU to canvas

By Zeina Moukarzel, MD, MPH, Beirut, Lebanon

Art is a form of reflection on my career as an ICU physician. Through this painting, I wanted to capture the contrast between the technical aspects of medicine and the emotional reality of losing a loved one.

May 19, 2020 | 1 min read

Faith Over Fear

By Kimberly Turner, MD, Johns Hopkins Community Physicians

Scientific knowledge paired with faith, grit, and perseverance will help us weather the pandemic.

April 1, 2019 | 3 min read

Practicing Medicine and Having a Ball

By Wilma Ferthler, MD, Rural Country Doctor, Northeast Kingdom, Vermont

Hope our 2019 April Fool's piece makes you chuckle!

April 11, 2024 | 1 min read

Takeaways from Adam Grant’s “Think Again”

By Gretchen Miller, Managing Editor

Healthcare professionals can benefit from adopting a growth mindset that emphasizes rethinking existing beliefs and approaches. A key strategy is questioning assumptions and biases, which can lead to better decision-making.

Dr. Wright's dog Lucy, out for a spring walk at the University of Virginia.

April 9, 2024 | 1 min read

Wagging tails and healing hearts

By Gretchen Miller, Managing Editor, Scott Wright, MD, Johns Hopkins Medicine

If you or your patients are thinking about getting a pet, full encouragement; life is better with animals around. Pets generally improve mental well-being by offering unconditional love, reducing stress, and providing a sense of purpose.

September 3, 2020 | 3 min read

See Something, Say Something

By Kali Cyrus, MD, MPH, Johns Hopkins Medicine

Being an ally for justice to patients and colleagues requires taking action. Doing or saying something, literally anything, when someone is mistreated is better than nothing.