Mental Health
Ongoing Research Project Studying the Current Context and Challenges of Foreign Medical Students
Pursuing medical studies outside of one’s home country has become increasingly popular. Countries that host large numbers of foreign medical students include China, Poland, Romania, Russia, Bulgaria, Hungary, Germany, Ireland, and New Zealand, among others. For example, 25% of all medical students in Poland are foreign medical students and in Ireland, 50% of all medical…
Read MoreFacing the new normal
As I start to write this article, the news of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 virus is the main news in media. By the time this article reaches you, the context of COVID-19, might have changed, for better or worse, I do not know. But one thing is sure, we are living in uncertain times.…
Read MoreWhat is caregiver burnout?
Cleveland Clinic describes Caregiver burnout as: ‘…a state of physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion that may be accompanied by a change in attitude from positive and caring to negative and unconcerned. Burnout can occur when caregivers don’t get the help they need, or if they try to do more than they are able either physically…
Read MoreThe growing weight of evidence for the effectiveness of Christian whole person healthcare
For the last several years I have been receiving monthly email alerts from three medical education journals: Medical Teacher, Medical Education and Academic Medicine. These provide hyperlinks to the latest publications in the respective journals, either giving free access to a title and abstract, to a whole paper, or to a paper that requires Athens…
Read More‘Conversion Therapy’ – Should we ban it?
A growing international movement is calling for legal bans on any form of so-called ‘Conversion Therapy’, used to ‘convert’ homosexuals into heterosexuals. Based on untruths, half-truths and deliberately confused truths, the campaigners have so far persuaded Germany, Malta, three Canadian provinces and 50 US States to ban such therapy, while Australia, Northern Ireland and Great…
Read MoreFocus on what you CAN do during this pandemic
Em português, français ‘Therefore, keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So, you also must be…
Read MoreBeing compassionate without burning out
True Christian healthcare is compassionate and comprehensive. It is centred on Jesus and his heart to heal the whole person – body, mind and spirit. As Christian doctors we try to keep this at the centre of our medical practice. But often we do not know how to take care of ourselves with the result…
Read MoreMore than PPE, healthcare workers need SEPPE
The case for SEPPE – spiritual and emotional support with PPE – during COVID-19 and beyond. ‘Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.’ (Proverbs 3:5-6) As I sit down to write this, my mind goes back to the…
Read MoreA psalm in the epidemic – trust triumphs over fear
На Pусском, Español, Português He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, ‘My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.’ (Psalm 91:1-2 ESV) Psalm 91, also called the ‘Triumphal Hymn of Trust’, is a gem. It has breathed…
Read MoreCaring for your mind during lockdown
En Français, Español, Português When Boris Johnson announced a UK-wide lockdown, my immediate response was fear and dread. Many people are currently living in fear of catching COVID-19, and understandably so. However, for some of us, this virus may present a greater risk to our mental health than it does to our physical well-being. I…
Read More