Richard Doan is a Psychiatrist with Inner City Health Associates and Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto in Toronto, Ontario

During my physical assessment course as a medical student more than three decades ago in Connecticut, the surgeon generously serving as our preceptor introduced us to a patient with a post-operative infection.  He mentioned treatment with an antibiotic, and I asked the mechanism of action.  He gave me a bemused look: “I don’t know how it works, it just does!”  A year later I used to eat my lunch in a small hospital sandwich shop, frequented by Attendings and known as the “Republican Club”.  I learned there that male physicians of a certain age (and almost all were male) mainly talked about golf and money.  Many years later, I find myself basically giving the same answer to my students about drug mechanisms, though thanks to the internet I can say that I am following current treatment guidelines.  However, I don’t golf, and I never really talk about money. . . until now. ...continue reading →