Sphere Articles

Achieving Sustainability in Anesthesiology

Those of us in healthcare have acknowledged our carbon footprint and its potential to cause harm over time. Within our field of anesthesiology, there are champions of sustainability initiatives who understand that it is imperative to embrace sustainable practices in order to ensure the health of our community, both now and in the future.

Our Voices Matter

“I learned a long time ago the wisest thing I can do is be on my own side, be an advocate for myself and others like me.” — Maya Angelou Earlier this year, a member of the NYSSA posted a question on the ASA community open forum regarding the need for anesthesiologists to fight for […]

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Legislative Update

NYSSA’s 39th Annual Legislative Day The NYSSA’s in-person Legislative Day was held on May 7, 2024, and included 50 members representing every NYSSA district. We greatly appreciate the efforts of these dedicated individuals. Based on the strong participation of our members, we were able to schedule appointments with or to drop off materials to various […]

Paradoxical Breathing in a Patient Undergoing CT-Guided Needle Biopsy Under Propofol Sedation

Maricka Bennett, M.S., Joanna Serafin, Ph.D., and Kara M. Barnett, M.D., FASA, SAMBA-F Introduction Propofol is a commonly administered anesthetic due to its ease of titration to a desired level as well as its safety profile. However, propofol administration in a patient with a natural airway can lead to respiratory depression, hypoxia and, less commonly, […]

Revitalizing Kindness: Strategies for Compassion, Patience and Respect in the Workplace

Eileen Kodack, M.D., Teuta Marsic, M.D., Keith Lewis, M.D., and Alopi Patel, M.D. “In a world where you can be anything, be kind.”— Unknown Medicine has long been considered a noble field where physicians selflessly and tirelessly dedicate their lives to patient care. In today’s healthcare landscape, however, there are increasing reports of workplace harassment […]

Supporting Your Lactating Colleagues in the Workplace

As physicians, we are all aware of the benefits of lactation for both mother and child,1 but lactating clinicians face many workplace barriers. A 2018 article by Cantu et al. identified the most common barriers reported by female physicians, including lack of time to pump, unpredictability of one’s schedule, and lack of an appropriate place […]

Physician Suicide: A Sad but Not Hopeless Reality

By the time I was a chief resident, I had known three colleagues whose careers were interrupted by substance use disorder and addiction. This time was different. One of my classmates was found dead in the call room, beeper beeping, opiates and syringes sitting on the desk in front of him. He had a wife, […]

The Well-Being of the Perioperative Physician

Tazeen Beg, M.D., and Katrina Kerolus, M.D. An anesthesiology resident on overnight call receives a pager call for a trauma arriving at his level 1 trauma center. He takes the airway box and runs to the ER. However, the trauma is called off. Apparently, it was an elderly man on anticoagulants who fell in the […]

Sustainability Tip of the Quarter

Happy summer! Whether you are headed to the beach, across the ocean, or just to the call room, there are easy ways to avoid single‑use plastic while you’re on the go. INDIVIDUAL Be sure to pack these reusable items in your overnight [call] bag: INSTITUTIONAL Help clinicians be sustainable while on call: Want to learn more? […]

It’s Time to Talk About Our Mental Health

Those who choose medicine as their career usually recognize early on that this choice is about more than just a profession. We are driven by the desire to make a difference, to improve the lives of others, to treat and cure sickness, and to support those who may be going through the worst days of their lives.

Engaging With, Educating and Advocating for Our Members

It is hard to believe that my presidency is approaching the halfway point. Typically, the greatest amount of work and stress for the NYSSA’s officers occurs during the legislative session in the first half of the year. As this article is being written, our delegation has just returned from another successful Legislative Day in Albany. This year we had 53 attendees representing a wide geographic cross section of the state.