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Laura Vater, MD

Welcome!

Laura Vater, MD, MPH

I'm Laura Vater, an oncologist, writer, and speaker. I champion the dignity of patients and clinicians, and strive to keep healthcare human.

I'm so glad you're here.

Featured Essays

Intima Journal of Narrative Medicine

STAT News

How Physician Exhaustion Kills Compassion

Journal of Clinical Oncology

The Holiday Card

Writing

Keyboard

trees

Stethoscope

Tree

Pine tree

My goal is to make the field of medicine more human, for both patients and clinicians.

Learn more about my work and writing here.

Doctor and Patient

Connect with me online

Join my community of 200k+ with content
about keeping healthcare human

To all the healthcare workers often invisible to patients: radiologists, pathologists, med techs, scrub techs, pharmacists, 911 dispatchers, and so many more: Thank you for caring. Thank you for keeping our health system running.

Which often invisible healthcare workers are you most grateful for?

To all the healthcare workers often invisible to patients: radiologists, pathologists, med techs, scrub techs, pharmacists, 911 dispatchers, and so many more: Thank you for caring. Thank you for keeping our health system running.

Which often invisible healthcare workers are you most grateful for?

Sleep deprivation in medical training and practice is not a tool that fosters learning, or compassionate patient care, or clinician health.

It masquerades around as learning and continuity of care. In reality, it just harms patients and doctors alike—affecting our mental health, thinking, and coordination. It increases the risk of patient harm and lowers our empathy, too.

Has this ever happened to you? What are your thoughts on this?

#letdoctorssleep #medlife #sleeploss #doctoring

Sleep deprivation in medical training and practice is not a tool that fosters learning, or compassionate patient care, or clinician health.

It masquerades around as learning and continuity of care. In reality, it just harms patients and doctors alike—affecting our mental health, thinking, and coordination. It increases the risk of patient harm and lowers our empathy, too.

Has this ever happened to you? What are your thoughts on this?

#letdoctorssleep #medlife #sleeploss #doctoring

If working in healthcare has taught me anything, it’s that the future is not promised. Sometimes it feels like we are going about our busy, frenetic days and forget that the time we have with the people we love is a gift. An incredible gift that we often take for granted.

Tell the people you love how much you love them today.

Anyone else in healthcare feel this regularly?

#healthcare #family #medlife

If working in healthcare has taught me anything, it’s that the future is not promised. Sometimes it feels like we are going about our busy, frenetic days and forget that the time we have with the people we love is a gift. An incredible gift that we often take for granted.

Tell the people you love how much you love them today.

Anyone else in healthcare feel this regularly?

#healthcare #family #medlife

Dear med students and residents: This path toward becoming a doctor can sometimes feel like venturing down a narrow alley. Please know that many of us want to hold a light for you.

To those done with training, what would you add?

#medschool #medicalstudent #premed #meded

Dear med students and residents: This path toward becoming a doctor can sometimes feel like venturing down a narrow alley. Please know that many of us want to hold a light for you.

To those done with training, what would you add?

#medschool #medicalstudent #premed #meded

My husband calls himself “the magic sink” because he actually loves doing the dishes and keeping our kitchen clean. Most days I’m grateful for this more than anything.

Anyone else marry an acts of service type of person?

My husband calls himself “the magic sink” because he actually loves doing the dishes and keeping our kitchen clean. Most days I’m grateful for this more than anything.

Anyone else marry an acts of service type of person?

When I was a fellow in training, l’d often drive home in silence & wonder if l’d made the right decisions for my patients that day. If I’d said the right words. If I could’ve done anything differently.

All these years later, I still have those thoughts. Did I make the right decisions? Did I say the right words? Was there anything I could’ve done differently?

Caring for patients is a profound privilege. It’s also hard, complex, emotionally challenging, and often physically demanding.

Thanks to everyone doing this work, and for caring.

Do you ever worry about your patients like this?

#doctor #nurse #healthcare

When I was a fellow in training, l’d often drive home in silence & wonder if l’d made the right decisions for my patients that day. If I’d said the right words. If I could’ve done anything differently.

All these years later, I still have those thoughts. Did I make the right decisions? Did I say the right words? Was there anything I could’ve done differently?

Caring for patients is a profound privilege. It’s also hard, complex, emotionally challenging, and often physically demanding.

Thanks to everyone doing this work, and for caring.

Do you ever worry about your patients like this?

#doctor #nurse #healthcare

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