Category: Health & Wellness
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10 Examples of Outdated Heart Health Advice
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Cardiovascular diseases are a top cause of death worldwide. Health guidelines have changed as medical research has advanced our understanding of risk factors, like smoking. Staying updated on current research helps people make informed decisions about heart health and adopt practices to prevent heart disease and support long-term cardiovascular well-being.
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The Best Resolutions for Healthcare Students in 2025
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Welcome, future clinicians and caregivers, to 2025! While it may seem old-fashioned, setting resolutions is more than just making a list to forget by the end of January. It’s about sculpting your path to becoming the best version of yourself, both personally and professionally, while setting the stage for a…
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How to Manage Your Fears, Anxieties, and Phobias
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Fear and anxiety have long played a key role in human evolution. They’ve been fundamental to our development as a species and have played an important role in our survival. Unfortunately, if we don’t effectively manage our feelings of fear and anxiety, they can overwhelm us and harm our health.…
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Five Women Who Are Paving the Way in Medicine
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Women have long been trailblazers in medicine and healthcare, paving the way for other women to become impactful clinicians while changing the face of medicine. With women comprising over 50% of medical students, they’re represented in medicine like never before. This year, we’re celebrating five amazing women who continue to address the…
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Social Determinants of Health: Economic Stability
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In today’s Osmosis from Elsevier blog, we’re exploring the intricate relationship between economic stability and health outcomes in the United States, where economic factors profoundly influence healthcare access and quality for both the healthcare system and individual patients. In past articles, we’ve explored several of the social determinants of health, including access to…
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How to Build Learner Communication Skills to Boost Clinical Competence
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Effective communication is paramount in healthcare’s naturally fast-paced environment. To develop competent and compassionate healthcare providers, you must foster strong communication skills in your students. Let’s explore the significance of communication in clinical settings, identify common barriers, and discuss actionable strategies to enhance healthcare learners’ communication skills. Understanding Communication Skills…
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Understanding Anxiety Disorders: A helpful guide for health professionals
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We all experience feelings of nervousness, worry, fear, or anxiety to the point of discomfort and distress at various points in our lives. Anxiety is a normal response to fear-provoking situations. However, for people who live with an anxiety disorder, these feelings are excessive, persistent, and disrupt the flow of daily…
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A Quick Reference Guide to Common Conditions Associated with Long Covid
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Coronavirus disease 2019, also known as COVID-19, is a systemic viral infection caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, initially identified in December 2019. Individuals with a COVID-19 infection may be asymptomatic. However, the majority will experience a range of signs and symptoms such as fever, cough, body aches, rashes, and loss of…
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Climate Change and Human Health: What You Need to Know
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Climate change poses a significant and multifaceted threat to human health, impacting various aspects of well-being across the globe. As temperatures rise, extreme weather events become more frequent, and ecosystems undergo profound changes, the health implications become increasingly apparent. From respiratory diseases aggravated by air pollution to heat-related illnesses and…
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Understanding Dementia: A helpful guide for health professionals
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The mind encompasses so much of who we are within it, housing our feelings, thoughts, judgment, languages, and memories. It keeps these cognitive functions intact as long as our neurons are firing properly and remain connected. But what happens if those connections between them begin to malfunction and nerve cells…
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Understanding Eating Disorders: A helpful guide for health professionals
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When someone mentions eating disorders, do you immediately envision someone of a particular gender, weight, race, or age? The reality is that eating disorders are common, affecting 28.8 million Americans facing an eating disorder in their lifetime, and the global prevalence of eating disorders is on the rise. An eating disorder occurs when…
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Emotional Intelligence for Clinicians: Practical tips for future health professionals
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Dr. Amin Azzam recently hosted an Osmosis webinar offering valuable advice on the importance of emotional intelligence and resilience in healthcare. In today’s Osmosis blog, we’re sharing his top-notch advice and discussing the crucial role EI, EQ, and emotional well-being play in today’s healthcare landscape. It should be no surprise that characteristics…
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Why Prioritizing Mental Health for Healthcare Educators Matters
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Due to the demanding nature of their work, healthcare educators are at a higher risk of burnout, depression, anxiety, and other mental health challenges. On today’s Osmosis blog, we’re discussing the state of mental health in healthcare, the long-term effects on patient care, and ways to support the mental well-being…
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How to Find the Right Mentor for Your Healthcare Career
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Mentors play a critical role in the lives of aspiring doctors, nurses, and other caregivers by serving as teachers, role models, advocates, and trusted advisors. In today’s Osmosis blog, find out how to choose the right mentor for your personal and professional goals. Introduction Being mentored by someone genuinely invested…
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The Science of Love: How our bodies help determine attraction and commitment
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Happy Valentine’s Day! We’re taking a look at the biological processes that help us fall in love (actually), including hormones, pheromones, and how our senses help us decide who we’re attracted to.
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Everything You Ever Needed to Know About Year 1 of Medical School
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Going to medical school is a huge transition for every new student. We’re here to help make it a bit smoother for you with a selection of tips on developing good habits from the start, how to choose the best extracurricular activities for your goals, and what you need to…
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5 Practical Ways to Recognize Burnout and 5 Ways to Avoid It as a Nurse Practitioner
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It’s all over the news headlines: healthcare workers regularly face and deal with burnout, and nurse practitioners are no exception. In this blog, learn about five signs of burnout and five helpful methods to avoid it. Nurse practitioners (NP) are one of the fastest-growing groups of healthcare providers in primary care.…
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How to Maintain a Good Work-Life Balance as a Physician Assistant
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Physician assistants, or PAs, are often unsung heroes in healthcare. In addition to supporting doctors in the office, PAs decrease physician workloads by handling tedious tasks like suturing after a long session of surgery or taking on administrative duties such as managing prescriptions. PAs also provide doctors with the ability…
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At Least Humor Is a Mature Defense Mechanism: An Unqualified Guide to USMLE® Step 1 Anxiety
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COVID-19 may have impacted USMLE® Step exams, but one thing that hasn’t changed is the anxiety surrounding them—the butterflies in your stomach have simply morphed from one species into another. Today on the Osmosis blog, Osmosis Medical Education Fellow Kayla Hicks shares a humorous account of how she dealt with…
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Seeking Balance and Finding Your Ikigai in Medical School
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Where do you turn when you’re questioning whether you’re on the right path or not? For one med student—Osmosis Medical Education Fellow Anam Sayed—the Japanese concept, ikigai, helped her find her way. If you find yourself in a similar situation, read on to see if ikigai can be as powerful a force for…
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Dealing With Depression in Medical School
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Medical school is about learning to care for others in the best way possible. But what happens when it becomes difficult to care for yourself? Today on the blog, third-year medical student Mónica Contreras Leal shares her experience with depression during medical school: how she learned to cope and eventually,…
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How to Practice Empathy as a Nurse (and Why You Should)
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Empathy in nursing is more than just a nice skill to have; it’s what patients look for from caregivers. Empathy has a major role in safe client care, positive outcomes, building rapport, and even job satisfaction. But what does empathy mean in nursing, and how can you practice empathy as a…
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How to Develop Your Emotional Intelligence as a Health Professional
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Emotional intelligence may have once sounded like an odd term, but it’s an absolutely crucial skill to improve, especially in the medical field. Managing your emotional intelligence will help you control and properly express your emotions during high-pressure situations. Learn how to hone your emotional intelligence with these tips from…