Although everyone needs quality healthcare, few know much
about the industry providing it. The best sources
for this information are often the doctors and
nurses themselves. In no particular order, here are
some medical experts producing books blogs podcasts, and
other media that illuminate important healthcare issues.
First up at # 1 is Brittney Wilson,
an author blogger, and international keynote speaker in
the healthcare technology community. In 2013 she released
The Nerdy Nurse's Guide to Technology, which provides
the tools nurses need to improve their practices,
further their careers, and solidify themselves as assets
to their employers. Written in a humorous and
digestible way, it won the American Journal of
Nursing's Book of the Year Award in 2014.
Wilson got started in 2010 when she created
her blog, The Nerdy Nurse. The website is
filled with advice for nurses and other healthcare
professionals, touching on subjects including common issues in
the field, new and emerging healthcare technologies, and
guides to different medical specializations.
Next up at # 2 is Suzanne Gordon.
This award-winning journalist and writer is the author
or co-author of over ten books, and is
co-editor of several more. Among her titles are
Beyond the Checklist, which examines how healthcare providers
can reduce the financial and human toll of
medical errors, and Wounds of War, about the
treatment of US military veterans. Gordon's writing has
also been featured in the New York Times,
the Los Angeles Times, the Boston Globe, and
many other publications.
As of 2020, Gordon is an assistant adjunct
professor at the UCSF School of Nursing, and
an affiliated scholar with the University of Toronto
Faculty of Medicine’s Wilson Centre. She is also
the Senior Policy Fellow at the Veterans’ Health
Care Policy Institute. With Lisa Hayes, she has
written a play about patient safety and teamwork
entitled Bedside Manners.
At # 3 is Nacole Riccaboni, who uses
her internet presence to support and empower prospective
new, and experienced nurses. She runs a podcast
under the name Nurse Nacole, in which she
answers listeners' questions during her commute to and
from work, and provides tips on everything from
pediatric to maternal neonatal nursing.
On her YouTube channel, Riccaboni offers practical advice
on the many obstacles nurses or nursing students
may encounter throughout their careers. She has also
written a variety of articles to help nurses
find the right school, apply to their first
job, and take care of themselves outside of
work.
Up next at # 4 is Dr. Zubin
Damania, a UCSF and Stanford-trained internist who went
on to found Turntable Health, an innovative primary
care clinic. After experiencing the dysfunctional healthcare system
firsthand, he started producing videos under his pseudonym
ZDoggMD. These videos, which feature biting, satirical medical
humor, have since gone viral and helped launch
a grassroots movement dedicated to improving healthcare for
everyone.
Dr. Damania's main focus is on promoting a
movement known as Health 3.0, which is aimed
at fixing America's broken healthcare system. The movement
seeks to give clinicians the time space, and
tools necessary to understand each of their patients
as unique human beings, rather than as just
a collection of symptoms.
Last up at # 5 is Dr. Jessica
Zitter. A Harvard- and UCSF trained physician, she
is an advocate for reforming end-of-life medical care
in America. After spending two decades in intensive
care units across the country, Dr. Zitter was
dismayed to see how mechanization and protocol were
prioritized over the comfort of dying patients, and
wished to take action.
Determined to bring the conversation about death and
dying into mainstream medicine, Dr. Zitter contributes regularly
to the New York Times. Her articles have
also appeared in The Atlantic, Time Magazine, and
many other publications. She is featured in the
Oscar-nominated 2017 documentary short Extremis, and is the
author of the book Extreme Measures Finding a
Better Path to the End of Life.