Doctors are capable of making irrational and incorrect choices just like the rest of us. This provides us with a valuable lesson. Education, information and intelligence aren't always guarantors of responsible decision-making.

Although I continue to believe that these professional qualities are paramount to excellent patient care, I am finding that other, less-obvious proficiencies are also required. Ironically, these skills that I have in mind involve a field what we as physicians know least about: business.

We often equate knowledge with power: The more we know, the better we are able to make decisions. Unfortunately, there are cases where ignorance really may be bliss, and Alzheimer's isn't the only one.

We are not all royalty, but we do deserve medical privacy. I have seen both sides and continue to be amazed how much more careful we need to be.

Even if your state does not (yet) have a POLST option, consider documenting your preferences using other forms, like a living will, durable power of attorney for health care, and the like.

A friendly reminder to those just starting out in their respective health care positions: Your patient demographic will not be solely be made up of sweet old grandmothers telling you how lovely you look in scrubs or a white coat.

Coworkers occupy peculiar in-between roles in our lives. Most days, we spend at least half of our waking hours with them. Disclosing our personal problems to them can offer advantages, generating social support, or can prompt stigma and discrimination.

There were approximately 662,000 children in foster care in the U.S. in 2010. Now, there is a Government Accounting Office report confirming that foster children in five states are receiving shocking amounts of psychiatric drugs.