listening | Dr. Valerie Brooke

Locum What?

When I tell people I’m working as a locum tenens, most look at me with confusion, like I am speaking a foreign language. Which I am, as...

Valerie Brooke, MD

Jan 3, 20244 min read

Change

As the plane descended from the ash-colored clouds over Burlington, Vermont, I looked over the blunted orange and dark green leafed trees...

Valerie Brooke, MD

Oct 18, 20234 min read

Curiosity and the Practice of Medicine

“Curiosity is the genesis of empathy,” were the astute words in my weekly email from writer Jeannine Ouellette. I'm taking a course from...

Valerie Brooke, MD

Sep 18, 20233 min read

Listening to a Patient’s Story

I am part of a writer’s group and together we are doing a 12-week course on how to write a lyrical essay. The first week’s assignment is...

Valerie Brooke, MD

Aug 7, 20234 min read

The Big Leap

“When we get quiet enough, for long enough, we can hear the whispers, of what is right, of what is true, and most importantly, which way...

Valerie Brooke, MD

Jul 23, 20234 min read

Responding to Suffering

Last year I started attending monthly lectures put on by the Nevada Physician Wellness Coalition (NPWC), an organization in line with my...

Valerie Brooke, MD

May 4, 20233 min read

Words Matter

Quite frequently I will come across the word “non-compliant” in the medical record of a patient, one that I am going to admit to the...

Valerie Brooke, MD

Oct 20, 20224 min read

The Health Benefits of Yoga

In one corner of my vision board for 2022 are the words yoga, flexibility, and keep moving forward. Right next to them is a photo of a...

Valerie Brooke, MD

Mar 8, 20223 min read

Permission To Feel

I recently had an interaction with a patient that had suffered a stroke and it got me thinking about emotions. I was asking this patient...

Valerie Brooke, MD

Nov 21, 20213 min read

The Power of Stillness

Yesterday I was finally able to go outside and attend to my yard and garden, as the smoke from the CA wildfires has finally shifted. Not...

Valerie Brooke, MD

Sep 13, 20213 min read

Talking to Patients about the COVID Vaccine

When I admit a patient to the acute rehabilitation hospital, after asking them about the history of their stroke or brain injury,...

Valerie Brooke, MD

Sep 7, 20214 min read

Resolving Resistance

Several years ago, I had the most challenging interaction I have ever had with a patient’s family member, and even today, the memory of...

Valerie Brooke, MD

Jun 9, 20214 min read

The Listening Path - Part 3

The third assignment in my listening experiment required my attention to others. Piece of cake, I thought. I’m a good listener, I...

Valerie Brooke, MD

Apr 7, 20215 min read

The Listening Path - Part 2

I used to listen to upbeat music or NPR news on the way to work every day, which is about a 15- minute drive, one of the many blessings...

Valerie Brooke, MD

Mar 27, 20215 min read