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Valerie Brooke, MD
Jan 3, 20244 min read
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...
117 views2 comments

Valerie Brooke, MD
Oct 18, 20234 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...
81 views5 comments


Valerie Brooke, MD
Sep 18, 20233 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...
50 views1 comment


Valerie Brooke, MD
Aug 7, 20234 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...
78 views1 comment


Valerie Brooke, MD
Jul 23, 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...
160 views3 comments


Valerie Brooke, MD
May 4, 20233 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...
98 views0 comments


Valerie Brooke, MD
Oct 20, 20224 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...
101 views0 comments


Valerie Brooke, MD
Mar 8, 20223 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...
46 views2 comments


Valerie Brooke, MD
Nov 21, 20213 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...
32 views0 comments


Valerie Brooke, MD
Sep 13, 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...
38 views0 comments


Valerie Brooke, MD
Sep 7, 20214 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,...
114 views0 comments


Valerie Brooke, MD
Jun 9, 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...
59 views0 comments


Valerie Brooke, MD
Apr 7, 20215 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...
49 views0 comments


Valerie Brooke, MD
Mar 27, 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...
52 views0 comments
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