Sure, it might be useful for your vascular surgeon to understand the difference between an Endovenous Laser Ablation and Radiofrequency Ablation, but what's really important is that she understands the disenfranchisement a person of color faces when working within a systemically racist system of oppression that devalues the lives of—hey, where's all this blood coming from?

The American Medical Association's House of Delegates had a virtual meeting this week during which they decided to take some time away from medicine to address perceived social ills.

I suppose the opposite might be worse. We could have the Racial Equity Resource Center holding a conference on better ways to treat hypertensive vascular disease.

"The American Medical Association (AMA) needs to work harder to help rid the medical profession of racism, several AMA members said at a special meeting of the AMA's House of Delegates."

Isn't racism the thing you want your doctors focused on?

"The Board of Trustees has noted that it's vital that medicine play a critical role in eliminating racism, but the AMA only has two policies using the word 'racism.'"

Maybe there aren't more policies using the word "racism" because it isn't a vital role of medicine to eliminate racism. It is a vital role of medicine to treat and cure diseases and injuries.

I really just want you to focus on the diseases and injuries, Doc.

If you really wanted to focus on eliminating racism, you could have majored in indigenous cultures with a minor in grievance studies, although I understand the pay is not as good. (For the record, that wouldn't eliminate racism either.)

"Heffron was speaking in support of a resolution authored by the Medical Student Section that calls for the AMA to ‘recognize racism, in its systemic, cultural, interpersonal, and other forms, as a serious threat to public health' and to ‘identify a set of current best practices for healthcare institutions, physician practices, and academic medical centers to recognize, address, and mitigate the effects of racism on patients, providers, and populations.'"

Here's what I want healthcare institutions, physician practices, and academic medical centers to recognize, address, and mitigate the effects of: Dying of a medical condition.

You know, play to your strengths.