Estelle Toby Goldstein, MD (The Renegade Doctor)

10/14/2024

WADE FINISHES THE LAS VEGAS STORY -- at least THIS LV Story!

We had a lot of adventures in Las Vegas, but I'm going to finish the story about the inspection at the VA outpatient clinic and I'm going to tell you how Estelle figured out a way to beat the odds at Roulette.

I was telling you about a colorful character, one of her psychiatirst colleagues with such a complicated name that we just call him "Dr. Z"

He was not a babe magnet by any means -- he was a senior citizen, and his hair and especially his beard were particularly unruly. Not Albert Einstein-unruly. The best image I can give you would be if Tolstoy was trying to emulate Hagrid.

And you may recall, Dr. Z had a fe**sh for st*****rs, who are known to choose men for financial reasons more than for their masculine beauty and charm.

Despite his roving eye (or other body parts), Dr. Z was a married man. He had a mail-order bride from Russia, who I hear was a medical doctor also -- but not licensed in the US. She also had a teen-aged son.

Dr. Z established and kept his relationship with these transactional-oriented beauties by plying them with free prescription pills. This was not exactly kosher. When VA patients would have a change of medication and turn in their old prescriptions, the doctor was supposed to give the left-over pills to the in-house pharmacy.

However, Dr. Z negotiated some kind of deal with the pharmacist so that he could keep the pills to present to his "dates," or whatever you want to call them.

Of course, dancing girls are usually popular with the men and have several in their lives. And from what Estelle told me, occasionally a young lady would have trouble with the man in her life and flee... sometimes seeking refuge in Dr. Z's apartment.

Yes, I am aware that his wife and step son were in the apartment, but apparently overnight guests could be accomodated -- and sometimes by lodging in the step-son's bedroom! (Well, the Doctor's wife was probably not going to scoot over and let a young lady share HER bed!).

When I heard this, I lamented the fact that when I was undergoing puberty in my early teen years, I never got to have a stripper spend the night in my room. I guess my parents were not open-minded, and my two brothers would probably have protested their lack of st*****rs also.

The issue of the clinical inspection by JHCAO was usually solved by the head of the clinic, a veteran herslf, of course. She would order the staff to dress in patriotic red-white-and-blue clothing, then she would cherry-pick some "random" files that the inspectors were supposed to choose for themselves, and after a cursory walk through the clinic, she would take the inspection team to a 3-martini lunch -- and the clinic would pass inspection.

Like many of the "temp" assignments (Locum Tenens, in medical parlance), the Las Vegas VA outpatient clinic wanted Estelle to stay on and be permanent staff. But she did 3 -6 month assignments in a 2 year period and then moved on. It just wasn't the type of place she wanted to work.

As I wrap up this story, I am not forgetting my teaser-comment about roulette. So here it is.

There are many "systems" people have tried for turning roulette into a money-making scheme, but the laws of mathematics and statistics are harsh mistresses.

Estelle took this as a personal challenge, though.

She had a way of incrementally increasing her bets, depending on whether she won or lost each spin of the wheel. When she had a certain number of consecutive wins, she would stop increasing the bet and reduce it to the starting amount.

She told me that it was successful, but it was a "grind." Neither of us were high rollers, so she never bet high stakes, and using her own courage to set the stakes, she figured she would come out ahead, but the amount of winnings were not even minimum wage level. So she knew she would make more money as a doctor, and she just kept playing roulette for fun.

One last thing -- one of my regrets now that Estelle is gone, I wish I had more pictures of us together. I was obsessive about photographing her and documenting her life, but I didn't do a lot of Selfies, and there were not many occasions when I asked people we were with to snap a picture of us together. So make sure you have plenty of pictures of yourself with your loved ones .... my unsolicited advice to you.

02/28/2024

A very special friend is celebrating his birthday and I want to give him our BIGGEST THANKS and ALL OUR LOVE!

02/09/2024

Wade and Estelle are fondly remembering Uncle Irving and Aunt Sadie on Irving's birthday. Blessings and Peace for the entire Gold family!

02/07/2024

If you haven't seen the note yet, This is Estelle's birthday. I'm her hubby, Wade and Estelle is currently in the hospital. But if you send her birthday wishes, I'll read them to her and send or post replies.

She's doing well ... but this health episode is most likely the gateway to her retirement from the field of medicine.

08/13/2023

-Kathleen OKeefe Kanavos Pleasure meeting you on twitter. Perhaps you would like to speak a bit? :)

07/01/2021

New post on my Patreon site - the newsletter is only $1/month and includes everything I write and post during the month.

There is a free newsletter section there also with most of the information I post.

This topic is about using antipsychotic medicines for Autistic Spectrum Disorders.

Patreon is empowering a new generation of creators. Support and engage with artists and creators as they live out their passions!

06/17/2021

As you may have heard, I am not working as an office doc any more. As we emerge from the Covid -19 Pandemic, I have shifted to working with two very different populations -- one isn't enough to keep me busy (YET).

First, I've already announced that I'm assisting people from other countries who want to get a medical education, and eventually a medical career in the USA. Some very highly educated and intelligent people from all over the world are in this country now, and many serving in lower technical levels or perhaps in totally unrelated fields.

Our country needs doctors, nurses, medical technicians, and every other sort of healthcare worker to meet the needs in both cities and rural areas.

As a Foreign Medical Graduate myself, I am familiar with the efforts it takes to get a diploma and a license in the US.

If you know of any such people who are looking to get credentialed, please give them my contact information.

The other population I mentioned are people on the Autistic Spectrum of disorders. See my attractive graphic for the types of disorders I'm speaking about.

Right now, I'm networking through groups of patients and caretakers to share my expertise as a doctor and my life experiences as the child of an ASD father and a brother who was also ASD.

I've started a free newsletter for this population and would be honored if you alert anyone in your 6-degrees (or less) of separation that I'm here as a resource.

And I wish you a wonderful Father's Day Weekend and a happy and healthy summer.

04/18/2021

The path to medical school is a series of tests. The hardest is probably the MCAT (Medical College Admission Test).

I am now tutoring -- you might say "Mentoring" -- aspiring doctors.

If you need help, or if your child is on-track for a career in medicine, I'll be glad to help.

04/12/2021

To the people working toward a career in medicine, Why learn from people who have not been through medical school? Why learn from people who are not medical doctors?

Many coaches have lower level degrees and have only been administrators. My mission is to help achieve your dreams.

I always wanted to become a doctor from my earliest memories, and I swore I would do anything to reach my goals.

If you feel a calling to the field of medicine, I can help you navigate the testing, the interviews, the letters and essays.

I just wish I had a mentor when I was going through these things.

04/06/2021

I know a lot of doctors who were educated in foreign lands in English.

A dear old gentleman in Las Vegas -- I met him when he was in his 90s -- worked as a clairinettist in a jazz band back in the 1940s. As soon as he earned enough money, he went to Guadalajara to medical school. Then when the money ran out, he returned to the States and toured with bands again. I believe he worked with some big names like Bob Crosby and his Bobcats (Bing's brother).

Of course, the English speaking schools in other lands are not the cheapest -- but many have lower demands for GPA and MCAT scores, flexible scheduling, and some even have terrific reputations for medical teaching.

Then there are the mills that you can basically sleep through and get your credentials. I worked with one doctor who had been educated in Haiti and was shocked to find out he'd never seen a naked human body. Yes -- an MD!

Of course, you have to make sure that the USA will accept the credentials from a foreign school. You don't want to waste time and money and find out that the school isn't accredited.

I'm happy to be working now with future doctors seeking their education in America who have journeyed from foreign lands. But I would also be glad to work with any student who is eager to go to another country for medical education.

Been there -- done that -- LITERALLY!

Best wishes for a happy and fulfilling future!

04/05/2021

When I decided to go to medical school in France, it was a BIG step for me.

First of all, I skipped a couple of grades and graduated high school early (age 16) and college also (age 20). My counsellors advised me to wait the 2 years before medical school -- maybe get a PhD. But I wanted to be a doctor!

However, in the late 60s-early 70s, US medical school limited the number of females admitted. Yes, it is sad but true. Only a relative few ladies were allowed to be doctors!

But having several years of French language in school, I knew I could handle med school in France.

My parents were the over-protective type (Mother drove me to school every day from kindergarten through my Bachelor's degree!). Yet I convinced them that not only could I get into medical school easier in France -- but it would cost practically nothing! At that time, tuition was only $20 per year and in France, the universities don't make you buy books -- it's all note taking and lectures!

As you can tell, I completed my French medical education and took all of the exams to come back to America and practice medicine.

Not everybody could do it, but it is an option that many students overlook.

First of all, if you do speak a foreign language, there are many schools around the world that will take you and many will accept your pre-requisite classes from your American education.

Spanish? Try Mexico, Central America, Caribbean schools, Spain, certain Mediterranean locales.

French? Besides France, you can go to various countries such as Canada, Belgium, Luxembourg, Monaco, Switzerland, several African countries a couple in the Middle East, and several in Asia.

It can be frightening to consider going outside the world you've always known -- I totally understand.

That's why I'm transitioning from being a patient-care doctor to a mentor and coach for those wishing to take this step.

When I went to France, I taped a sign to the wall in my humble apartment that said "I will DO ANYTHING to become a doctor!"

I told my Mother-of-Blessed-Memory that, like the ancient soldiers of Greece who went to war, I would return carrying my shield or on it (the funeral tradition for fallen warriors).

If you want to be a doctor, there are many ways to go -- and your high school or college counsellors may not tell you about all of them.

Believe me, it can be done. And it is easier today than it was nearly 50 years ago when I was a young graduate with a Bachelor's Degree and no offers from any of the US medical schools.

Here I am -- I will help you or your loved one (perhaps your child) who wants to become a doctor.

Together, we will make your dreams happen!

04/01/2021

American medical schools only accept about 3% of those who apply for admission each year. Looking at foreign schools is a wise choice.

I'll be writing about this soon on my new web page. As soon as it is online, I will announce it here. So keep watching this space!