From the American Red Cross to volunteering overseas, there are plenty of feel-good “enlistments” out there for the practicing or retired physician, which can help ward off boredom and burnout while adding the benefit of perhaps learning a new skill or meeting new people. Whether your goals are short-term or you’re in for the long haul, here are nine opportunities to help humanity and feel good about the part you’re playing in the world.

The plaintiff, an emergency medicine physician, filed the lawsuit for wrongful termination against EmCare’s Kansas and Missouri subsidiaries, alleging that he was terminated because he complained about dangerous and illegal understaffing at the Overland Park emergency department. On March 2, 2021, the Missouri Supreme Court declined to intervene in the case, finalizing the judgment in the plaintiff’s favor.

That’s the question in this highly unusual case, in which the plaintiff made an emergency motion for a mistrial, arguing that the jury witnessing the defendant coming to the aid of one of their fellow jurors may have prejudiced the jury. Read this fascinating story from MPR and ask yourself whether the situation had influenced the verdict in any way or resulted in a denial of a fair trial.

In a scheme to defraud health insurance programs for nearly 10 years, Javaid Perwaiz, MD, caused nearly $21 million in losses to private and government payers for unnecessary surgeries and procedures, such as irreversible hysterectomies, improper sterilizations, and others. He was convicted on 52 counts of healthcare fraud and other charges tied to these unwarranted procedures, and previously faced a conviction for felony tax fraud in the 1990s, as well as earlier accusations of performing unnecessary hysterectomies that led to his firing from a hospital.

A second-year psychiatry resident filed a lawsuit in June 2021 against the Pennsylvania Hospital in Philadelphia for gross and corporate negligence, stemming from an attack in February 2021 in which the resident was repeatedly stabbed in the face reportedly by a patient wielding a lunch-tray metal knife and sharp pen.

Having a child with cancer is one of the most stressful events for any parent to endure. And, according to a report in JAMA Network Open, that stress contributes to often fractious relationships between parents and the medical teams treating their cancer-stricken children. JAMA reports that a quarter of parents have a difficult, or challenging, relationship with their pediatric oncologist and related medical team. The study also found that the tense feelings are mutual between parents and doctors. Among physicians surveyed, 37.6% reported that they felt the relationships they had with parents of the children they treated were challenging.