Physician

Physicians writing on KevinMD about the life of the profession: the work itself, the exhaustion, what women physicians are paid and asked to carry, the losses the profession has been slow to name, and who decides how physicians work. Five maintained records draw on this archive: Physician burnout: what physicians say, in their own words, Primary care: what physicians say, in their own words, Women in medicine: what women physicians say, in their own words,, Physician suicide: what physicians say, in their own words, and Physicians and administrators: what physicians say about who runs medicine, in their own words.

Finding meaning in the intersection between marriage and medicine

Charles Feng, MD

Physician

January 19, 2020

When I first saw Jea-Hyoun, in a medical meet-cute straight out of a romantic comedy, she was being evaluated for thyroid cancer. I was an allergy/immunology fellow harried by a pile of paperwork. She was a patient, in the same building where she saw patients of her own as a psychiatry and family practice resident, preparing to see the specialist. We made awkward small talk in the hallway before she …

Telemedicine overprescribes antibiotics: Are you really receiving the best care over the phone?

Roy Benaroch, MD

Physician

January 18, 2020

You’ve seen the ads, and you may have even gotten a flyer in the mail directly from your insurance company. Use an app to make a quick video call to get the medical care you need. No waiting rooms, no appointments, no having to be touched, or even sit in a room with a physician – just the magic of the internet, and you’ll get what you want.

But will you …

Stop the war on PAs and NPs

Brent Lacey, MD

Physician

January 18, 2020

I think it’s time for physicians to end the assault on the clinical practices of PAs and NPs.

Are you worried about PAs and NPs taking your job? If you’re a good doctor, you should stop worrying. Great PAs and NPs are everywhere, and I think it’s time physicians embraced them.

PAs and NPs have excellent skills

My first rotation as a third-year medical student was in the emergency department. There was a …

Read more…

Stop the war on PAs and NPs

Keep insulting doctors, and good luck finding a physician in 10 years

Karen S. Sibert, MD

Physician

January 17, 2020

If physicians are “muggers” and co-conspirators in “taking money away from the rest of us,” then journalists and economists are pontificating parasites who produce no goods or services of any real value.

I don’t think either is true, but the recent attacks on physicians by economists Anne Case and Angus Deaton, and “media professional” Cynthia Weber Cascio, deserve to be called out. You …

Watching is incredibly important. I know this as a physician.

Edwin Leap, MD

Physician

January 17, 2020

I sometimes work as a church security volunteer. And when I do it, I get to simply stand and watch. Watch for someone sick or injured (we have defibrillators and wound care equipment). Watch for someone coming to cause harm. Watch in order to call the police. Watch to keep the children safe.

And it occurs to me, when I do it, that watching is incredibly important. I know this as …

A neurosurgeon makes 3 resolutions for 2020

Mark McLaughlin, MD

Physician

January 16, 2020

The start of a new decade seems more meaningful than the beginning of other new years. I tend to think more long-range at these mileposts. For 2020, I’ve made three resolutions that I hope will have a positive impact on my life for years to come:

1. Ramp up reading

Starting now, I intend to consume more books on a regular basis. Crucial to meeting this goal will be diverting my gaze …

How physicians can deal with stress

Suneel Dhand, MD

Physician

January 14, 2020

Stress is one of the epidemics of modern-day living—especially work-related stress. At a basic fundamental level, it’s just simply a chemical reaction. Your adrenaline and cortisol levels shoot up in response to a stressful stimulus, the primitive “fight-or-flight” response kicks in, and your brain and emotions go into overdrive. The problem with this acute response, is that it tends to lead to illogical thinking and an inability to really find solutions. Research also confirms that having chronically elevated stress hormones is very detrimental for your long-term health and …

Read more…

How physicians can deal with stress

Physician mom hands off to civilian dad before her swing shift

Lisa Sieczkowski, MD

Physician

January 14, 2020

It’s been liberating and eye-opening and sometimes a pain to have all three of my kids in grade school. The benefits of one drop off and not paying for daycare do outweigh the downside of figuring out what to do with the kids when they have days off. Usually, I plan my schedule accordingly, but I still have to fit in the requisite number of shifts for my …

Can the physician credentialing process be saved?

Tom Clifford, MD

Physician

January 14, 2020

The physician burnout crisis and a national provider shortage have fueled a growing trend in health technology focused on better utilizing physicians and reducing administrative burdens. I became a surgeon because I wanted to help people, not because I had a strong desire to push paper. The high volume of administrative tasks increasingly consumes a physician’s time that could be better spent with patients. For example, primary care physicians Read more…

Can the physician credentialing process be saved?

When primary care handles the consequences of psychiatric medication prescribing

Hans Duvefelt, MD

Physician

January 13, 2020

If my hypertensive patient develops orthostatism and falls and breaks her hip, I fully expect the orthopedic surgeon on call to treat her. I may kick myself that this happened, but I’m not qualified to treat a broken hip.

If my anticoagulated patient hits his head and suffers a subdural hematoma, I expect the local neurosurgeon to graciously treat him even though it was my decision and not his to start …

After child sexual abuse, being “physically intact” doesn’t tell the whole story

Dr. Nkeiruka U. Orajiaka

Physician

January 13, 2020

The recent pardon of a convicted child rapist by the ex-Kentucky Governor has sparked a lot of controversies. The basis of the pardon was- “the victim’s hymen was noted to be physically intact.” Evolving studies have continuously shown that the hymen is not a reliable or accurate means to conclude sexual assault.

But if physical damage is the only criterion used to assess …

I had to be there for this patient’s last breath

Joseph Fennelly, MD

Physician

January 13, 2020

It’s the winter of 1993. A cold, snowy day. Windy. A blizzard. The phone rings.

I’m not on call for my patients today — except for one. Daisy has been in my care since the early 1970s, and given the risk that she may suffer a serious downturn, I’ve instructed her nursing home to call me whenever necessary.

This is that call. Daisy, my dear lady, the old artist, is dying.

Throughout her …

A patient who taught an important lesson in doctoring

Don S. Dizon, MD

Physician

January 12, 2020

As a doctor, there is an experience that all can relate to. It concerns that particular patient who comes in with not just one concern, but a litany of them. They require more than the prescribed 15 minutes of visit time, and we sit and listen, try our best to console and guide. Yet, for some patients, it never seems …

In the midst of physician burnout, remember the privilege of being a doctor

Micah Long, MD

Physician

January 12, 2020

I read the recent article on KevinMD: “I’m sorry: Why I lost my love for medicine” with great sadness. My heart goes out to the author; many of their concerns echoed deeply within me. I am sorry that we, as physicians, haven’t effectively succeeded in solving the myriad of problems facing health care today. And the author is right: Health care as a system, in the …

A patient who touches your heart in unexpected ways

Ann F. Beach, MD

Physician

January 11, 2020

I’m a pediatric hospitalist, and I know that most days in the hospital are routine. But every once in a while, a patient pierces through your armor, and touches your heart in totally unexpected ways. Willow did that to me.

Willow was five days old and had been admitted because her breathing was not quite right. I first met her in her hospital room, with her dad hovering over her bassinet, …

How to lead a sustainable life: A physician’s victory over burnout

Jamian Reed, DO

Physician

January 11, 2020

Eighteen months out of residency and into outpatient psychiatry private practice, for the first time since before medical school, I’m coming home actually feeling a surplus of energy to put into my life outside of clinical practice. Sure, I did my best to maintain my interests and relationships during my training, but doing so felt like trying to wring blood from a stone.

A slight sense of boredom in the evening, …

The profound influence of a physician’s mother

Paul Pender, MD

Physician

January 10, 2020

It is a busy time of year. I made my rounds to collect my skis after tuning, to pick up items for our Christmas guests, to get my haircut, and to claim my new eyeglasses. I drove to my golf course and took a half-hour walk on snow-covered paths with my dog. Dropped him at the groomers, then made stops for last-minute food shopping. While my wife took on the masses at a megastore, …

Doctors shouldn’t feel guilty about sick days

Navpreet Sahsi, MD

Physician

January 10, 2020

It’s 2 a.m. And I’m in the emergency room. There are beads of sweat dripping from my forehead. One of my nurses comments that I just don’t look quite right. I can feel the urge to vomit and know where the nearest trash can is at all times.

I’m clearly sick. Febrile. Shouldn’t be working. But it’s the middle of a night shift, and I’ve got patients to see. I place …

Stop penalizing physicians with pay for performance

Darcy Wooten, MD

Physician

January 10, 2020

Throughout my career, I’ve contemplated what it means to be a good doctor. While I still cannot fully articulate it, I know a good doctor when I see one. She’s the masterful diagnostician who can solve any medical mystery. He’s the physician-scientist who spends countless hours on finding a cure for HIV. She’s the colleague on my right, arguing on the phone with a patient’s insurance company to get a …

A physician shares the computer screen with patients

Hans Duvefelt, MD

Physician

January 9, 2020

I ran late the other morning. My first patient, an internal transfer, was already waiting. Booting up my laptop seemed to take forever.

Usually, I try to poke around at least a little in the EMR before I enter the exam room, even when I know the patient well in order to remind myself of what we are supposed to do in today’s visit.

I decided to walk in cold because I …

Physician

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