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.

Why it takes more than doctors to fix medical errors

Neha Sharma, DO

Physician

June 15, 2016

A new research study recently published in the BMJ claims that medical error is the third leading cause of death in America. It is third only to heart disease and cancer. Most of the major news outlets are sensationalizing this report.

A few headlines are even slowly starting to replace the phrase “medical error” with “doctor error.” Some comments I noted on social media include, “Medical errors kill eight …

We stand at the brink. Together on the dance floor. We are Pulse.

James C. Salwitz, MD

Physician

June 14, 2016

Recently, a patient of mine died of cancer, whom I loved very much. She had a special way of enjoying life; a half, wise smile that after our many years together did not take me too seriously and reflected her deep inner strength. She taught me about joy; I will miss her always. Her husband, understanding my loss, said that it was alright, that I had done my best, that he …

It’s time for physicians to raise their voices and end gun violence

Morgan Leafe, MD

Physician

June 14, 2016

As many who are pediatricians or know pediatricians are aware, the quest to end gun violence is a passion for our profession and an advocacy issue of utmost importance for our professional organization, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). Having practiced in areas with a high incidence of gun violence for most of my career until recently moving to California, I have seen first-hand how this tragic issue affects the …

How this doctor manages time

Hans Duvefelt, MD

Physician

June 14, 2016

“I should be home well before nine o’clock,” I said to my wife on the phone as I steered my eight-cylinder SUV quietly down the highway at 75 mph with more than 100 miles left to go.

“More like eight fifty-five,” I added.

“That’s well before nine?” She sounded both weary and incredulous. I knew what she meant. I am not as obsessive about time as I used to be, but even …

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How this doctor manages time

Gun violence is a public health issue

Sarah Candler, MD, MPH

Physician

June 14, 2016

At our last visit, she asked me “not to forget us” and gave me a photograph of her family. She included a picture of her daughter, whom I had never met. I had missed her by four years almost to the day because she was shot and killed driving through her neighborhood in the middle of the afternoon.

I first met Mrs. P early in my training as a physician in …

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Gun violence is a public health issue

Human beings are not cookies. Why are they being treated as if they are?

Suneel Dhand, MD

Physician

June 14, 2016

A couple of weeks ago I visited the island of Cyprus with family. Having seen a lot of mainland Europe over the last several years, I was keen for something a bit off the beaten track and away from a major city. We thought about a few possible destinations, but opted in the end for Cyprus (partly because of the desperate need for some warmer weather).

Booking the trip quite rapidly, …

Paramedics saved this woman’s life. They are the true heroes.

Raj Waghmare, MD

Physician

June 13, 2016

I’m pulling on my last elbow’s displaced wrist when a nurse pops in, and tells us a critical patient is two minutes away.

“Mind staying?” my colleague asks.

“Sure.”

Paramedics are hunched over the patient as she is wheeled quickly into the resuscitation bay. At the top of the bed, a mask is secured over her mouth and oxygen is pumped with loosely gloved hands. It isn’t helping — her skin is grey — like …

I’m a physician assistant. It’s time to stop the bitterness.

Wes Johnson, PA-C

Physician

June 13, 2016

I like to read. I always have, and I’m sure I always will. I read almost everything that I come across. I often find myself reading the articles on this site. Some I agree with and some I don’t, but I like that part of the site too. I read, and I learn and I’m informed, and I gain knowledge, but then something always seems to happen. I always wind …

What is the proper way for physicians to be leaders?

Benjamin Mazer, MD, MBA

Physician

June 12, 2016

In medical school, you learn very quickly that you can’t know everything. By the end of your first-year anatomy course, you’ll probably give up on learning the names of every part of the body, let alone the intricacies of how they function. As physicians, we must grow comfortable with our limitations. We seek help from our colleagues and try not to let our egos get in the way of patient …

This doctor was remembered for his devotion to patients. Was it enough?

Sudha Prasad, MD

Physician

June 12, 2016

Recently I attended the funeral of a prominent gastroenterologist in my community whom I knew socially as the father of my son’s friend. It was an untimely and rapid death due to pancreatic cancer. He left behind a young wife and four children, two of whom are in college. I would see him periodically at school functions; he would sneak into an event at the last minute and often struggle …

Physicians are society’s scapegoats

Kevin Haselhorst, MD

Physician

June 12, 2016

Dad had taken a turn for the worse, but my family was not ready to give up on him and consider end-of-life care. Nevertheless, choices had to be made. Would Dad be allowed to pass while in assisted living or have his life prolonged in a skilled-nursing facility? What kind of a doctor am I? When perceiving that a patient is dying, what type of physician neglects to intervene and …

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Physicians are society’s scapegoats

7 tips for doctors to be successful in telemedicine

Geeta Arora, MD

Physician

June 11, 2016

In early 2014 I decided to use the six state licenses I had obtained as a locum tenens physician to start practicing telemedicine. Since then I have worked with several telemedicine platforms. I use telemedicine to keep up my outpatient skills. I have found that telemedicine companies differ dramatically in their overall ease of use for the provider.

Here are my top 7 tips for deciding which telemedicine company to work …

This hospital was put out of its misery. Deservedly so.

Judy Salz, MD

Physician

June 11, 2016

Many stories have been shared by physicians detailing their experiences during their years as house officers. I trained at an inner city hospital in the early 1970s, and my story was unique.

Hospital J was built in the early part of the twentieth century. The structure was nine stories tall, with the ICU, the only air conditioned floor, located at the top. The elevators had not been automated and were still …

Living the oath requires physicians to set boundaries

Kathy Stepien, MD

Physician

June 10, 2016

“I solemnly pledge to consecrate my life to the service of humanity.” Standing with my medical school colleagues, we continue: “I will respect and hold the secrets that are confided in me. I will exercise moral integrity.”

I easily agree. But then, “The health of my patient will be my first consideration.” I’m 40 weeks pregnant, with swollen feet and raging heartburn. My baby kicks wildly. With certainty, I know that …

How pain scores escalated the opioid crisis

Mark Vierra, MD

Physician

June 10, 2016

“It’s an 8,” I heard him say from behind the curtain as I walked into the room.

The nurse’s aide dutifully recorded the number while the automated blood pressure cuff searched for his pulse, and the plastic clip on the tip of his index finger measured his oxygen saturation.

“What does an 8 mean?” I asked.

“Oxycodone!” he chirped cheerfully, without a moment’s hesitation. “An 8 means oxycodone. Five milligrams!”

“Ah, but you’re wrong,” …

The hospital’s homeless at night

Ahmed Zaafran, MD

Physician

June 9, 2016

Sometimes when I’m working at the hospital overnight, I go for walks. Every now and then, things calm down in the operating room, and you can get some time to relax. Life moves at such a break-neck pace, especially within the world of hospitals, that taking a moment to reflect, is beneficial.

Walking around a hospital at night is very different than during the day. During the day, it feels like …

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The hospital’s homeless at night

The story of a man who did not feel well

Mark E. Williams, MD

Physician

June 9, 2016

Once upon a time, not that long ago, there was man who lived an uncomplicated life. One morning he awoke and did not feel well. He could not really describe his malaise, but he definitely was not his usual self. Nothing particularly noteworthy had happened to him except that his dog had recently died of old age. William, a scruffy little terrier, was 17 years old, and the man knew …

Doctors don’t have to wear a white coat to look professional

Neha Sharma, DO

Physician

June 8, 2016

The first time I wore a white coat was during the white coat ceremony in medical school. It was a beautiful day in New York City. Scores of young, bright-eyed medical students and their proud family members were all congregated in a ballroom, which shared its building with a bowling alley, in the heart of Harlem.

It was particularly warm inside the building, and we were being served hot coffee while …

The question doctors should ask before ordering a test

James C. Salwitz, MD

Physician

June 8, 2016

Doctors have several bad habits. They order piles of tests just to get a vague, unfocused view of a patient’s health. They order expensive and invasive tests to rule out the unlikely or extraordinarily rare. The worst “bad test habit” is when doctors order a test, which, no matter what the result, will not change what they are planning to do.

Why do doctors over order? These same people thought a …

Are you the physician who yells?

Edwin Leap, MD

Physician

June 7, 2016

I’ve never been the doctor who yells. However, if you work in medicine, you’ve met him or her. I’ll call this physician “Dr. Barkus Yellby.” Dr. Yellby is angry. A lot. In the old days (and not so old days), he threw instruments in the OR when they weren’t what he wanted. Or if the charts and labs weren’t ready for rounds, he slammed things on the desk and berated …

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Are you the physician who yells?

Physician

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