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.

The truth about burnout in medicine: a journey of gladiators, night shifts, and humanity

Tomi Mitchell, MD

Physician

March 13, 2025

Becoming a doctor is often seen as a noble quest—a path filled with sacrifice, resilience, and the ultimate reward of helping others. We all start the same way: pre-med studies, endless exams, and the grueling four years of medical school. It’s a journey filled with sleepless nights, skipped meals, and cramming obscure diseases into our already overloaded brains. But we keep going, fueled by the dream of finally being called …

What The Far Side taught me about belonging in science

Ryan McCarthy, MD

Physician

March 13, 2025

Perpetually late to the game, I was watching The Crown on my laptop Friday night, the wonderful episode set in the summer of 1969, when astronauts landed on the moon. While the world gazed into the heavens, series creator Peter Morgan looked around here on Earth and asked, What does it all mean?

Contrasted against this crowning scientific achievement was the Duke of Edinburgh’s personal crisis of faith. When NASA launched, …

The cost of caring: How medicine is shortening the lives of women physicians

Jessie Mahoney, MD

Physician

March 12, 2025

A recent Time magazine article, “Women Live Longer Than Men—But Not in Medicine,” confirmed what many of us have long felt in our bones: Being a woman in medicine comes at a cost.

A staggering one.

Women physicians are dying younger than male physicians. Younger than women in the general population.

And that’s just what the mortality data shows.

The morbidity—the chronic health issues, the …

If you want perspective on life, then dissect a human heart

Casey P. Schukow, DO

Physician

March 11, 2025

Throughout my residency, I’ve had the opportunity to perform autopsies on many different people from different walks of life. One case in particular stood out to me. The decedent was not in the greatest state of health at the time of death and subsequent postmortem examination. After I removed his heart from the pericardial sac and began dissecting each coronary artery in sequential tangential sections back to their origins on …

Match Day 2025: Protecting our students’ futures

American College of Physicians

Physician

March 11, 2025

The song from the Broadway musical Hamilton, “(Yorktown) The World Turned Upside Down,” is stuck in my head. Indeed, these are no ordinary times. We have a measles outbreak in the U.S. that has resulted in numerous …

The NIH is under fire: Why public trust in science is fading

Dalia Saha, MD

Physician

March 10, 2025

Many moons ago, I worked in a forensics lab for a pair of professors who were husband and wife—a chemistry dynamic duo. I had a wonderful time in bench research, learning about different explosives and even doing site visits in Los Alamos, where many of the greatest scientific minds came together to help the U.S. win the war against the Axis powers during World War II. It was a surreal …

Why brutal honesty often backfires and what to do instead

Osmund Agbo, MD

Physician

March 10, 2025

A few years ago, I visited my brother and his family while I was still in school. I had run out of cash and needed to top up before starting our end-of-semester exams. My sister-in-law, a virtuous woman well-loved in our family, invited me to join her and my brother at the wedding of one of her close friends. As we were getting ready to leave, she pulled me aside …

Why blaming doctors won’t fix the U.S. health care crisis

Emma Fenske, DO

Physician

March 9, 2025

The tragic and shocking murder of the UnitedHealthcare CEO has ignited a nationwide conversation about the flaws in the health care system, often accompanied by misdirected anger toward physicians. The rhetoric suggesting that physician salaries are the root of the problem oversimplifies a complex issue and distracts from systemic failures.

Physician salaries account for only about 8 percent of …

How a simple habit changed my entire medical career

Stephanie Wellington, MD

Physician

March 9, 2025

It became my go-to daily practice and changed everything.

Mondays and me: a rocky start

For years, I dreaded Mondays. They felt like a tidal wave of catch-up work after the weekend.

During fellowship, the schedule was structured so that one fellow covered the entire weekend. This setup gave the others a real break—time to rest, recover, and reconnect with family and friends. But then …

How I moved to Europe while keeping my U.S. physician job

Contract Diagnostics

Physician

March 8, 2025

Have you ever thought about moving to Europe?

Life has bogged you down a little. Your job may get boring. Are you feeling the drag of burnout? Try something different, have a new experience, and mix things up.

But the biggest problem? You’re a physician.

Fortunately, physicians in the U.S. enjoy some of the highest salaries in the world. There is no need to worry about searching …

Balancing love and sacrifice in a physician’s journey

Julie F. Solimine and Albert E. Zhou, MD, PhD

Physician

March 8, 2025

As a biology major in undergrad, people would often ask me if I intended to pursue medicine as my future career. I never hesitated to tell them no. It wasn’t for me: The years of training, the debt, the delayed income, the prospect of matching to a location that was unfavorable for me, the lack of control over my own schedule. Not to mention the pressure of caring for patients …

Violence in health care: Why doctors and nurses are leaving

Harry Severance, MD

Physician

March 7, 2025

I was recently asked what I thought were some of the biggest evolving obstacles to physicians and health care in 2024 and beyond.

My answer:

Health care has become America’s most dangerous profession due to workplace violence, with health care workers now being five times more likely to be assaulted “on the job” …

How a medical school gym transformed my perspective on burnout

Maureen Gibbons, MD

Physician

March 7, 2025

Etched on the wall of our medical school gym was a quote by Marcel Proust:

“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes.”

At first glance, it seemed like an unusual choice for a gym—more philosophy than motivation. But over time, as we pushed ourselves on the treadmill, lifted weights, or found solace in a quiet stretch after a grueling day, the meaning of …

The inspiring journey of a medical physicist and her unbreakable friendship

Dr. Damane Zehra

Physician

March 7, 2025

M has always been very close to me. She joined our hospital’s oncology department over ten years ago as a radiation technologist. Currently, she works as a medical physicist in our department and is the only female physicist in our hospital.

Her presence here is not due to luck or extraordinary circumstances; she has dedicated immense effort to her career. While many of her peers in the same position remain in …

What happens if medical malpractice attorneys take over

Howard Smith, MD

Physician

March 6, 2025

Senator Dick Durbin proudly describes his career in the following quote: “Before I was elected to Congress, I worked in a courtroom. For years, I defended doctors and hospitals, and for years, I sued them on behalf of people who were victims of medical malpractice.”

Thirty percent, 131 members, of the House of Representatives and 51 percent, 51 members, of the Senate are lawyers. Senator Durbin is one of 182 lawyers …

Physicians are not quitting medicine—they are expanding their impact

Jawaria Suhail, MD

Physician

March 6, 2025

The moment I was born, my future was decided for me—I was going to be a doctor. My mother had made up her mind, and from that point forward, my path seemed clear: medical school, residency, patient care for life. That was the blueprint.

For many physicians, this is the only path we have ever known. Medicine is not just a career; it is an identity, a commitment, a calling. But …

Understanding Ramadan: a guide for dermatologists treating Muslim patients

Aamir Hussain, MD

Physician

March 5, 2025

As dermatologists, we often encounter patients with diverse cultural and religious backgrounds, each presenting unique considerations for treatment planning. For Muslim patients, Ramadan—a month-long period of fasting observed by approximately 1.8 billion Muslims worldwide—can significantly influence dermatological care. This article provides an overview of Ramadan, explores the compatibility of topical medications, injections, and oral medications with fasting, and offers practical guidance for developing treatment plans that respect patients’ religious practices …

Why friendships fade: Understanding the seasons of life

Osmund Agbo, MD

Physician

March 5, 2025

Recently, a close friend of mine reached out, expressing his frustration over our mutual friend, who, for some time now, has ignored his calls and messages. We spoke at length, the conversation charged with emotion, and the underlying theme of our exchange led me to reflect deeply on the nature of friendships in adulthood. I have decided to share these reflections.

John and Darrel (not their real names) were two best …

Our transgender patients need our advocacy now

Amy Philipp, DO

Physician

March 5, 2025

(I will speak here specifically about transgender folks, but also affected are those born intersex and those who identify as non-binary.)

We, as physicians, have a duty to do what is right for our patients. Most, if not all of us, entered this profession with the great intention of helping others with scientifically proven treatments in order to limit or relieve illness and suffering.

LGBTQ+ members of our society have long faced …

How doctors’ words can make or break patient care

Scott Abramson, MD

Physician

March 4, 2025

Perhaps almost as important as our history-taking, our diagnosis, and our care of patients are the words we use to communicate that history-taking, that diagnosis, and that care.

Scenario one: the not so good

A while ago, I happened to witness a family hospital conference about their dad’s new diagnosis of cancer. There were ten family members present, all very devoted and concerned, though not particularly …

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