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.

How the patriarchy shaped medicine and why it’s time for change

Joan Naidorf, DO

Physician

January 24, 2025

Journalist Te-Ping Chen wrote about the nature of a physician’s career in a recent featured article in The Wall Street Journal where older physicians criticize the younger generation as being less committed to their patients. The article is titled: “Young Doctors Want Work-Life Balance. Older Doctors Say That’s Not the Job.”

The major point of discussion was the definition of a career in medicine as a “calling” versus a “job,” …

How to thrive as a physician during the U.S. health care collapse

Tomi Mitchell, MD

Physician

January 24, 2025

Yes, I said it. Health care is a dumpster fire—a meme-worthy catastrophe of epic proportions. It’s the chaos that future comedians and historians will roast with gusto, leaving us shaking our heads in embarrassed agreement. My somewhat cynical sense of humor is helping me mentally process the dumpster fire that is the current U.S. health care system. But as bleak as it feels, there’s a glimmer of hope. When health …

Why being mistaken for a student is my secret weapon in medicine

Jason Liebowitz, MD

Physician

January 24, 2025

“Are you the medical student?” the resident asked me in between bites of his vegetable lo mein. We were in the hospital conference room, and I was sitting at the table by the projection screen while he was scarfing down a quick meal before the noon lecture. “Actually, I’m the attending,” I replied. He paused with fork in hand and turned beet red. “Sorry,” he murmured.

I couldn’t blame him for …

How belief and prayer uncover the hidden power of healing

Diana Londoño, MD

Physician

January 23, 2025

Have you ever thought of someone, and then a few minutes later, they called or texted you?

Have you ever felt or had a whole conversation in your mind to later be told that is exactly what someone was saying about you at the same time, even though you were physically in a different place?

How can that be? Is it merely a “coincidence,” or are these beautiful hints from the universe …

How America’s health care system depends on international doctors

David M. Mitchell, MD, PhD

Physician

January 23, 2025

The current U.S. medical education and health care systems undeniably benefit from the immigration of talented international medical graduates (IMGs). Many of my favorite teachers, residents, and colleagues have been IMGs. However, the longstanding U.S. reliance on immigrant physicians raises questions about what policies best support both domestic and international priorities moving forward.

Beyond medicine, the immigration of talented scientists and engineers has also sparked recent public debate. Elon Musk recently …

Grief and climate change: a year of lessons we can’t ignore

Tomi Mitchell, MD

Physician

January 22, 2025

This wasn’t the article I had initially planned to publish. I had intended to discuss the health care system, calling it a “proverbial dumpster fire.” But in a year marked by relentless challenges, the metaphor feels too raw, too real, so I will save that for a later date. Parts of the country are literally on fire, with Los Angeles and nearby areas battling raging infernos that have torn families …

How natural disasters reveal resilience and the power of community

Derek W. Moss, MD

Physician

January 21, 2025

Watching the images of fires burning in and around Los Angeles is very triggering. I’m sure it is the same for other Western North Carolinians. It has not been that long since Hurricane Helene caused catastrophic flooding that devastated our communities, and it is not over for us.

At first, you are energized to do what needs to be done in the moment. But then, you are left with emptiness, exhaustion, …

Murder of an insurance titan: the case for health care reform

Irim Salik, MD

Physician

January 21, 2025

Agatha Christie was onto something when she stated, “The truth, however ugly in itself, is always curious and beautiful to seekers after it.” Brian Thompson, the 50-year-old CEO of the United Health Care insurance company, was shot and killed in Midtown Manhattan on December 4th in broad daylight. His assailant, Luigi Mangione, has become a media-fueled darling, with multiple documentary projects already underway to explore the complexities of his crime. …

Are doctors a dying breed?

Humeira Badsha, MD

Physician

January 20, 2025

Doctors are worried, and rightly so. Recent rapid strides in artificial intelligence threaten to remove the need for doctors to a significant extent. There is an oft-discussed scenario that in the next two to three years, well-trained nurses or other mid-level providers, assisted by artificial intelligence, will be adequate to provide most medical care. So, are we going to see widespread unemployment among medical professionals?

The answer is complex. A recent …

Read more…

Are doctors a dying breed?

Mindset matters: a doctor’s New Year resolutions

Amy Baruch, MD

Physician

January 20, 2025

My exact pre-new year’s ritual varies from year to year, but always involves a period of reflection and goal-setting. Some of these New Year resolutions and intentions have become long-running habits (daily practice with a foreign language app, keeping a gratitude journal), while others died prematurely (reading a book a week, meeting up with a different person for pre-work coffee once a week). As I pondered what resolutions to make …

The heart of family medicine: a doctor’s journey of compassion and care

Dan Muntean, MD

Physician

January 19, 2025

After 30 years of practice and expertise in family medicine, with two specialties—one in Romania in general and preventive medicine for four years, and another in family medicine with Michigan State University for three years—I had my first forced vacation. Three weeks ago, I had a total hip replacement, which went excellently. I’m in great shape, but staying home 24/7 is something new. I discovered that the day feels much …

The clash between MBA ethics and the Hippocratic tradition in medicine

G. David Leveaux, MD

Physician

January 18, 2025

My father wanted me to get an MBA from the Harvard Business School, but I wanted to be a doctor, so I am more attuned to the MBA’s excellence in many areas but differences in ethical principles from medicine. Nowhere does maximizing returns for stockholders or returns for nonprofits also include the principles of beneficence and nonmaleficence for our patients. But this principle is foundational in medicine and has been …

From chaos to calm: a story of resilience and finding inner peace

Dr. Damane Zehra

Physician

January 18, 2025

My mom won’t be home that weekend

Since it was a Sunday, I told my dad that I needed to wake up early for work, so he should wake me up in the morning.

My mom and dad have very different approaches to waking up their children.

My mom’s approach is more aggressive. She shouts at the top of her lungs, turns on the light, and snatches the quilt from us. Sometimes, she …

Gender affirming care: a matter for the Supreme Court or a matter for a medical malpractice court?

Howard Smith, MD

Physician

January 17, 2025

Of note, today, of all days, when the Supreme Court of the United States is to consider state bans on treatments for gender-affirming care of transsexual youths, virtually every internet site on the subject is blocked.

Nevertheless, I am a medical student in 1967. I do not need the internet; I lived through the beginning of gender-affirming care. My memory is clear.

I am reminded of the story of Dr. John Money, …

The power of names: Superstition in the neonatal intensive care unit

Janet Tamaren, MD

Physician

January 17, 2025

An excerpt from Yankee Doctor in the Bible Belt: A Memoir.

We work in high-pressure environments, where Dr. Death is often lurking. We can be superstitious. We can protect ourselves with a sense of humor. We can use words as a smokescreen to protect our sanity. See below.

I was a resident working in the NICU. The shifts were long—sometimes as long as thirty hours in …

Dispelling misconceptions and myths about pathology and laboratory medicine

Samir Kahwash, MD

Physician

January 16, 2025

More than any other discipline of medicine, the specialty of pathology has an image problem. This is ironic for a field whose basic premise centers around images. This is also most unfortunate for medicine at large, as pathology constitutes a highly important component of modern medical care. It is estimated that 70 percent to 80 percent of all medical decisions are based either totally or partially on pathologic and/or laboratory-produced …

The emotional toll of empathy in emergency medicine

Maureen Gibbons, MD

Physician

January 15, 2025

Emergency medicine is a career defined by its urgency, unpredictability, and intense human connection. But for those of us who work in the emergency department, it’s also a career shaped by the weight of the people we’ve cared for—the ones we’ve saved, the ones we’ve lost, and the ones whose stories stay with us long after our shifts end.

When I talk with colleagues about stepping back from clinical responsibilities, one …

The mission to make health care equitable and accessible for all

Davis Liu, MD

Physician

January 15, 2025

In the fall of 2004, everything changed. I became a father for the first time. I had completed four years as a practicing primary care doctor at Kaiser Permanente in Northern California in the Department of Adult Medicine. I had my first op-ed piece published – “How to make your health insurance count as if your life depended on it” – as I was working hard on a book …

From strawberries to stethoscopes: lessons in humanity from a future oncologist

MinhTri Nguyen, MD

Physician

January 15, 2025

Every year, medical trainee hopefuls submit the dreaded personal statement. Most follow a familiar formula based on advice from mentors, peers, or online guides: “Don’t stick out,” “Tell a story about a patient,” and so on. While this approach isn’t wrong, it leaves little room for the “personal” aspect—the only part of the ERAS application that truly allows insight into the individual behind the resume. Before submitting mine, I was …

How poor communication is killing patients and burning out doctors

Pamela Buchanan, MD

Physician

January 14, 2025

As an emergency room physician with 20 years of experience, I’ve witnessed countless moments where patients come to the ER not because their symptoms demand urgent care, but because they lack understanding about their own medical conditions. These are not isolated incidents—they’re a systemic failure in communication that contributes to patient distress, health care inefficiency, and physician burnout.

This week alone, I had two particularly heart-wrenching encounters:

A 65-year-old man with metastatic …