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Why we all need to care about the primary care physician shortage

Physician

March 13, 2024

It is somewhat cliché these days to talk about physician workforce shortages, but recent data highlights that the problem is getting worse. Two research publications this past year were particularly alarming.

First, in a recent analysis of internal medicine resident career plans from 2019 to 2021, only 9.4% of internal medicine residents indicated they planned to pursue a career …

From overdose to ICU: a doctor’s battle for a young woman’s life

James Champion, DO

Conditions

March 13, 2024

An excerpt from Adventures of an American Medical Student.

I can still remember Ms. Osborne’s long, messy, brown hair and pale, attractive face like it was yesterday. She was young, and she presented to the Brighton Medical Center Emergency Department (ED) unconscious after an OxyContin overdose. I saw her as soon as she arrived with Brent Johnson, a young, trim, handsome MD who was wearing hunter green scrubs embroidered with …

“No” can be a complete sentence

Tomi Mitchell, MD

Physician

March 13, 2024

Nope, nada, no gracias, non, rara—they may sound different, but they all mean the same thing: no. In our world of instant messaging, the immediate gratification society seems to have lost the ability to unplug, unwind, and say no to unnecessary demands, which inevitably causes us more inner distress than any good.

The journey into my medical career was anything but easy. It was grueling and made me question myself – …

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“No” can be a complete sentence

How situational judgment tests help medical schools evaluate applicants

Emil Chuck, PhD

Education

March 13, 2024

Within 48 hours of every job posting, hundreds of applications pour in. As the hiring manager, you want to fill the position within two months, or your supervisor might cut it out of your budget. After triaging the unqualified applicants using data-driven filters and artificial intelligence tools, you still have a few hundred left. At this point, many hiring managers invite the remaining candidates to take a situational …

Exploring the benefits of Dry January for older adults [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

March 12, 2024

Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Watch on YouTube. Catch up on old episodes!

We sit down with Michael Pessman, a gerontologist, to discuss the unique risks older adults face with alcohol consumption. We’ll explore the enhanced physical and mental health benefits of participating in Dry January, …

Chiefs fan to gun violence advocate: How football and tragedy reshaped my mission

Nicole M. King, MD

Policy

March 12, 2024

Those who know me well and even those who don’t are aware of my passion and commitment to the Kansas City Chiefs. As an avid fan who was born and raised in KC, I can assure everyone that there were many dark years and even decades prior to the current situation that have allowed us to live on high for the past few years. Football has been an outlet for …

Primary care for all Americans: What the U.S. health care system can learn from Scituate, Rhode Island

Sara Pastoor, MD and Scott Conard, MD

Physician

March 12, 2024

In the quaint New England town of Scituate, Rhode Island, with a population of 10,000, a health care revolution was brewing. Dr. Michael Fine, a passionate family physician, had moved to Scituate with his family in 1992 to serve a quiet, rural community with significant health care challenges. By 1999, though, Scituate’s residents had become very worried about the cost of health care. Two insurers packed up and left …

Ditch the guilt and stress: Embrace your core values like this inspiring doctor mom

Kim Downey, PT & Sarah Wittry, DO

Physician

March 12, 2024

Kim Downey:

I recently had an enlightening conversation with Dr. Sarah Wittry. We enjoyed learning about all that we share in common!

As a physical therapist, I was delighted to hear that Dr. Wittry’s medical career began in physiatry/PM&R.

Having friends and relatives who have benefited from hospice care, I have tremendous respect for her current work in palliative medicine and hospice.

We spoke of how it has felt to each of us to …

High-profile legal cases: social media’s role in modern justice [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

March 11, 2024

Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Watch on YouTube. Catch up on old episodes!

We explore the intersection of high-profile legal cases and social media with renowned psychiatrist and author Doug Bremner. In this episode, we’ll be discussing the impact of social media on public perception, the …

Malpractice lawsuits: a data-driven approach to risk management

Howard Smith, MD

Physician

March 11, 2024

The first book I ever read was The Last Angry Man. I could never have imagined then how it would influence me now.

It is about a fictional character, Dr. Samuel Abelman. He is a general practitioner practicing in New York City during the 1950s. He is in the twilight of a career that spans fifty years of commitment to the Hippocratic Oath.

In the 1950s, the emerging professional trend is specialization. …

Burned by the system, sparked by surgery: a resident’s odyssey

Paz De la Torre, MD

Physician

March 11, 2024

“Medicine is a form of art.” Those are the words my grandfather told me as I embarked on my journey through medical school. Medicine resembles literature; we, physicians, enter into people’s lives, and we become part of their life tales. The way we do our work influences how these stories are told. Some tales speak of loss and sorrow, while others resonate with healing and joy. It’s akin to sculpture, …

The power of syncing life with nature’s yearly cycles

Deepak Gupta, MD and Shushovan Chakrabortty, MD

Physician

March 11, 2024

Humans are naturally attuned to various biological rhythms, such as daily (circadian), weekly (circaseptan), monthly (circatrigintan), and yearly (circannual) cycles. These rhythms not only govern our sleep, eating habits, and energy levels but might also influence the design and functioning of systems we create, like technology and organizational processes.

For instance, it’s commonly advised to restart computer systems weekly to maintain optimal performance. This practice mirrors the circaseptan rhythm, suggesting that …

Prioritizing self-care for health care workers [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

March 10, 2024

Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Watch on YouTube. Catch up on old episodes!

Join us as we sit down with general surgeon Scott Ellner to discuss evidence-based strategies aimed at improving the well-being of those on the front lines. In this insightful conversation, Scott delves into …

The humorous essay that predicted today’s medical anxiety epidemic

Dr. Damane Zehra

Conditions

March 10, 2024

In elementary school, we read an essay named “The Man Who Was a Hospital” by Jerome K. Jerome. This is a humorous essay in which the writer describes his misadventure in a humorous way. He says that once, he was reading a liver pill circular when he suspected that his liver was out of order. He went to the British Museum Library to study the details of liver disease. He …

Psychological safety: an overlooked factor in clinician burnout and moral injury in health care

Maiysha Clairborne, MD

Physician

March 10, 2024

I remember when I first decided to step away from medicine. While I wasn’t burned out like some of my colleagues whom I would later coach, I did have what I now understand to be compassion fatigue. It was a familiar feeling I had felt before, and I knew that if I continued down the path, it would take me right back to the night I almost ended my life.

Called …

Panic button: Escaping the broken health care escape room

Paula Muto, MD

Physician

March 10, 2024

Escape rooms have become very popular. Entering a room of seemingly unconnected clues with a group of family members or coworkers creates a sense of fear and excitement that ultimately leads, if successful, to a great sense of accomplishment and relief. The entire experience is designed to enhance trust among team members and inspire confidence in working together to solve difficult problems. When it comes to improving the health care …

Unlocking physician autonomy: the path to career freedom [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

March 9, 2024

Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Watch on YouTube. Catch up on old episodes!

Join Tod Stillson, a family physician and entrepreneur, as he shares his journey from traditional hospital employment to forming a micro-corporation. Discover how Tod regained professional autonomy and boosted his net worth through …

Elon Musk’s Neuralink aims to empower disabled with brain implants

Shalini Yagnik and Tejas Sekhar

Tech

March 9, 2024

As of January 29th, the Elon Musk startup Neuralink delivered its first brain implant to a human. As described in initial reports, the patient seems to be doing well and is already benefiting from increased interneuronal communication. The goal of this application is to empower those with disabilities, specifically those with sensory and motor deficits, to be able to control a keyboard or a cursor using their brain. This …

America’s nurses have PTSD: Will anyone listen to them?

Tara Rynders, RN

Conditions

March 9, 2024

My first clinical rotation as a nursing student was on the same floor where my mother died of cancer. And my very first patient was a young Hispanic man with four children. I was asked to tell him that he had pancreatic cancer and very little time left. I was 21 years old and the only Spanish speaker on the floor – back in those days, interpretive services were rarely …

A surgeon said no: the catalyst for my evolution

Mercy Hylton, MD

Physician

March 9, 2024

“When are you expecting?” Eighteen months after my third child was born, I was tired of hearing this question. In addition to the embarrassment I felt, I became increasingly worried that something was wrong with me as my body stubbornly held its postpartum shape.

Within a year of delivering each of my first two children, I was able to lose most of the weight I had gained and maintain a normal …