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Embracing the Asclepion: a call for authenticity in medical symbolism

Physician

August 4, 2023

At the heart of the City of London sits an imposing building with massive brass front doors. Emblazoned and embossed on both doors is a symbol – the Caduceus, which in the U.S. is associated with medicine and health care. But why is it on the doors of the Bank of England, the second-largest repository of gold in the world?

Historically, the Caduceus was the staff of Hermes/Mercury, the patron of …

Painful physician burnout truths

Tomi Mitchell, MD

Physician

August 4, 2023

Every week, there is a new article or blog about physician burnout. According to Business Wire, nearly half (49 percent) of U.S. physicians reported burnout in 2023, up slightly from 2022 (45 percent). It’s the same ideas rehashed repeatedly – doctors are worn out, drowning in paperwork, suffering due to insurance restrictions, and considering early retirement. Even more tragically, some doctors are dying by suicide. It is estimated that …

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Painful physician burnout truths

The physician’s crucial role in combating climate change

Megan McLaughlin

Policy

August 4, 2023

Jet skis on the highway and sharks in the street: these are some of the images that may come to mind when you remember the record-breaking flash floods that occurred in Fort Lauderdale in April of 2023. Due to global warming, lethal weather such as this is becoming more common across the globe, and it is taking the lives of our patients. One of the largest contributors to the …

Examining the changing definition of medicine in health care

Rebekah Bernard, MD

Physician

August 4, 2023

An excerpt from Imposter Doctors: Patients at Risk.

On December 17, 2020, television network WGN America featured the book Patients at Risk: The Rise of the Nurse Practitioner and Physician Assistant in Healthcare in a news segment entitled, “Families sound alarm on medical transparency after deaths of their children.” …

A physician’s rewarding medical missions [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

August 3, 2023

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

Join David Alfery, a cardiac anesthesiologist and author of Saving Grace: What Patients Teach Their Doctors about Life, Death, and the Balance in Between. David recounts a transformative moment from his medical mission trip to Nicaragua, where …

Juggling medicine and motherhood: a doctor’s journey

Eleanor Menzin, MD

Physician

August 3, 2023

When my children were in preschool, parents often commented at school events that they did not know I worked or was a physician. I never knew how to handle that double-edged sword. Ostensibly a compliment, their surprise at a working parent’s presence at school felt like an insult; their shock over my medical life cast doubt on my professionalism. I smiled benignly and changed the subject.

For years, I worked in …

Doctor burnout: the impact of financial fragility

Amarish Dave, DO

Finance

August 3, 2023

Feeling burned out is often a function of financial fragility. How is that possible when most doctors earn incomes in the top 1 percent?

I am both a physician and involved in finance. As physicians, we often start our careers under significant debt, start our careers at an older age, and start with less savings than many of our friends who are professionals in other industries. Starting our careers at this …

Creating an inclusive medical culture

Atithi Patel

Education

August 3, 2023

“We want you all to do better,” said the presenter to the medical students, as if only the next generation can enact change … the next time around. This session is one of many aimed at making the culture of medicine more inclusive and collaborative—less hierarchical and less patriarchal.

Medicine has a longstanding history of hazing those lower on the totem pole with scut work and authority. Unfortunately, this breeds the …

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Creating an inclusive medical culture

How to handle a toxic person

Bethany Silverman

Conditions

August 3, 2023

Dealing with a toxic person close to you is traumatic, draining, and upsetting. My older sister is a toxic person, and I endured her behavior for over 40 years. I recommend making a clean break from a toxic person around the holidays and birthdays when their behavior is at its worst. You may blame yourself for tolerating the behavior for so long. For the longest time, I blamed myself for …

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How to handle a toxic person

A physician versus his state medical board [PODCAST]

Alan Lindemann, MD & The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

August 2, 2023

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

Alan Lindemann, an obstetrics-gynecology physician, exposes the overlooked side of state medical boards. Join us as we shed light on the damage done to physicians and patients. Discover the need for transparency, accountability, and improved oversight to …

Transform your life with 10 powerful tips for health and happiness

Alicia J. Little, MD, PhD and Christine J. Ko, MD

Physician

August 2, 2023

Separately, we discovered many of the same helpful tips that neither of us learned in a combined fifty-six years of education and training; we have each found comfort, sustenance, and direction from them. When we recently discussed wellness in our department, Alicia shared resources she had found useful in navigating the stressors of physician life. Christine was reluctant to talk about the subject at all, and together we found commonalities. …

The impactful relationships of female physicians

Angela Walker, MD, Sylvia Morris, MD, MPH, Diane Boykin, MD, Leah Matthews, MD, MPH, and Jessica Osborn, MD

Physician

August 2, 2023

An excerpt from The Game Plan: A Woman’s Guide to Becoming a Doctor and Living a Life in Medicine.

Relationships are complicated for many women and can have an even greater complexity for the female physician whose life and time is scheduled for upwards of a decade during medical school and …

The surprising link between science and art: lessons from Leonardo da Vinci and Galileo Galilei

Osmund Agbo, MD

Physician

August 2, 2023

Though I studied medicine and was never really a science buff, I remain in awe to this day of algebra, calculus, theoretical physics, and quantum mechanics. I am fascinated by the great Greek mathematicians of yore, from Archimedes to Theaetetus, Euclid, and yes, Pythagoras of Samos, who is also a philosopher and the eponymous founder of Pythagoreanism. Oh, my Pythagoras! The Pythagorean theorem, a beacon of inspiration, ignited my passion …

Physician burnout and the Kentucky Derby: a shocking parallel [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

August 1, 2023

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

We discuss the striking similarities between the Kentucky Derby and the challenges of medical training. Our guest, Corinne Sundar Rao, an internal medicine physician, shares valuable insights based on her expertise. We explore the shared traits of …

How early intervention can transform a child’s speech development

Stephanie Jeret

Conditions

August 1, 2023

The American Academy of Pediatrics’ recent decision to move away from the “wait and see” philosophy to a more proactive intervention when dealing with childhood obesity got me reflecting on how “wait and see” is still used in many other aspects of children’s development.

As a speech therapist and a mother of a child who was at risk for developmental delays, I had personal experience with this approach. My son …

How dementia and COVID-19 robbed the baby doll of love

Robert Killeen, MD

Conditions

August 1, 2023

When I started visiting patients in nursing homes, a good many of them had some degree of dementia. In its earliest form, a person with dementia could recall what they were doing when they found out about 9/11, or when Kennedy was shot, or when Pearl Harbor was bombed in the Second World War. However, they couldn’t recall their most recent …

Orthopedists’ role in gender diverse athletes’ care

Alicia Jacobson

Education

August 1, 2023

Ask Alex what cuddly toy they slept with as a child, and you’ll discover that it was a soccer ball – real, not plush. This was by choice; they assure me. We sit at a small corner table in a local coffee shop in Ann Arbor, MI. With exposed brick walls, mix-and-match seating, and the latest pride flag in the window, it’s no wonder that two queer millennials choose this …

Health care workers under attack [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

July 31, 2023

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

Join Harry Severance, an emergency physician, as we explore the factors contributing to this issue, including the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the demonization of health care workers. Discover the alarming statistics and consequences presented by …

Patients aging with HIV: What role can doctors play?

George Kerr, III

Conditions

July 31, 2023

As a member of the Washington D.C. Center for AIDS Research, I’ve been deeply grateful to see how medications such as PrEP are significantly reducing the toll of HIV. Additionally, we have made great strides with limiting the transmission of HIV. A plethora of research has proven that if HIV is undetectable in your system, it cannot be spread to others. This is known as “U …

Harnessing the power of code interpreters in health care: a look at ChatGPT’s new feature and HIPAA compliance

Harvey Castro, MD, MBA

Tech

July 31, 2023

In the rapidly evolving health care landscape, artificial intelligence (AI) is making significant strides, transforming how we approach patient care, medical research, and health care operations. One such advancement is the introduction of code interpreters in AI systems, such as the one recently introduced in ChatGPT. This powerful feature opens up many …

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