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How doctors prioritize family and career with “physician third”

Education

August 5, 2023

As I reflect on the concept of work-life “balance,” I realize that trying to integrate clinical and home responsibilities may feel like a juggling act while unicycling on a high wire. Instead, what we need is work-life “stability”; the reassuring feeling that we are firmly planted on solid ground. To achieve this, it is crucial to be three-dimensional, with three meaningful passions supporting our physical, mental, and spiritual well-being.

No one …

How junk food marketers exploit children’s impact on family food choices

Monique Potvin Kent, PhD

Policy

August 5, 2023

Would you let a clown influence what brand of car you buy? How about choosing your household appliances based on the advice of a cartoon bird or tiger?

Probably not. But young people in your family will likely let cartoons and mascots influence where your family eats out or what cereal you buy – indeed, many of your food purchases. Those choices and many others like them will, in turn, affect …

From burnout to brilliance: How one doctor found balance

Dr. Rida Jawed

Physician

August 5, 2023

During my five-year journey as an emergency medicine physician, I have experienced the adrenaline rush and ever-changing dynamics of the emergency department. Each shift offers a chance to make a meaningful impact on those around me. However, the demanding nature of this work can sometimes challenge my motivation, making it difficult to ensure that every shift is a great one.

Throughout the years, I’ve learned some essential rules that help me …

What teens and parents need to know about nose jobs [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

August 4, 2023

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

Join Babak Azizzadeh, a facial plastic surgeon, in discussing the sensitive topic of getting a nose job, or rhinoplasty, particularly for teenagers. We delve into the importance of thorough research, honest communication with parents, and understanding the …

Embracing the Asclepion: a call for authenticity in medical symbolism

Martin C. Young, MD

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 …

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