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The secret life of physicians: work, home, and the battle for balance

Physician

April 23, 2023

When we physicians discuss “work-life balance,” we often imply that our dedication to our work is so consuming and imbalanced that we end up sacrificing time with our families. To achieve a better balance and promote a healthier family life, we strive to limit our work hours to make more time for our home lives.

I wonder if the reverse can also be true. When our home life becomes overwhelming or …

The dos and don’ts of physician employment contracts: Understanding the role of letters of intent in negotiations

Dennis Hursh, Esq

Finance

April 23, 2023

A letter of intent (sometimes called a “term sheet”) can be useful for physicians and those who recruit them. The purpose of letters of intent in physician contracts is simply to ensure that both parties are “on the same page” as far as the major terms of the agreement they hope to enter. For example, if you expect to be paid $300,000 a year, but the employer is expecting …

Breaking up with nursing: a heartfelt letter

Lauren Powers, RN, CCRN

Conditions

April 23, 2023

I write this letter with a heavy heart. Our story began during my sophomore year in college, but after a decade with you, I can’t help but feel our dynamic has changed. Intrusive thoughts of leaving you have etched their way to the forefront of my mind. The harder I try to quiet them, the louder they declare themselves. They’ve grown from whispers to screams, and I can’t ignore them …

Empowering anesthesia residents: lessons in trust from an anesthesiologist [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

April 22, 2023

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

In this episode, we speak with George Tewfik, an anesthesiologist, about the importance of recognizing and addressing knowledge gaps in anesthesia residents. George discusses how new residents may arrive with a sense of false confidence that can …

Understanding the end of the COVID public health emergency

Steven Marshall, DNP, RN

Conditions

April 22, 2023

The COVID-19 pandemic has been an unprecedented event for worldwide health care. The call to action for organizations included setting up mass testing sites to serve their communities. I helped set up multiple locations across several counties using a mobile model. We tested hundreds of patients each day in various places. Once the vaccine was approved, we began our vaccination efforts using our mobile model and mass vaccine sites, including …

A veteran’s battle against possible lung cancer

Ton La, Jr., MD, JD

Conditions

April 22, 2023

During my night shift at the emergency department, I encountered a 72-year-old decorated war veteran named Mr. Sun. Accompanied by his concerned wife, he came to address a year-long struggle with fatigue and a non-productive cough he’d been experiencing in recent weeks. Initially resistant to seeking medical attention, Mr. Sun finally gave in to his wife’s insistence.

As I entered the room to assess Mr. Sun, it was immediately apparent how …

How data and technology influence health in ways that doctors don’t

Juan Carlos Gonzalez, Jr., MBA

Tech

April 22, 2023

In theory, the widespread adoption of health information technology (HIT) and integrated applications can improve patients’ access to their health information and facilitate patient-centered care. In reality, this increased reliance on patient-facing technologies and data derived from connected devices, machine learning, and artificial intelligence can widen gaps in access, create new barriers to health equity, and generate biases that influence research and clinical decision-making that negatively impact the patient experience …

Physicians in crisis: How wage-fixing in health care is limiting compensation and driving doctors away

Aaron Morgenstein, MD & Allison Nazinitsky, MD & Corinne Sundar Rao, MD

Physician

April 22, 2023

Physicians are frustrated, and rightfully so, by the number of individuals and companies that do not provide direct medical care to patients yet profit off our services. Salary suppression is one of the many reasons physicians are leaving traditional medicine and seeking alternative careers. Although physicians have seen an increase in pay over the past 20 years, it has not matched the inflation rate. For example, Medicare reimbursement lags over …

How the NFL could have boosted CPR awareness

Harrison Bell, MD

Physician

April 22, 2023

January 2nd was a rough day for the sports world. People were captivated by the on-field “death” of a player. Players, coaches, fans, and staff were stunned by seeing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in real-time, maybe even for the first time. Thankfully the NFL had excellently trained teams on the sidelines prepared for these emergencies. Chest compressions were started in seconds, and spontaneous circulation returned in less than ten minutes. Damar …

Why pizza and thank you emails don’t cut it: a pediatrician’s take on physician appreciation [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

April 21, 2023

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

In this episode, pediatrician Wendy Schofer discusses physician appreciation. She emphasizes that appreciation is an offering of love that fulfills the psychological need for belonging and love. Wendy relates the five love languages to how physicians can …

The current political climate is leaving youth and their physicians behind

Meredithe McNamara, MD and Joseph Waters, MD

Physician

April 21, 2023

This year’s Match Day for graduating medical students had the highest number of unfilled pediatrics residency spots in recent years. Fewer pediatricians means fewer pediatric subspecialists. Like too many of our deepest health disparities, this hurts teens the most and the current political climate may be to blame.

About 1 percent of pediatricians pursue fellowship training in adolescent medicine, a board-certified subspecialty devoted to …

AI vs. human doctors: Why patients prefer the real thing

Jeanne Sandella, DO

Tech

April 21, 2023

In a Black Mirror-esque video I watched recently on YouTube, a young man with a persistent cough notices a booth labeled “Instant Doctor” as he’s waiting in a train station, and decides to give it a try. The somewhat pleasant robot voice immediately recognizes him and dutifully (creepily?) reads off his age, height, and weight. She then tells him he has two diagnoses: the first, a mild bronchial infection, is …

Medicine and history: a seemingly unlikely but necessary duo in understanding COVID-19 disparities

Grecia Quiroga

Policy

April 21, 2023

“Hispanic community makes up more than half of coronavirus cases in Southwest Michigan county” was the headline in the newspaper that caught my eye in August 2020 – that infamous year that the nation went into lockdown to prevent the spread of what was still a new and emerging virus.

It shocked me to realize that only three counties west of my Southcentral Michigan home, Latinos were …

Bing Copilot and LLM: Revolutionizing health care and enhancing clinical practice with a focus on future prevalence, privacy, and the hallucination effect

Harvey Castro, MD, MBA

Tech

April 21, 2023

The rapid advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) have brought groundbreaking technologies that have revolutionized various industries, including health care. Two of the most promising AI innovations are Bing Copilot, powered by ChatGPT-4, and large language models (LLMs), which can potentially transform clinical practice and patient care. As the application of AI in health care becomes more prevalent in the future, it is …

A tale of two patients: one journey, two stories of courage

Ton La, Jr., MD, JD

Conditions

April 21, 2023

It was a busy night in the emergency department, as usual. I rushed from one patient to the next, trying to keep up with the constant stream of people coming in with various ailments and injuries.

One patient, in particular, stood out to me that night. He was an older man, probably in his early 70s, who had come in complaining of severe back pain. After a thorough examination and some …

Why work shouldn’t define your self-worth [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

April 20, 2023

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

In this episode, we are joined by Tracey O’Connell, a radiologist and physician coach, to discuss the pitfalls of “do what you love” as career advice, particularly for college graduates. We explore the role of love in …

The heartbreaking realities of being a caregiver with Huntington’s disease

Erin Paterson

Conditions

April 20, 2023

An excerpt from Huntington’s Disease Heroes: Inspiring Stories of Resilience from the HD Community.

These days as my father’s Huntington’s disease progresses and I take on more and more, I have learned how quickly being a caregiver can consume my life. Yes, he is still living two hours away, and …

Breaking the silence on mental health: Why understanding past traumas is key

Tomi Mitchell, MD

Conditions

April 20, 2023

Depression is a complex and multifaceted illness that affects millions of people worldwide. For a long time, the prevailing explanation for depression has been that a chemical imbalance in the brain causes it, and I, like many other clinicians, accepted this definition. However, looking back at my early years in clinical practice and comparing it to what I have witnessed and studied, the past diagnosis didn’t fully appreciate the uniqueness …

When cute is actually harmful: It’s time to end the in-store tricks that hurt our kids’ health

Leia Minaker

Policy

April 20, 2023

In a grocery store recently, a friend’s young child gave a big hug to a brightly colored, meter-high plastic cartoon mascot for a well-known candy brand standing at the end of an aisle surrounded by many bags of the candy on sale.

“Aww, that’s so cute!” was the mother’s first reaction.

Then it dawned on her – it wasn’t cute at all.

It was, she realized, very effective and invasive marketing. Not only …

Childhood obesity in the U.S.: a growing health crisis affecting millions and demanding action from pediatric health care practitioners

Patti L. Ellis, RN

Conditions

April 20, 2023

Childhood obesity has become a health crisis in the U.S. across all socioeconomic levels. CDC statistics from 2017 through 2020 indicate the following for children and adolescents ages two through 19:

Obesity prevalence was 19.7 percent and affected about 14.7 million children and adolescents.
Obesity prevalence was 12.7 percent among 2- to 5-year-olds, 20.7 percent among 6- to 11-year-olds, and 22.2 percent among 12- to 19-year-olds.
Among Hispanic children, …
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Childhood obesity in the U.S.: a growing health crisis affecting millions and demanding action from pediatric health care practitioners