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Stress in medicine: lessons learned through my years as a surgeon [PODCAST]

Podcast

May 14, 2021

“Medical professionals face uniquely challenging pressures. Our work itself is extremely demanding, and always has high stakes for those we care for. External circumstances that impact our work carry uncertainties that add more stress. Constantly feeling targeted as the financial solutions to greater health system issues compounds our burden.

While some choose …

Being a pediatrician did not prepare me for parenting [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

May 13, 2021

“I hope being a parent will now equip me to be a better pediatrician. I hope I can teach them whatever I know about safe sleeping, breastfeeding, and newborn care, but I also hope to acknowledge the reality and struggles of parenting. I hope my statements and recommendations do not sound generic …

Trying to bury trauma does not work

Peggy A. Rothbaum, PhD

Conditions

May 13, 2021

Rationale: Sometimes it helps to talk about trauma; sometimes it helps to just listen. Having a safe, supportive, confidential, affirming environment to do both or either is important.

Background: I have been offering workshops on “managing stress and avoiding burnout” for years. I have always acknowledged the importance of yoga and other complimentary, often behavioral, strategies for stress management. Exercise, hobbies, socializing, pets, good diet, and anything else that works for …

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Trying to bury trauma does not work

It’s never too late for physicians to change directions and land new jobs [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

May 12, 2021

“As I approached retirement from medical practice, I had an epiphany to take up writing and attended the Harvard CME course on Writing, Publishing, and Social Media for Healthcare Professionals. I met some extraordinary people working in the health care universe who wanted to share their insights. Through my writing as an …

The life cycle of emotion in medicine

Erika Visser Aragona, DO

Physician

May 12, 2021

Interviewing for medical schools was intense, excruciating, and terrifying. Despite the difficult questions, there are three that stand out to me. The first was to differentiate sympathy from empathy, where I spent 30 minutes defending my answer to be met with complete silence. He could have asked me anything, yet he sat in silence for almost my entire interview and asked me to explain emotional differences between two incredibly similar …

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The life cycle of emotion in medicine

What medical students can learn from astronauts

Denzil Mathew

Education

May 12, 2021

Physicians are always looking for ways to improve patient outcomes. Although this goal has no real endpoint, physicians continue to strive incessantly to decrease morbidity and mortality for patients. Atul Gawande, a prominent surgeon and writer, has demonstrated the benefits of learning from other professions, such as adopting checklists from the aviation industry to utilize in medicine. The subsequent use of checklists in medicine had a surprisingly tremendous impact on …

Solving major substance use disorder treatment gaps during COVID-19 [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

May 11, 2021

“As if COVID-19 weren’t bad enough during the pandemic, another public health crisis – substance use disorder (SUD) – has gone from bad to worse, while access to behavioral health services is shrinking.

As of September, more than half (52%) of community behavioral health organizations have seen an increase in demand for services, and …

Ahimsa means do no harm, including doing no harm to ourselves

Jessie Mahoney, MD

Physician

May 11, 2021

To be the best healers possible for others, we have to show compassion for and take care of ourselves.

I wrote a previous article published in KevinMD titled, “Self-care is not selfish: It’s imperative to save the practice of medicine.”

Self-care includes doing no harm to yourself.

During our medical training, many habits and thought patterns were deeply ingrained. These thought patterns, while they may have been helpful in …

How a Zoom nursing interview killed my self-worth

Debbie Moore-Black, RN

Conditions

May 11, 2021

I have dedicated 35 years of my life as a nurse: in the ICU for 33 years and behavioral health/intensive management for the last two.

I thought it would be time to take a break from ICU nursing. Surely behavioral health would be a lot easier — kind of a slide into my near-future retirement.

I entered into the land of psychotics and schizophrenics, bipolar, homeless, dangerous patients from prison, like those …

How 5-star reviews generated over $225,000 in practice revenue [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

May 10, 2021

“With my natural affinity for numbers, I analyzed the reviews’ precise impact after a few years, and the results were astounding. The system generated over $225,000 during a 3-year period. My practice acquired 162 new 5-star reviews on Google, and my partner and I generated over 200 5-star reviews on Yelp. I …

A physicians discovers the power of mastermind groups

Jeanne-Marie Guise, MD, MPH

Physician

May 10, 2021

“My whole world has changed, but my workplace’s expectations haven’t. I am paying twice as much for childcare and caring for my children’s mental health needs on top of my normal job. This has been going on for a year, but expectations for my performance in the workplace haven’t changed.”.

“I was watching an old home movie of my son’s baptism with my seven-year-old when he turned to me in horror, …

This doctor has post-litigation stress disorder

Maryanna Barrett, MD

Physician

May 10, 2021

I am sure that I have post-litigation stress disorder. It does not actually exist yet as a recognized disorder, but I definitely have it.

You know what else? Countless other physicians have it too.

We don’t talk about it. Besides the fact that lawyers forbid you to speak of ongoing litigation to anyone, especially colleagues, there is such a culture of shame surrounding this subject. Although we now live in a world …

What to do when physicians get subpoenaed as witnesses: A forensic pathologist explains [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

May 9, 2021

“You’re a clinician. You had a patient die under your care, and now your hospital is being sued. You are not named in the lawsuit, but you are being asked to give a deposition. How much of your time is this going to take? If some lawyer sends you thousands of …

Asking patients to write letters illuminates new aspects of the physician-patient-family relationship

Sneha Mantri, MD, Lana Chahine, MD, and L. Addison Diehl, RN

Physician

May 9, 2021

In 2019, we (authors SM, LC) initiated a research study on the experience of care partners of people with Parkinson’s disease psychosis (PDP). Among other activities, participants wrote a letter to their care recipient’s doctor to the prompt: “Understanding that you know the most about this person, specifically their PD psychosis because you likely spend the most time with them (certainly more time than the doctor gets to spend with …

How this physician escaped the system [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

May 8, 2021

“If you are happy with where you are in the current system – that is wonderful, continue what you are doing. However, if you are feeling trapped, frustrated, or like the work you are doing is no longer meaningful, then there are plenty of opportunities for you to get out of the …

5 tips to become a millionaire

Altelisha Taylor, MD, MPH

Finance

May 8, 2021

1. Setting up automatic investments. The vast majority of young millionaires achieved their financial status by investing money. Unless they are a celebrity or were born into a wealthy family, they had to be diligent about investing money either in the stock market, a business venture, or real estate. You must do the same. One way to do this is by making your investments automatic. Have a certain amount of …

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5 tips to become a millionaire

A student’s volunteer experience at a mobile outreach clinic

Juan Arnoletti

Education

May 8, 2021

In my junior year of high school, I applied for and went on an educational mission trip to the Dominican Republic. Being the son of Uruguayan immigrants, I felt at home in the rural setting while my many classmates marveled at their first view of a culture different from theirs. On that trip, my ability to fluently speak two languages formed a common ground on which I could build relationships. …

Responding to the COVID pandemic: a lesson in coalescence [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

May 7, 2021

“When faced with an existential crisis, any organization, as large as a nation or as small as a marriage, will go one of two ways. Either it will bond together, coalesced in a common purpose, or it will collapse in a spasm of blame and shame. While our health care institutions …

A transformative year for GME recruitment: How the process has changed forever

Jason Reminick, MD, MBA

Education

May 7, 2021

The 2020-2021 GME recruitment season was transformative. While it was full of new and old challenges for stakeholders, the impact of the first-ever entirely virtual recruitment season will be substantial and long-lasting.

Before COVID-19, the long-standing process of in-person interviews was considered “sacred” by many. But this system was simply not possible during a global pandemic. In the transition to virtual interviews, applicants saved significant time and expense but the canceling …

Gender disparities in medicine: How popular literature mirrors society [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

May 6, 2021

“Coffee in hand, I decided to try and collect my thoughts. I realized that a large portion of the literature we grew up reading has in many ways tried to implant this subconscious bias that contributes to gender disparities and these ideas about women that have continued to ruminate throughout parts of …

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