“I firmly believe that if physicians leveraged themselves and their knowledge of medicine, there would be no need to for them to undertake ventures in the fields that they know little about. The old adage goes like this: Physician, heal thyself. I call on my fellow physicians to heal themselves by …
How this physician created a multi-specialty ambulatory surgery clinic from scratch [PODCAST]
When the “opioid crisis” is mentioned, most people think of heroin, prescription pills like oxycodone, or — more recently — the powerful synthetic opioid fentanyl. Fewer people would think of novel opioids like tianeptine, although an increasing number of Americans have taken this substance in the form of over-the-counter supplements like ZaZaRed or Tianna – often without knowing that the substance has opioid properties that can cause dependence and overdose. …
The complications of drug regulation
An excerpt from You What?!: Humorous Stories, Cautionary Tales, and Unexpected Insights About A Career in Medicine.
The relationship between physicians and nurses is a complicated one. We are both there to “Take care of the patient.” Each has their own role. Doctors are undeniably in charge of ‘their patient’s care.” Particularly in an operating room. Somebody has …
Be nice to the nurses. Respect the nurses.
“The hospital systems ignored us by putting us lowest on the totem pole for the COVID vaccine. The pharmaceutical companies overlooked the strains on us and increased our vaccine prices. The medical supply companies took advantage of us by limiting our supplies and increasing prices astronomically. Worst of all, the insurance companies …
Being a private practice pediatrician in a pandemic [PODCAST]
The current COVID-19 vaccines have been developed with unprecedented efficiency and speed. Years of research, development, production, and regulatory approvals have been compressed into months. But accelerating the science is only half the puzzle. If we want to save lives right now, we need to improve the messy, inequitable implementation process of COVID-19 vaccine distribution.
As newly minted (and gratefully vaccinated) physicians who have had the privilege of contributing …
How creative solutions to inequitable COVID-19 vaccine distribution can save lives now
As a family physician, guest lecturer at a local medical school, and creator of a pre-med curriculum for young learners, I’m often asked by parents how to support their child who wants to be a doctor.
The most important point to remember is that you don’t need to have any science background or be a professional of any sort to support your child. We all want to help our children follow …
“We need to shampoo the patients’ hair,” said Kristen, a physician assistant with a two-foot flaxen rope of her own. She’s an authority. Operating room nurse Jess seconded the idea. Between the two of them advocating, it needed to happen.
Somehow for the last 23 years, as a man with short hair, I’d always considered a rinse with water or peroxide to be sufficient to clean a patient’s scalp and hair …
How washing hair taught me to be a better doctor
“As members of the health care workforce, we must recognize the crucial role we play in influencing vaccine uptake. With the death toll over rising in the U.S., the stakes could not be higher as the final death count will hinge on how quickly we can translate the vaccine’s efficacy into real-world …
How to leverage social media to combat misinformation [PODCAST]
“Dr. Good’s willing intervention and active interest in my development kept me in medical school and led me to become an academic anesthesiologist. When his career took a turn toward administration, his mentor, Dr. J. S. Gravenstein, took over. He convinced me to stay at the University of Florida, and a couple …
How mentors changed this physician’s life [PODCAST]
The pandemic has not been kind to mental health. We’re all feeling the impact of the last year and all that changed in how we live our lives. While rates of anxiety and depression in the U.S. jumped as people isolated themselves from friends and family to stay safe from COVID-19, there is at least one silver lining when it comes to mental health – the number …
Suicide is never the answer, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic
Since I was a child, I have been plagued by words and thoughts (spoken and unspoken) that said, “You are not good enough.” I remember this very vividly as I walked into my new school as a fourth-grader in rural Ohio. I was so excited to start a new school, as I had always enjoyed learning.
As I walked into this elementary school, something felt vastly different. I quickly realized that …
A Black physician’s perfectionism
“I realized that training in psychiatry would give me the opportunity to understand suicide far better, and hopefully allow me to make a difference at an earlier stage. My exposure to psychiatry in medical school was clearly not enough. I was ill-equipped to fully grasp when individuals begin to have thoughts …
How switching to psychiatry made me understand suicide far better [PODCAST]
“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 …
Stress in medicine: lessons learned through my years as a surgeon [PODCAST]
“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 …
Being a pediatrician did not prepare me for parenting [PODCAST]
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 …
Trying to bury trauma does not work
“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 …
It’s never too late for physicians to change directions and land new jobs [PODCAST]
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 …
The life cycle of emotion in medicine
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 …
What medical students can learn from astronauts
“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 …
Solving major substance use disorder treatment gaps during COVID-19 [PODCAST]
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 …
Ahimsa means do no harm, including doing no harm to ourselves
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