“My sister called me. I answered. And, then, I lost it: ‘He died. He died,’ I repeated. ‘Our patient died. I literally did CPR on this guy. We tried to save his life, and he died,’ I repeated over and over. The tears streaming down my cheeks were cathartic. More than signifying …
How this physician’s first experience with death affected her [PODCAST]
There’s nothing like the holidays and a new year around the corner to remind us that 2020 is almost over. This year let’s try to take nothing for granted. Especially since millions of Americans will soon sit down to a holiday meal with one or more loved ones missing. Those empty chairs are a reminder of what we have endured this year. Whether it be loved ones who are sick, …
Empty chairs at the table this holiday season
For most of us, medical training through all the pains of medical school and residency is often bearable when we fantasize about life on the other side of all of this. Life as an attending physician, when the sky suddenly turns all rainbow, when the money starts to fall from those skies — we’re finally our own bosses, and then we’re supposed to live happily ever after. The reality, however, …
Being an attending: What no one tells you in residency and medical school
“The dictionary definition of learning is ‘the acquisition of knowledge or skills through experience, study, or by being taught.’ For leaders, the most crucial and common way of learning happens through experience, and as we often say, leadership is flying the plane while building it. Moreover, the onus of making the process …
A physician moves from the exam room to the C-suite [PODCAST]
“Being an entrepreneur can be a lonely road. Everyone dreams of life after a successful round of funds being raised, staff being hired, and plunging headfirst into the making and shipping of widgets. But there are many days which no one talks about, where a budding entrepreneur must find a way to …
Essential tips for the physician-entrepreneur [PODCAST]
The Podcast by KevinMD shares the stories of KevinMD authors in their own words.
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Here is what people are saying:
“Thank you Kevin for your dedication to giving so many of us, your colleagues, a chance to …
The perfect podcast for busy physicians
“I’m exhausted. As the pandemic rages on, the mental toll of dealing with COVID-19 has started to wear on me. As a practicing hospitalist in the Midwest impacted by one of the many hotspots caused by the meatpacking industry, I have spent a fair bit of time with this virus on the …
COVID-19 is a war on two fronts [PODCAST]
The first thing my husband said when I told him about MBA school was, “the NBA has a school?” It didn’t help that we first had our conversation about MBA school during the NBA playoffs but really – NBA school? I quickly overcame this moronic start to the conversation by saying “M” as in Michael Jordan – MBA school. He got it from there and every day since. And every …
To MBA or not to MBA as an MD: a physician’s journey
“Now, in her afterlife, she occasionally accompanied Maggie on excursions into my head, usually at night. Make that a double vodka.
I thought I had finally learned in sobriety how to put them in the past, encased in a box, and keep them there. Still, sometimes they found a way out to …
Ballad of a sober man: an ER doctor’s journey of recovery [PODCAST]
Over and over again, I find myself repeating the same words to myself as I watch the sunset over the Sacramento River on my dreary commute back from my job in clinical research: hope over fear.
It was with hope that 2020 began—a catalyst year in which we had the wind at our backs and the promise of a better future just over the horizon. 2020 promised the inevitability of change, …
In the face of uncertainty, choose hope over fear
“You have made difficult choices about your family’s health and safety already. Pediatricians help parents make these kinds of decisions all the time. The shared- decision model for practicing medicine encourages doctors like me to help provide information and counseling to empower you to make decisions.
You’ve already made decisions essential to …
Parenting in a pandemic: Making the best decisions for your family [PODCAST]
“These strategies on how the rich get richer do not only apply to the wealthy. These same opportunities and strategies are open to us as well. If we want to accumulate wealth, or simply keep more of the money we currently have without paying a large portion in taxes, then we should …
Financial tips that resident physicians need to know [PODCAST]
I enter the hospital to work again. I must work as I have three small children and a husband presently out of work because of COVID. He is “non-essential.”
A violinist is playing at the employee entrance. I know they do this to lift our spirits. But it’s a slow, sad string that reminds me of the titanic. And yes, every day I clock in, I feel as if it’s a …
Pay attention to science and medicine, or else you may be the next careless victim
A quick preview of any journal will note a plethora of physician jobs spanning the country. Many of these jobs offer a partnership track and promote a democratic philosophy.
As someone who has worked on both sides of the equation, I wanted to share a few thoughts. You may not agree with all, but here they are, nonetheless.
First, consider your long-range plan. While it’s exciting to contemplate a first job while …
Practical thoughts on pursuing a partnership track
“A majority of physicians see between 11 and 20 patients per day, and among all practices, the majority of doctors spend between 17 and 24 minutes with each patient. Assuming a five-day workweek, this translates to more than 900 patient interactions per year and over 1,066 minutes spent communicating with patients. Today, many …
Essential physician communication tips to improve the patient experience [PODCAST]
I am a critical care and emergency medicine physician, I have had COVID-19 infection twice, and I’m tired.
My first infection was early on in the pandemic. I had to place a Blakemore tube in a young man who was going to die from his massive bleeding from cirrhosis. I didn’t know then that the patient was positive for COVID, as he didn’t have any “typical” symptoms. I placed the tube …
I am an emergency and critical care physician. I had COVID-19 infection twice and I’m tired.
For students studying at Caribbean medical schools, success in the residency match is a major concern. And it should be, because Caribbean medical students have unique challenges. At the same time, strategizing early in your medical school career can significantly impact your ultimate success.
Here are five rules that are critical in residency match success:
1. Yes, your exam score matters. The reality of the current day residency match is that programs …
What Caribbean medical students need to know about the residency match
“Around the time of the coronavirus outbreak, 2019 also marked a full century since the death of Sir William Osler, who revolutionized medical training. Despite some lingering debate over whether Dr. Osler’s pneumonia-related death should be counted among the 50 million lost to the 1918 influenza pandemic, his notes suggest that he …
Why spiritual health is so important [PODCAST]
With the surge of information surrounding COVID-19 released in the news this year, an interesting concern arose regarding ibuprofen’s use in patients with COVID-19. In March of 2020, French authorities were the first to investigate anecdotal reports of severe COVID-19 infection in patients who had taken ibuprofen.
The initial concern involved the ACE-2 receptor. The theoretical concern was that NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) such as ibuprofen might …
The ibuprofen COVID-19 paradox
“Our country, and the world, is beyond exhausted by COVID-19 and the utter chaos and destruction of lives it has caused. All people, including physicians, are being pushed beyond capacity. What do we mean, collateral damage? Originally related to war: the unintended result of a terrible, unprecedented event or action. We …
Mental health care in children during COVID-19 [PODCAST]
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