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We can’t expect large medical centers to absorb every case

Edwin Leap, MD

Physician

September 22, 2020

My small community ED has a fairly high acuity. As such, I was recently trying to transfer a couple of patients, one of whom was an NSTEMI, pain-free but with a rising troponin. In the process of trying to arrange things, I learned that our main regional referral center was holding a staggering 150 patients in their own ED, all waiting for inpatient beds.

I’ve spent the majority of my career …

A silent cry from the woman in the elevator

Andy Lamb, MD

Physician

September 22, 2020

“How long have you been married?”

The question came from a young woman kneeling down by the elevator in the hotel where my wife and I were staying while in Seattle. We were there to celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary with an Alaskan cruise. I hadn’t even noticed her as my wife and I were busy talking about the day. She appeared to be in her twenties. Her appearance was that of …

Meet the physician who became a life coach [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

September 21, 2020

“For the past six months, I’ve spent my free time becoming a certified life coach. I’m a hospitalist, but a little more than a year ago, I was introduced to life coaching. I love the changes it has produced in my life – particularly how it’s changed me as a mother. Coaching helps me to be more present for my family …

Why everyone needs a six-word story

Alexie Puran, MD

Physician

September 21, 2020

Being humane makes you a hero.

It is a privilege to serve.

Be the voice, for those without!

Six words. One Story. These are examples from the My Six-Word Story Project, an innovative activity that supports the psycho-social well-being and emotional resilience of our healthcare professionals. My Six-Word Story has the power to reconnect us to our purpose and connect us as a community.

“It’s your reaction to adversity, not adversity itself that determines …

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Why everyone needs a six-word story

Genetic testing: Could there be unintended consequences? [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

September 20, 2020

“Both clinical and direct-to-consumer genetic testing have become significantly less costly and more common, providing people with access to a wealth of information about everything from their ethnicity and family lineage to their risk for certain diseases and how they will respond to medications such as blood thinners and antidepressants.

But before you decide to take the plunge into your gene pool, …

Locum tenens contracts: Maximize opportunities and minimize risks [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

September 19, 2020

“Locum tenens means ‘to hold the place of, to substitute for’ and locum tenens contracts are a common form of agreement for physicians who provide temporary medical services in place of full-time physicians.

Now, during the COVID-19 pandemic, increased demand puts physicians in a better position to negotiate their locum tenens contracts. However, too many practitioners sign them without fully understanding their …

Bridging the COVID-19 health recommendations divide [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

September 18, 2020

“Misinformation about COVID-19, if propagated, can be deadly. The stakes are high. Physicians need to have a voice in this discussion and work towards impacting policy in a positive way. Physician-led groups such as IMPACT aim to advocate for evidence-based solutions for the protection of communities and serve an advisory role to those in charge of public policies. As physicians, our …

Designing your life and career in medicine

Todd Skertich

Physician

September 18, 2020

The best part of my job is interviewing residents and watching as gears begin to turn in their minds when I ask:

What made you decide that you wanted to be a doctor?
What is your purpose in life?
What legacy are you creating?
Which position in your field will truly fulfill you?
What type of community do you seek in order to meet your wants and needs?
Are you …
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Designing your life and career in medicine

If you don’t want to wear a mask, come to work with me

Gregory Jasani, MD

Physician

September 18, 2020

I am an emergency medicine physician in an inner-city emergency department, and I would like to start by stating a simple truth: coronavirus is not going away any time soon. Cases are climbing in practically every state and show no signs of slowing down. From my personal perspective, things are getting worse. Every day I am treating more and more patients who are ill with COVID-19 …

An EMR frustration that is still torturing us

Michael Kirsch, MD

Tech

September 18, 2020

I have written, or more accurately ranted, about electronic medical records (EMR) systems throughout this blog. While the systems have clearly improved since their mandatory introduction into the medical universe, they have still not delivered on many of their promises.

Of course, EMR has brought tremendous advantages to the medical profession, and we are all grateful for the technology. But this progress has exacted a cost. Many of them are clumsy …

Patients without traditional support systems, and the doctors who stereotype them [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

September 17, 2020

“When doctors ignore the evidence showing that a support system doesn’t have to be traditional in order to be effective, that’s not a medical judgment. It’s a personal prejudice that puts singles at serious risk.

Classifying patients as married or unmarried when studying the effects of social support undoubtedly makes research easier, with groups determined by a simplistic either-or. But since social …

Is now the time for single payer? [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

September 16, 2020

“Single payer is the solution. And the time for it is now.

A single-payer system would guarantee health care coverage immediately to every American. So whether a loved one gets sick from COVID, has a heart attack, or gets in a car accident, she will receive the care she needs without it causing financial hardship.

A single-payer system will eliminate employer health insurance …

Food safety and the neglect of the unpeeled potato

David M. Mitchell, MD, PhD

Conditions

September 16, 2020

Judging from the shortage of canning jars and lids in grocery stores recently, the COVID-19 pandemic has spurred fresh interest in home canning (a potentially dangerous practice that has declined since its peak in 1943); and because the public expects doctors to know everything about health, it may be educational for physicians to consider the tragic case of the unpeeled potato.

I recently read a Facebook post in a …

Science and faith in the time of COVID-19

Jonathan Garber, DO

Physician

September 16, 2020

During the COVID-19 pandemic, a glaring trend has emerged, one that has long helped forge the American religious cultural landscape, but has now blossomed in full force, particularly within many Christian fundamentalist circles. As a physician who is also an evangelical Christian, I constantly live with the tension of balancing the practice of my faith and the results of sound scientific investigation with the opinions of patients and others within …

Why cultural competency courses should be requisites for medical school [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

September 15, 2020

“Doctors are people, and people are capable of prejudice and discrimination. But, in medicine, there is no place for prejudice and discrimination because a patient’s life is at stake. Stereotyping a customer and assuming that they cannot afford a certain product is emotionally hurtful, but it is far less dangerous than stereotyping a patient and misdiagnosing a life-threatening condition.

The nature of …

Don’t make the mistake of equating an hourly wage for the value of your time

Pranay Parikh, MD

Physician

September 15, 2020

Do you know how much your time is worth? Those of us who are 1099ers can easily tell you our hourly wage. Now, what about everyone else?

Well, there’s a quick trick. Take your yearly salary and divide it by 2,000. So if you make a salary of $200,000 per year, you are making roughly $100 per hour.

Now there are a few assumptions. To start off with, there are actually 2080 …

A physician’s journey from Survivor to Shark Tank to quarantine

Edna Ma, MD

Physician

September 15, 2020

I’m my breaking point! Frustrated, exhausted, caffeine-deprived, and surrounded by people who don’t listen to me, I’m not trained for this, and I am ready to tag out. OK, granted, it is only day two of distance learning for my third grader and kindergartener. However, this could also describe my first two days as a castaway on Survivor island.

It’s been about nine years since I was chosen to appear on …

When physicians get sick: We are just as human as the patients we treat [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

September 14, 2020

“My experience with recent knee surgery that left me significantly disabled for over a month brought this to my attention yet again. I was completely dependent on others for basic self-care since I was unable to get in and out of the tub/shower without help. I was only able to walk with significant pain on crutches and was completely incapable of navigating stairs. …

COVID-19 is rattling the nerves of preemie parents [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

September 13, 2020

“With COVID-19, all of those memories have come flooding back. It is as if I am back in the NICU staring at that tiny infant and worried that she would get sick. Only now I have to pull myself out of that horrific daydream and stare at my teenager and pray that she will get through this. I am not alone …

Medicine, fast and slow

Claire Brown

Education

September 13, 2020

Thinking, Fast and Slow is a well-known masterpiece of psychology by the formidable Daniel Kahneman. He diligently illuminates two different pathways of thought, which he arbitrarily titles System 1 and System 2. System 1 describes our quick thinking, our snap judgments, our gut feelings. System 2 encapsulates our deeper thoughts, the way we systematically review information, the analysis that requires time and mental effort. The work thoroughly lays out many …

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Medicine, fast and slow

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