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Don’t pick your specialty based on the potential income you might make

Finance

August 3, 2020

When I speak to medical students and residents, their number one question is, “Should I follow my passion or choose a specialty that pays well?” With so many students finishing their training deeply in debt, they are feeling a push to go into a specialty that pays better than average, thinking that it will solve their debt problem. But is that a good idea?

Since we can pick anything we can …

Patient no-shows often have complicated reasons behind them [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

August 2, 2020

“I typed up a brief response to the no show memo, hit reply, and then deleted the original message. It’s not that I am a fan of wasting time and resources, but for now, I have a general personal policy to never dismiss pregnant patients. I’d have to try to address her barriers to care. Again. Our clinic tended to be …

7 habits of highly resilient physicians

Gail Gazelle, MD

Physician

August 2, 2020

Before the pandemic, we had an epidemic of physician burnout, with many physicians caught in a cycle of exhaustion, cynicism, and loss of purpose. All the change and uncertainty the virus has brought certainly doesn’t help! It’s now more imperative than ever that physicians build resilience to all the pressures and stress of our careers.

In the decade I’ve worked as a physician coach, I’ve seen seven habits, thought patterns, and …

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7 habits of highly resilient physicians

The weaponization of professionalism

Harry Paul, Tricia Pendergrast, Wenelia Baghoomian, Austin A. Barr, Ryan Marino, MD, and Chase T. M. Anderson, MD

Physician

August 2, 2020

It’s not every day you see hundreds of doctors flooding Twitter with pictures of themselves in swimwear. The trending hashtag #MedBikini arose when health care professionals began posting in solidarity to demonstrate how maintaining a life outside of the clinic, shockingly, does not detract from one’s merit as a physician. In fact, it makes them more human.

This past week, an article published in the Journal of Vascular …

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The weaponization of professionalism

Practice empathy and compassion for the critically ill and dying [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

August 1, 2020

“It seems as though the looming reality for many of us is that we will have patients who need ventilators, and none will be available. It seems like we might benefit from remembering that we can still succeed in practicing medicine by being present with those suffering before us, even when we know we cannot cure them of disease.

In a more …

If you want to be a physician-inventor, here’s what you should know [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

July 31, 2020

“If you have an employment agreement with a provision on intellectual property, have it reviewed by an attorney before you begin applying for patents. A good attorney should be able to give you some clarity. Suppose, however, that your employment agreement has muddied the waters a bit. In that case, you have a few different options, and all of them will …

Pain management’s painfully fine line [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

July 30, 2020

“I find that managing chronic pain can be a bit of a dance between myself and the patient. Sometimes a little bit of a compromise. I always tell my patients that pain is subjective but many things can contribute to pain — certainly stress, lack of sleep, any emotional issues can make pain worse. Your pain is different than my pain. …

Wife swap: a physician’s toxic work environment

Anonymous

Physician

July 30, 2020

“It’s not my fault that you chose to have children.”

Years after leaving my job, I still hear my boss’s words in my head. He did not want to get married and or have children. He made that clear during my interview. He was also clear that he did not want anyone to perceive that I got special treatment for having a family. When I left, I did not sue. I …

I challenge you to discuss death

Emily S. Hagen, MD

Education

July 30, 2020

My medical school’s secondary application, like that of many other medical schools, asked me to describe a personal or professional challenge or conflict and to explain how I worked to resolve it. However, unlike other medical schools, my school specified that they did not want to hear about the MCAT or another academic challenge.

For this question, I wrote about a challenge that I have been facing for most of my …

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I challenge you to discuss death

A physician embraces the power of the word, “and” [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

July 29, 2020

“I struggle for words to describe life in the season of COVID-19. Depending on the day, I need at least a few adjectives: ‘peculiar,’ ‘fine, all things considered,’ ‘terrifying.’ ‘Joyous’ and ‘anxious’ certainly make odd bedfellows in my brain.

As a mother and physician living this new reality, I’ve been extra thankful for Irene, who taught me the power of “and.” Irene …

How physicians can share health information and manage dissent online [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

July 28, 2020

“In the time of the COVID-19 pandemic, I am both hopeful and inspired as well as disappointed. I see those angry that their ideas or opinions conflict with science. Instead of the steady path and hard work of building bridges, they create division. I see many capitalizing on fear and uncertainty, weaving a compelling story and drawing in the desperate ones …

What physicians today can learn from the history of surgery [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

July 27, 2020

“Billroth spent long hours dissecting cadavers and planning on surgical interventions. He was able to pioneer abdominal surgery with careful preparation and strict adherence to meticulous antiseptic technique. Animal experimentation and cadaveric-rehearsed surgery emboldened the Viennese professor; perhaps the abdomen could be entered. Nothing short of a ‘godlike creative spirit,’ as Mukherjee calls it, would suffice when it came to intestinal …

Coronavirus takes a toll on IMGs: anxieties over USMLE Step 1 becoming pass/fail

Karolina Woroniecka, MD, PhD

Education

July 27, 2020

The NBME has announced that the USMLE Step 1 exam is changing from graded on a curve to pass/fail no earlier than Jan 1, 2022. This announcement came before the coronavirus pandemic took hold and significantly disrupted pretty much everything, including medical education. Since then, given widespread Prometric center closures, study schedule disruptions, altered medical school curricula, and a whole host of other unexpected challenges, many …

Physicians and the psychological trauma of COVID-19 [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

July 26, 2020

“As COVID-19 devastates America and the world, I hope that fundamental change to our health care system results from its horrific exposé. Without COVID-19, the pressures placed on physicians are already immense. In the age of COVID-19, these pressures are proving to be insurmountable. Being a physician is difficult, but it does not have to be deadly. Physicians deserve proper stigma- …

Social isolation in the elderly [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

July 25, 2020

“COVID-19 has rapidly spread across the nation, leading to the implementation of stringent social distancing guidelines by local and regional authorities. In a desperate effort to limit infection rates, in-person social interactions have been reduced, and many have turned towards indoor hobbies and online platforms to connect with their loved ones.

Still, this solution to mitigate the spread of the virus deeply …

Is upspeak really that bad for women in medicine?

Joan DelFattore, PhD

Physician

July 25, 2020

A few weeks ago, I was delighted when KevinMD accepted an opinion piece I’d submitted. But I withdrew it just before publication because, on reflection, I realized that I’d been wrong.

While sheltering in place during the COVID-19 pandemic, I’ve become an avid consumer of medical podcasts, such as those presented by JAMA and the New England Journal of Medicine. The opinion piece …

Why storytelling and writing are so important in medicine [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

July 24, 2020

“They needed the final story to let go of her body, yet retain her spirit.

Looking back on it, that’s when I saw the greatest honor of all — the everyday honor of storytelling for our patients. Maybe that’s the only cure we have for death … translating what happens from the body into the world. Perhaps that is the last frontier …

As an oncologist, this is the hardest role I play

Don S. Dizon, MD

Conditions

July 24, 2020

As an oncologist, perhaps the hardest part I play is as witness. I am there to give a diagnosis that, more often than not, will alter someone’s life forever. For some, I see resignation—a sense that they’ve known something was wrong and that it’s what they thought they had. For others, I see an almost …

Tips for applying to medical school in a pandemic [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

July 23, 2020

“If you are finding yourself with trouble studying or focusing due to the state of the world, or due to changing circumstances in your own household, remember that a delay in this test or in any part of your application is not the end of the world. You need to focus on your health and well-being first so that you have …

Meet the physician who left concierge medicine [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

July 22, 2020

“Much is written about the advantages for primary care physicians and patients of working within a retainer model, direct primary care, concierge-type care model. Little is written about the downside or disadvantages. It is time to shine a light on the benefits and challenges of concierge and standard models through an experienced lens, particularly as drivers of burnout and the primary …

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