KevinMD.com

COVID-related stressors and increasing instances of substance abuse [PODCAST]

Podcast

November 15, 2020

“While the rise in substance use disorders during COVID will become more apparent as the pandemic eventually ebbs, the silver lining is that this is not a novel problem. We understand substance use disorders far better than we understand COVID-19, and we also know that one of the largest obstacles to treatment is the shame associated with admitting that one has …

The pedestal that’s killing doctors

Patricia Celan, MD

Conditions

November 15, 2020

Doctors are often called “heroes” – a surprisingly uncomfortable label. Physicians are already tired of being held to a higher standard than the average person; raising the pedestal is problematic. While doctors are compassionate individuals who care about bettering lives and curing illnesses, we are also human. At the end of a standard workday, we would like to live normal lives. Unfortunately, the hours are longer, and we are never …

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The pedestal that’s killing doctors

Let’s make compassion go viral [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

November 14, 2020

“We are social beings. Evolution has taught us that in order to survive, we must work together. Community trust (trusting your fellow citizen) is a very effective way to build community resilience when hardships strike. Studies have been done in the wake of natural disasters and have shown that social infrastructure and connections have equal, if not more, impact on the …

To the third-year medical students who feel like they aren’t learning anything

King Pascual

Education

November 14, 2020

First of all, congratulations on making it this far in your journey towards becoming a physician. It truly is a privilege to be in the position of a third-year medical student because unlike the previous two years, we are now able to address the needs of actual patients, and in many cases, their family members and caregivers, whether they be emotional, mental, physical, or socioeconomic.

I admit that it sounds trite …

Hassle-free real estate investing for busy doctors [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

November 13, 2020

“Why real estate?

By having a ‘why’ you want something, it’ll help keep you motivated to pursue your goals when setbacks and mistakes occur.

For our family, we wanted passive income streams.

Passive income gives you options. I love options.

It doesn’t matter if you want to work forever, retire early, or change careers, multiple income sources can make it happen.

Our passive income is not …

Proponents of independent non-physician practice make a dangerous assumption

Rebekah Bernard, MD and Niran S. Al-Agba, MD

Physician

November 13, 2020

An excerpt from Patients at Risk: The Rise of the Nurse Practitioner and Physician Assistant in Healthcare.

On a sunny Tuesday in March 2015, the steps of Capitol Hill were draped in white as nurse practitioners from across the United States descended on the nation’s capital. Their …

A nontraditional approach to fear and stress [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

November 12, 2020

“Like 9/11, we have a new reference point touching everyone on the planet: life before COVID-19 and life after. Regardless if you get it or don’t, the unknowns and secondary consequences are scary. Life before COVID was scary, too, minus the urgency.

Before COVID, we sensed the weight of living on a sick planet. We felt powerless to change the tide of …

A call for a moratorium on the sale of inhalable products [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

November 11, 2020

“The inflammatory response elicited by the novel coronavirus can do great damage to the essential function of lungs. People with underlying lung disease are more vulnerable to this coronavirus, including people with asthma, emphysema, lung fibrosis, and even people with high exposure to air pollution. Smoking and vaping are perfectly preventable forms of high-intensity air pollution. We strongly urge city, county, …

What to do financially when you’re a doctor getting a divorce

Smart Money, MD

Finance

November 11, 2020

I remember reading a post recently on a Facebook physician group that involved a cardiologist who asked for help on how to manage her finances after a divorce.

The pertinent aspects of this situation involves the physician being left with essentially nothing in retirement savings. She is mid-career with children and wants an option to reduce her schedule eventually to spend time with her children during the weeks she has custody. …

Medical ethics and medical school: a student’s perspective

Jacob Riegler

Education

November 11, 2020

The symptoms of systemic discrimination and sweeping organizational problems are ubiquitous in the news and health care literature. Yet, medical students’ curricula focus on codes of professionalism, setting these issues, and the historical forces that created them to the side. While professionalism is undoubtedly an important aspect of being a physician, it is simply not enough to give students the background they need to recognize the historical contextualization of ethical …

Palliative care and the importance of holding space [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

November 10, 2020

“Holding space means being physically, mentally, and emotionally present for someone. It means putting your focus on someone to support them as they feel their feelings. An important aspect of holding space is managing judgment while you are present.

Like when you tell a patient that they have stage IV pancreatic cancer and that it is nonsurgical and even with the best …

What not to do after a medical mistake

Pamela Wible, MD

Physician

November 10, 2020

If you are a doctor (or med student/health professional) and are human, you’ve probably made a medical mistake. You’ve probably not received emotional support for the mistake. Maybe you’ve never told anyone about a mistake that still haunts you today.

The truth is that almost all physicians have admitted to medical mistakes sometime in their careers. Depending on the patient outcome, many doctors carry the distress of medical errors for months, …

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What not to do after a medical mistake

How to balance family and professional needs during the pandemic [PODCAST]

Sharon M. Batista, MD

Podcast

November 9, 2020

“The reality of being a medical practice owner is that we are small business owners and very vulnerable to the impact of COVID. Having previously worked in the telemedicine industry and because I am a psychiatrist, I initially felt that I was in a good position to adapt to this crisis – and this has been overall true, but the reality …

You have options when it comes to board certification

Emmanuel K. Konstantakos, MD

Physician

November 9, 2020

It’s good to have options, isn’t it?

So why isn’t there an option when it comes to taking your boards? In other words, can’t residents have a say with which board to become certified with once they’re done with their residency?

Well, there’s good news for you. The answer is yes. You definitely have options. There are other boards for your initial written exams. (And that also includes the oral exams for …

The trauma of a combat doctor in Iraq

Reagan Anderson, DO

Physician

November 9, 2020

An excerpt from Universal Death Care.

Machine gun fire ripped me open—From Left to Right. There were too many bullets. No way could I feel each wound. They blended together like a single strike of lightning. I was paralyzed by pain. It had taken root in me. …

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The trauma of a combat doctor in Iraq

The benefits of early clinical exposure in medical education

Karan Patel

Education

November 9, 2020

Medical schools are increasingly emphasizing early clinical exposure for their medical students. While the traditional medical education format — in which the basic sciences are taught during the first two years, and clinical rotations are stressed during the latter two — are still generally followed, many schools provide their students with exposures to the hospital or clinical settings much earlier in their medical education. For example, just two months into …

Medical aid in dying is not assisted suicide [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

November 8, 2020

“To help the reader understand the issues better, I would like to relate some stories. A friend of mine was dying of pancreatic cancer. He had an implantable morphine pump and was on both hospice and palliative care. Still, he found that his suffering was unbearable and wanted to die sooner. Doctors told him that his only option to end his …

Orthopedic surgery enters the modern age on a chance observation

Roy A. Meals, MD

Conditions

November 8, 2020

For thousands of years, bonesetters and doctors could not accurately diagnosis broken bones or differentiate such injuries from joint dislocations and torn ligaments. That changed with a chance discovery almost exactly 125 years ago. Subsequently, perhaps with equal parts of chagrin and enlightenment, doctors began using the new discovery to discount their previous assumptions and accurately diagnose skeletal diseases.

In his darkened laboratory on November 8, 1895, …

Imagining a pandemic as a physician novelist [PODCAST]

The Podcast by KevinMD

Podcast

November 7, 2020

“There are some things that we are living through as a result of COVID-19 that I did not imagine in my fictional account. For example: the timeline. As we are now four full months into this pandemic in the U.S., some experts estimate that we are still early in the game. As one doctor put it, we are only at about …

Female physician suicides: a silent pandemic

Uchenna Umeh, MD

Conditions

November 7, 2020

“Aunty blew her brains out a few weeks ago!”

Words I shall never forget.

For weeks, she had been in my thoughts. But I never called her. I didn’t because of all the myriad reasons we often give ourselves for not checking up on each other.

In my case, they sounded like this; “I am 7 months pregnant, and it has been a difficult pregnancy.” “I am in an abusive marriage.” “My pediatric …