KevinMD.com

We can do a better job with hospital discharge paperwork

Physician

October 23, 2018

The discharge process has now been recognized as one of the most crucial points at which the actions of doctors and hospitals can have a huge impact on immediate health outcomes for our patients. At a time when 30-day readmission rates are still touching almost 20 percent for Medicare patients (higher for certain patients, with up to a third of these occurring in the first 7 days), there is an …

Why physicians should embrace failure

Jason Chesney, MD

Physician

October 22, 2018

Failure is a guarantee. “Success” assumes that certain metrics have been set and that the words used to describe those metrics are understood in the exact same way by all parties involved. One patient with parotid cancer and given facial paralysis after surgery was thrilled to be alive. Another is furious about a widened scar.

The brain, primed to act on behalf of the organism, works at times without our input …

Read more…

Why physicians should embrace failure

Don’t ignore incest: advice from an incest survivor

Anonymous

Physician

October 18, 2018

In the era of #MeToo, Missy Elliot, Whitney Houston, Tyler Perry, Oprah, Ashley Judd, Gabrielle Union, Teri Hatcher and, now, Padma Lakshmi — keeping kids safe and helping adults heal is our job as physicians. I am a pediatrician — and I am an incest survivor. My perpetrator was also a physician. I bore a dirty secret before I knew what a secret was. The person who hurt me was …

Care but don’t touch: Being wise in the modern era

Elliott Oppenheim, MD, JD

Physician

October 17, 2018

The medicine I practiced between 1974 to 1992 is gone. Evidence is the coin of the realm in the courts of modern medicine. The rule “first, do no harm” demands a corollary — be paranoid.

We receive extensive training and licensure to “touch” patients. Any person who is not a physician who cuts into another person commits a very serious crime. The same is true for merely talking with a person, …

Reflections after finishing the first year of medical school

Batoul Harissa

Education

October 17, 2018

I am both relieved and nervous because they say that the first year is the worst, but now I have the overarching cloud of doom following me around during second year: Step 1.

Now that I’m home, I constantly am wondering how I made it this far — in disbelief that I passed all my courses pretty well. I constantly ask myself if exams were too easy and if I’m just …

A simple solution to rapidly increase physician financial literacy

Wall Street Physician, MD

Finance

October 17, 2018

Physician financial literacy is dismal. In the past, many physicians got their first introduction to finance from insurance salesman or financial advisors who give presentations over a free steak dinner.

My medical school’s attempt at teaching us personal finance was to have a financial advisory firm give a half-day lecture about student loan management, budgeting, and investing. While the advice wasn’t inherently bad, I don’t think many of my classmates retained …

7 reasons why this physician works half-time

James M. Dahle, MD

Finance

October 16, 2018

By the time you read this, I will have completed a transition to working half-time. Now, I know a lot of docs out there think emergency docs are already only working half-time, so perhaps I ought to start with explaining why that isn’t the case, even if emergency physicians work fewer hours than many other physicians.

Let’s start with the fact that most Americans consider 35 to 40 hours a week …

How physicians’ grit is being taken advantage of

Valerie A. Jones, MD

Physician

October 16, 2018

A vivid memory stands out from my career.

Driving home from the hospital at 3 a.m., I reflected upon my most recent patient’s middle of the night delivery. It wasn’t an easy delivery, as they often aren’t. However, in the end, we had a healthy mom and baby and the family couldn’t have been happier — nor could I.

I felt a sense of gratitude as I was driving in the darkness …

If you are ready to become a parent, don’t let residency stop you

Cassandra Fritz, MD

Physician

October 15, 2018

I had the fascinating experience of interviewing for residency at 20+ weeks’ pregnant. Although a number of people told me that I was doomed, I found the experience to be quite enlightening. Since I couldn’t hide the fact that life outside medicine was going to be important to me during residency, I felt empowered to ask the “don’t ask” questions during my interviews. What did I have to lose? The …

Telemedicine should be easy. Here’s why it’s not.

Dennis Wichern

Meds

October 12, 2018

Who was Ryan Haight?

Ryan Haight was an 18-year-old honor student from La Mesa, California who died on February 12, 2001, from an overdose of hydrocodone ordered from an online doctor he never saw — and shipped to his home from a rogue online pharmacy during the beginning of the opioid epidemic.

The pharmacist, Clayton Fuchs, filled the online prescription …

Evening eating: Are you a “light” eater?

Arlene B. Englander, LCSW, MBA

Conditions

October 11, 2018

Anyone who has ever tried to lose weight or keep weight off realizes that evening can be …

ACL injuries in middle-age athletes

Nancy Yen Shipley, MD

Conditions

October 10, 2018

Over the last 20 years, physical fitness as a means to improve overall health has increased among the over-40 set. This is great, right? Yes, absolutely. Athletes who remain active as they age do a better job than non-athletes in retaining lean muscle mass. They also show improved bone density, bone structure and bone strength. However, what physicians are seeing are injuries related to the increased level of activity.

One area …

Read more…

ACL injuries in middle-age athletes

5 tips to medical resident success

Lisa Sieczkowski, MD

Education

October 10, 2018

The glorious season is upon us. Yes, it is finally autumn. But it is also the season of ERAS with all of its letters of recommendation, USMLE scores, medical school transcripts, and personal statements.

I have dutifully reviewed dozens of applicants whose last names begin with the letters “T” through “Z.” I have noted the test scores and grades. I have considered the caliber of medical school and whether the LORs …

Read more…

5 tips to medical resident success

A scrum master for primary care

C. Todd Staub, MD

Physician

October 9, 2018

We should consider a new position in our primary care teams — that of the scrum master. “Scrum” is a rugby term that comes from agile, a work methodology for software development that now is being applied to industry and health care.

In rugby, a scrum is a huddle where the teams come together with interlocked arms to regroup and start play again. In agile, scrum masters facilitate team huddles and …

Read more…

A scrum master for primary care

I learned how to be a good doctor in theater school

Lauren Klingman

Education

October 8, 2018

It’s hard for me to believe that a few years ago, I completely turned my back on an acting career I had spent almost two decades building and instead decided to forge into an unknown world of medicine. Even now, with nearly seven years of experience in the medical field and currently in my fourth year of medical school, I sometimes feel lost for an identity.

At the time of my …

How to survive a medical liability lawsuit

Anonymous

Physician

October 7, 2018

I do not feel that I truly survived my lawsuit. Sure, I am alive, but the emotional toll it took on me during the four years that we co-existed was tremendous. That being said, I do feel that it taught me several things that may be helpful to others.

My lawsuit occurred very early in my career. The series of events that led up to it happened when I was a …

What you need to know as a non-medical spouse to a surgeon

Megan N. Brown-Vilson, MPW

Physician

October 7, 2018

Combating loneliness as a non-medical spouse to a surgical resident is my current struggle.

I do not just mean the absence of his physical self — which do not get me wrong is frustrating– but the complete absence of his mind when he gets home from a long day at the hospital.

Absolutely no one gave me the proper and direct heads up that I needed as to what it would feel …

The issues physicians face when changing their name

Maria Perez-Johnson, DO

Physician

October 6, 2018

It’s my first day at a new facility — and I’m prepped with food, snacks and a closed-lid container for my morning coffee and to refill it in the afternoon with water. You never really know how stringent the policies will be for water containers at your new workstation or whether food or snacks are allowed. You might even be lucky enough to get a surprise Joint Commission inspection, or …

7 keys to having a medical career that serves your life

Stephanie Wellington, MD

Physician

October 5, 2018

Doctors spend their early adulthood preparing for medicine. In college, we take classes to satisfy prerequisites and prepare for the MCAT exam. Medical school has a life of its own. The volume of material to master is extensive, and the pressure mounts to be your best. Next is the interview process for residency training and the anticipation of Match Day.

Then life will begin. Maybe?

Now, you are in your late 20s …

Most Popular

Past Week

Past 6 Months

Recent Posts

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Most Popular

Past Week

Past 6 Months

Recent Posts