A hypothetical case of medical malpractice. This can be you.
A patient presents to the emergency room of a major local hospital with ulcers on the heels of both feet. The patient is more than 40 years old, smokes, and has hypertension but is not a diabetic.
It is determined that the patient has peripheral artery disease. The patient is admitted to Dr. X’s service. Dr. X is a vascular surgeon with a special interest in endovascular devices for peripheral artery …
Dismantling the mythical dichotomy of physician career options
In our journey as physicians, the traditional narrative often presents a seemingly binary decision: you must choose between seeking employment within a hospital or health care institution or venturing into the challenges of establishing a private practice. However, this oversimplified dichotomy fails to capture the evolving landscape of health care entrepreneurship, particularly the emergence of a third, less conventional path – that of the single-member professional micro-corporation.
The myth of the …
From doctor to patient: my Sjogren’s journey and a challenge to colleagues
As physicians, we are trained to dissect symptoms and to hunt for a diagnosis. But my own journey with Sjogren’s, like my patients’, wasn’t a textbook case. It was a puzzle with pieces scattered over decades, ignored or dismissed at each turn, including by myself.
There’s the college student, fearing the agony a simple meal might bring, never dreaming of asking why. The med student, convinced of an impending heart attack, …
Alzheimer’s agony: a son’s vow to never endure
An excerpt from Winter’s End: Dementia and Dying Well.
Are there really fates worse than death? Like most people, Dan Winter was uncertain. That is until he visited his father at a memory care unit in Lawrence, Kansas.
Dan’s father had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease at the age of 70. Winton “Wint” Allen Winter Sr. survived for 13 years, spending his final days in …
Workplace violence in health care [PODCAST]
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Join emergency physicians Resa E. Lewiss and Adaira Landry as they discuss workplace violence in health care settings. With their expertise and insights, they discuss strategies for cultivating psychological safety, intervening effectively in …
How to escape the “rat race” in your medical career
In writing and teaching about physician careers, I’ve explored themes like job satisfaction, burnout, professional development, and well-being. A recurring phrase that arises in conversations, at conferences, and in online forums is the so-called “rat race” of medical practice.
“I need to find a way out of this rat race.”
“This rat race wasn’t what I signed up for when I chose medicine.”
“I’m tired of the rat race and need to find …
Revitalize your medical practice: Embrace creativity!
“Creativity is intelligence having fun!”
George Scialabba shared a variation of this quote in a 1984 Harvard Magazine article, though it is often attributed to Albert Einstein.
National Creativity Day is coming up on May 30th. What does that have to do with being a doctor? Everything!
Dr. Amy-Jo Farrow in the U.K. and Dr. Charity Hix in the U.S. speak to the importance of nurturing creativity in our lives. The demands and …
On being a doctor and an advocate
I opened my internal medicine practice almost four decades ago to serve a growing urban community. I gravitated toward the underserved geriatric population as they were vulnerable patients and eventually moved into the bygone realm of house calls for home-bound seniors.
This enhanced my learning curve, as house calls are not taught in medical school or residency yet bridge the continuity gap between hospitalization and patients returning home after an acute …
Physician autonomy with self-employment [PODCAST]
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Join Tod Stillson, a family physician and entrepreneur, as we explore the often-overlooked world of physician contracts. Discover the hidden menu of business-to-business contracts in the medical industry and learn how transitioning to …
Navigating grief and stress: Embracing catharsis
Recently, a very young colleague of mine who worked in the same hospital as me passed away from sudden cardiac arrest. We were shocked and deeply saddened by his death. A few days later, I met a common friend of ours who told me that he was under a lot of stress due to some family matters and work politics. He had a lot of responsibilities on his shoulders. He …
Apple’s OpenGL and iOS 18: Shaping the future of health care technology
Apple’s announcement of OpenELM, an innovative suite of efficient, open-source language models, heralds a potential game-changer for health care technology, especially with the anticipated enhancements in iOS 18. This suite is designed to function directly on personal devices like iPhones, presenting new opportunities for medical practitioners to leverage advanced AI tools in their day-to-day operations. As we await further details from Apple’s June developer conference, the implications for enhanced functionality, …
Tips and tricks for presenting research at a medical conference as a premed
Last summer, I had the incredible opportunity to present a case report as a poster at the Women in Ophthalmology Summer Symposium. As a premed student, this was exciting but also quite intimidating.
This meeting is a large national medical conference with about 1,500 attendees, including ophthalmologists of all career stages, many ophthalmology residents, and medical students interested in ophthalmology. I presented the case of a child who had experienced retinopathy …
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A doctor’s struggle for patient care
“I maybe have a tiny shred of compassion.”
A doctor I know wrote this in reference to a person they’d never met, a person who had been verbally abusive to many health care professionals. A person who was a prospective patient.
A tiny shred of compassion. Maybe.
I had met the patient in question, was the physician caring for them in the hospital. I was trying to find a PCP who would take …
AI in American medicine [PODCAST]
Your A+ in anatomy and physiology won’t improve the American health care system
March 30th marks National Doctors’ Day – a day meant to honor the immense work and impact physicians have in caring for our patients and their communities. As resident physicians, we are proud and honored to have joined this noble profession.
However, on this particular Doctors’ Day, we are also acutely aware that medicine is–once again–at a historic crossroads. The recent waves of sweeping anti-diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) legislation threaten …
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The impact of war trauma, the challenge of objectivity, and the power of therapy and storytelling in healing
Trauma in the form of war is one of the worst forms of trauma to endure. How do people remain objective about events and the involved nations when they have been directly or indirectly affected by war?
For example, how are Holocaust survivors and their families able to unemotionally relate to present-day German citizens? How do the descendants of the more than 2,000 allied civilians who were imprisoned in the infamous …
The compassion crisis in U.S. health care
No, I am not suggesting a new medical diagnosis, but I am merely pointing out a society-wide ailment in our U.S. culture. In support of my contention, I point to Compassionomics, the superb 2019 book by Drs. Stephen Trzeciak and Anthony Mazzarelli. In their compelling science-based presentation, the authors state, “Specifically, the hypothesis is that providing health care in a compassionate manner is more …
Navigating COVID: a journey from academic intensity to healing
Springtime. Blooming trees. Green grass. Cool winds. Sunny skies. COVID.
That is where my mind wanders every year since 2020, when the season turns. I flash back to the drive between the hospital and my home. Every evening after fighting a losing battle at an academic institution hell-bent on ignoring and downplaying the horror that was about to breach our borders. I was a fighter then — maybe more in that …
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A tribute to primary care [PODCAST]
Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Watch on YouTube. Catch up on old episodes!
Join family medicine physician Eleanor Bueno as she expresses heartfelt gratitude to a cherished primary care colleague and friend. Eleanor’s letter poignantly reminds us of the profound connections forged in primary care. From …
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When saving lives leads to losing your own
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A surgeon’s startling ketamine experience [PODCAST]
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Past Week
-
The silent crisis hurting pain patients and their doctors
-
How the CDC’s opioid rules created a crisis for chronic pain patients
-
How to build a culture where physicians feel valued [PODCAST]
-
ADHD isn’t one-size-fits-all: Why nuance in diagnosis matters
-
Why vaccine access still fails America’s most vulnerable groups
-
From the other side of the table: a plea for empathy
-
Past 6 Months
-
How trade wars could destroy the U.S. health care system
-
Cutting opioid use in half: a hospital’s pain management breakthrough
-
How hospitals are quietly taking control of physicians
-
The hidden bias young female physicians face every day
-
How the system hunts physicians who refuse to kneel
-
How to advocate for your transgender child’s health care
-
Recent Posts
-
When saving lives leads to losing your own
-
A surgeon’s startling ketamine experience [PODCAST]
-
How doctors can thrive despite declining reimbursements
-
How DrKoop.com rose and fell: the untold story behind the Surgeon General’s startup
-
Why prescribing medicine to kids scares even experienced doctors
-
When empathy becomes “toxic”
-
