Surviving a 28-hour hospital shift: a resident’s struggle and passion
I recently worked a 28-hour shift in the hospital. I am on a rotation where I work these long shifts every four days, and my last 3 or 4 of these shifts have been the kind that really tries a person’s soul. I got called all night to see new patients and take care of existing ones, and mind you, this is after a 6:45 a.m. to 5 p.m. day …
Sham peer review epidemic: A doctor’s career destroyed
An excerpt from The Medical Matrix: One Physician’s Story Maneuvering the Minefields of Medicine.
It was a routine Monday morning in the middle of May 2011. I had custody of my boys that day, so I dropped them off at school and headed to work.
As soon as I got to work I received a phone call from the vice CEO of the hospital. Maria (name changed) was a short woman …
Discover the physician who made a village his family
I finished my residency training on June 30th, 2000, in a combined internal medicine and pediatrics residency program at Ohio State University and Columbus Children’s Hospital (before it was renamed Nationwide Children’s Hospital). One month later, I was slated to begin my first “adult” job as I joined a private family medicine practice in Southern Ohio – practicing traditional medicine (outpatient and inpatient care). There were no hospitalists back then …
Beyond medical vs. N95: strategic masking for COVID protection
Do masks prevent COVID-19 infections? You might be thinking that it is a bit late to ponder these questions. But better late than never! As shown in the following graph provided by the CDC, COVID is here to stay with us, at least for the time being. Even though nothing compared to the 140,000 hospitalizations per week during the early 2022 wave, there were still about 40,000 weekly hospitalizations a …
The untold truth of medical residency: a look at its grueling past and present
An excerpt from First Do No Harm: A Physician’s Burnout and Mental Health Guidebook from Medical School to Retirement.
Residency requirements have changed drastically since my father completed medical school in the 1970s. Residents needed to be fully focused and alert despite working forty-eight- or seventy-two-hour days, which led some to substance misuse. Some residents took stimulants to help perk themselves …
Contract negotiations: When physicians ask for too much [PODCAST]
Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Watch on YouTube. Catch up on old episodes!
Join Dennis Hursh, a health care attorney. Dennis sheds light on the often misunderstood world of physician contract negotiations, emphasizing the importance of understanding one’s true value. He shares insights from his practice, …
Is your persistent cough more than a cold? Understanding micro-choking.
These days, everybody is coughing. The resurgence of COVID, RSV, and flu has overwhelmed emergency rooms and hospitals this early winter. But not all coughs are viral. If you recently visited a family member for the holidays and noticed a persistent cough after dinner, you may have witnessed not a viral illness but what’s known as an aspiration event.
As primary care providers, we frequently take care of people who are …
The costly divide: tech innovations and global health inequality
“You have various options for this procedure. However, we will only be able to get the best results with the newest artificial lens on the market. Unfortunately, this type of lens is not covered by any insurance provider since it is sold by a single company in U.S. dollars. Unless you can afford it out of pocket, we would have to go with the older version.”
This is part of a …
Why the medical community should be invested in understanding chronic wasting disease
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a transmissible prion disease seen in the deer family – including mule deer, whitetail deer, elk, and moose – in countries throughout the world. The prion affects nervous system tissue in infected animals. Eventually leading to erratic behavior and certain death. Currently, there is no evidence of direct transmission of CWD to humans. However, given the biological plausibility for transmission, equity/ecological concerns, and the …
Breaking boundaries in health care: untold stories of triumph and transformation [PODCAST]
Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Watch on YouTube. Catch up on old episodes!
Join Kim Downey, a physical therapist, alongside Brittany Lamb, an emergency physician, and Adam Harrison, a physician, lawyer, and leadership coach. Together, they share their unique journeys and discuss common themes of empowerment, …
How narrative medicine empowers neurodivergent patients
It’s been said that the challenges neurodiverse people face are the ones that neurotypical people view as easy, and vice versa. It speaks to the hard-wired diversity of cognitive styles and perspectives among different individuals.
Neurotypical people, who generally fit within the societal norms of cognitive functioning, might find certain tasks or social situations easier due to their alignment with mainstream expectations. On the other hand, neurodivergent individuals, who have variations …
How Barbie exposes sexism in medicine
A scene in the movie Barbie is all too familiar to female physicians. Ken asks a female physician, “Can I talk to a doctor?” and she replies, “You are talking to a doctor.” He ignores her, then requests her assistance with various menial tasks (“Can you get me a coffee … I need a clicky pen”) before abruptly walking off in the direction of two short-haired, presumably male medical professionals, …
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From crisis to solution: Overcoming America’s children’s mental health emergency [PODCAST]
The ultimate guide to child dental sedation
Cavities in kids are common, and many children are unable to complete dental work without sedation. Dental anxiety must be balanced with safe and expedient dental treatment. Further information about early childhood caries can be found here. The prevalence of dental decay in children varies in different groups but is as high as 85 percent in some populations.
Sedation is recommended for the completion of dental work in children with …
Health insurance CEOs face “prior authorization”: a taste of their own medicine?
A fictional monologue.
You’ve reached the prior authorization denial appeal line for insurance CEOs. Case number, please.
I’m sorry you’ve had to hold for over an hour, but we can’t proceed if we don’t have your case number, a copy of your business degree on file, GMAT score, three letters of recommendation, the middle name of your dentist, and your high school transcript.
Yes, I was only joking about the dentist! LOL! We’re …
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The power of empathy: a tale of 2 prostate biopsies
I’m sitting in a windowless room in the hospital’s urology department waiting for my second prostate biopsy, feeling surprisingly calm and relaxed.
It’s a surveillance biopsy. Two years ago, the first one revealed “a few scattered cancer cells” while zeroing in on what turned out to be a harmless nodule. I’d learned then that a prostate biopsy will never make anyone’s list of fun things to do. In addition to being, …
Going beyond the usual advice for eating healthy [PODCAST]
Surviving my nephrectomy nightmare: the night I’ll never forget
My first post-op night after my nephrectomy was a mix of fantastical and almost devastating.
I woke up in the PACU after my surgery, extremely confused and disoriented. I felt like I was trapped inside a video game, desperately trying to escape.
Upon entering my new post-op room on a medical-surgical unit, it had that brand-new, hotel-like decor – shiny and pristine. The nurses, techs, and NPs greeted me with words of …
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Doctors speak out against toxic work conditions
I’m in a global private physician Facebook group, and I learn a great deal about health care, both good and bad, from other doctors. Because it is private, doctors share a lot of personal practice issues as well as challenging cases from which we all learn. The physician who posted this message from her hospital employer gave permission for me to use …
Past Week
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What’s driving medical students away from primary care?
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Make cognitive testing as routine as a blood pressure check
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The hidden cost of delaying back surgery
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The dreaded question: Do you have boys or girls?
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Rethinking patient payments: Why billing is the new frontline of patient care [PODCAST]
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The broken health care system doesn’t have to break you
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Past 6 Months
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What’s driving medical students away from primary care?
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The silent crisis hurting pain patients and their doctors
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What happened to real care in health care?
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Internal Medicine 2025: inspiration at the annual meeting
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The hidden bias in how we treat chronic pain
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Residency as rehearsal: the new pediatric hospitalist fellowship requirement scam
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Recent Posts
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Does silence as a faculty retention strategy in academic medicine and health sciences work?
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Why personal responsibility is not enough in the fight against nicotine addiction
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How dismantling DEI endangers the future of medical care
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Alzheimer’s and the family: Opening the conversation with children [PODCAST]
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AI in mental health: a new frontier for therapy and support
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What prostate cancer taught this physician about being a patient
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Past Week
-
What’s driving medical students away from primary care?
-
Make cognitive testing as routine as a blood pressure check
-
The hidden cost of delaying back surgery
-
The dreaded question: Do you have boys or girls?
-
Rethinking patient payments: Why billing is the new frontline of patient care [PODCAST]
-
The broken health care system doesn’t have to break you
-
Past 6 Months
-
What’s driving medical students away from primary care?
-
The silent crisis hurting pain patients and their doctors
-
What happened to real care in health care?
-
Internal Medicine 2025: inspiration at the annual meeting
-
The hidden bias in how we treat chronic pain
-
Residency as rehearsal: the new pediatric hospitalist fellowship requirement scam
-
Recent Posts
-
Does silence as a faculty retention strategy in academic medicine and health sciences work?
-
Why personal responsibility is not enough in the fight against nicotine addiction
-
How dismantling DEI endangers the future of medical care
-
Alzheimer’s and the family: Opening the conversation with children [PODCAST]
-
AI in mental health: a new frontier for therapy and support
-
What prostate cancer taught this physician about being a patient
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