Jennifer Shaer, MD
Is this your author page?
Make it work for you. Your KevinMD author page is one of the highest-ranking results for your name. An enhanced author page turns this page into a premium profile with your photo, biography, affiliations, publications, and links, publishes your accepted articles in 1 to 3 days, includes a listing in Experts by KevinMD, and comes with a guaranteed interview on The Podcast by KevinMD. See an example · See the enhanced author page → Cancel anytime.
Latest articles
Physician voices
Every health care organization measures recruitment and retention. HR teams work to offer competitive packages based on salary, benefits, PTO, and CME allowances. These details matter. But for today's physicians, these are simply the baseline. The physicians entering and shaping…
Every health care organization measures recruitment and retention. HR teams work to offer competitive packages based on salary, benefits, PTO, and CME allowances. These details matter. But for today’s physicians, these are simply the baseline. The physicians entering and shaping today’s workforce expect more. They have new lines of questioning related to the amount of evening and weekend coverage, call schedules, administrative time, and available support staff. Today’s physicians will …
Read more…
What is your physician well-being strategy?
Physician voices
My practice is about to change to a new electronic health record, and I can't help but feel dread. The last time we did this, it was so stressful. I really don't want to go through it again. What do…
My practice is about to change to a new electronic health record, and I can’t help but feel dread. The last time we did this, it was so stressful. I really don’t want to go through it again. What do I do? How do I prepare? Here is what I’m doing to get ready. I think it’s a good strategy for managing change in general, and I hope it helps …
Read more…
Surviving an EHR upgrade
Physician voices
Real doctors see patients. For years, I have held this thought as a truth. But it's not a fact; it's a belief, and it is no longer serving me. I've been questioning this belief for a while, but this weekend…
Real doctors see patients. For years, I have held this thought as a truth. But it’s not a fact; it’s a belief, and it is no longer serving me.
I’ve been questioning this belief for a while, but this weekend at the American Academy of Pediatrics National Conference and Exhibition, I gained some clarity. There, I met, heard from, and spoke with so many fascinating physicians—physicians who are doing all sorts …
Read more…
Reevaluating beliefs: the role of real doctors
Physician voices
If you are a practicing physician, then you have definitely come across patients who want something that you feel is unnecessary. Sometimes those conversations escalate and become contentious, and sometimes you reluctantly give the patient what they request even though…
If you are a practicing physician, then you have definitely come across patients who want something that you feel is unnecessary. Sometimes those conversations escalate and become contentious, and sometimes you reluctantly give the patient what they request even though you know it’s not “best practice.” These demands and interactions can weigh on us and leave us emotionally drained.
In the pediatrics office, that can look like this:
…
Read more…
Navigating patient requests: Balancing care and communication
Physician voices
The visit is winding down. You're getting ready to go, hand on the doorknob, saying goodbye. And then you hear, "Doc, one more thing." Or perhaps you're more familiar with the patient who has a laundry list of issues all…
The visit is winding down. You’re getting ready to go, hand on the doorknob, saying goodbye. And then you hear, “Doc, one more thing.” Or perhaps you’re more familiar with the patient who has a laundry list of issues all to be addressed in the fifteen-minute appointment slot.
These visits have in common that they are both certain to back you up. Have multiple in the day, and you are
…
Read more…
5 tips for ending office visits on time
Physician voices
How many times have you wished that you had more time? Do you feel like you're too busy? Feel frazzled, rushed, and stressed? No matter how much fame and fortune we may have, time is one thing that money can't…
How many times have you wished that you had more time? Do you feel like you’re too busy? Feel frazzled, rushed, and stressed?
No matter how much fame and fortune we may have, time is one thing that money can’t buy. One constant for every single one of us. Whether you are Jeff Bezos or a frenzied physician, we all only have 24 hours a day, seven days a week,
…
Read more…
Effective delegation: the key to unlocking more time and less stress in your busy life
Physician voices
In residency, we are trained to follow our intuition. In pediatrics, this translates into learning how to recognize a sick kid. Of course, we are taught what to look for on the physical exam and the labs and what protocols…
In residency, we are trained to follow our intuition. In pediatrics, this translates into learning how to recognize a sick kid. Of course, we are taught what to look for on the physical exam and the labs and what protocols to follow, but we are also taught how to listen to our instincts. When our gut tells us we have a sick kid, we don’t overthink; we set into action. …
Read more…
Why your intuition is key to better physical and emotional health
Physician voices
Recently I was scrolling through posts from a physician leadership Facebook group. I came upon one that caught my eye. It said something like, "Does anyone have information I can share with my radiologists to show them the impact of…
Recently I was scrolling through posts from a physician leadership Facebook group. I came upon one that caught my eye. It said something like, “Does anyone have information I can share with my radiologists to show them the impact of working through lunch?”
I was happy to see a post that focused on physician well-being. A leader who cares enough and wants her physicians to take a break. And then
…
Read more…
Breaking the burnout: How health care leaders can support physician well-being
Physician voices
One summer a few years ago, I went to pick my son up from camp. He was attending a week-long specialty day camp where the kids spent a week with an expert in some area of interest. The camp offered…
One summer a few years ago, I went to pick my son up from camp. He was attending a week-long specialty day camp where the kids spent a week with an expert in some area of interest. The camp offered everything from basketball, soccer, and tennis to acting, magic, and chess. It was the first time I was going to pick him up, and I wasn’t exactly sure where to …
Read more…
Are pediatricians too nice?
Physician voices
Physician suicide rates are unacceptably high at baseline and go even higher during the holidays. The holiday increase in suicide rates is not unique to physicians, though. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), A 2021 survey showed…
Physician suicide rates are unacceptably high at baseline and go even higher during the holidays. The holiday increase in suicide rates is not unique to physicians, though. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), A 2021 survey showed that 3 in 5 Americans feel their mental health is negatively impacted by the holidays.
And suicide is a problem that goes beyond the
…
Read more…
The holidays can open up a range of emotions
Physician voices
In April, I lost my dad to COVID-19, and this Father’s Day will be very difficult. As I was thinking about this, it occurred to me that many people out there suffer the same fate. Each death is not just…
In April, I lost my dad to COVID-19, and this Father’s Day will be very difficult. As I was thinking about this, it occurred to me that many people out there suffer the same fate. Each death is not just a statistic. Each number represents a person with a family. My dad was an amazing father, husband, uncle, grandfather, and friend, and he will be missed.
As difficult as it was to …
Read more…
In memory of all the fathers lost to COVID-19
Health policy
Until recently, I didn't really understand the meaning behind the Black Lives Matter movement. I was one of those people who felt, "of course, black lives matter; all lives matter." I mean, that's exactly why I became a doctor in…
Until recently, I didn’t really understand the meaning behind the Black Lives Matter movement. I was one of those people who felt, “of course, black lives matter; all lives matter.” I mean, that’s exactly why I became a doctor in the first place. To help people. All people. I would venture to say that with my rose-colored glasses and white privilege (that I didn’t know I had), I was even …
Read more…
A physician awakens to racism in America
Real physician voices, twice a week
Free, and one click to unsubscribe.
