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Steven Goldsmith is a psychiatrist.

10 hard truths about practicing medicine they don’t teach in school

Steven Goldsmith, MD
Physician
September 17, 2025

I offer these ten points in the hope that you will surpass my generation of physicians, myself included, and learn from our mistakes. God help us all if you do not.

Congratulations on your hard work, academic achievements, and the persistence and sacrifice that brought you to this moment in your medical careers. Good for you. And now, reality.

1. Although you have memorized many facts, you know nothing. Truth does not …

Read more…

10 hard truths about practicing medicine they don’t teach in school

I am not your provider

Steven Goldsmith, MD
Physician
October 5, 2016

Sometimes prospective new patients ask me over the phone, “Are you a medical provider?” or “Are you a provider for [name of their particular health insurer]?” And that gets me started.

Provider. Such a generic and seemingly inoffensive noun, and yet it repels me. To me, it is the verbal equivalent of a hair ball my cat barfs onto my pillow. And so I feel obliged to clean it up by …

Read more…

I am not your provider

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  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

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      Constantine Ioannou, MD | Physician
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      Corina Fratila, MD | Physician
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