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Walter J. O’Donnell, MD

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Walter J. O’Donnell is a pulmonary and critical care physician.

Health care workers get the applause, but our families are essential, too

Walter J. O’Donnell, MD
Physician
March 21, 2021

Leanne, a nurse, sits next to me in the ICU. She says into the phone, “Now, Johnny, you be good for Nana.” We’re only halfway through another 12-hour shift, and she won’t be home until after her 5-year-old son is ready for bed.

Such calls to palliate separation have long been part of the fabric of health care families’ lives. But the pandemic has magnified the frequency and pain of these absences.

Much …

Read more…

Health care workers get the applause, but our families are essential, too

Sharing administrative pain might give us more joy in medicine

Walter J. O’Donnell, MD
Physician
February 28, 2019

I’m still trying to figure out what happened. I don’t want to be put on suicide watch by the wellness office. It definitely began during our weekly noontime mindfulness session. I came in late, furtively signed in (gotta make that metric) and slipped into a back corner seat. I went zero to REM in 10 seconds, thanks to last night’s click-boarding my panel into their patient-centered medical i-homes.

I awoke to …

Read more…

Sharing administrative pain might give us more joy in medicine

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  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Politics and fear have replaced science in U.S. pain management [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Evidence-based medicine vs. clinical judgment: a medical student’s perspective

      Jay Pendyala | Education
    • The controversy over Maintenance of Certification for grandfathered physicians

      Bernard Leo Remakus, MD | Physician
    • How hindsight bias distorts clinical medicine

      Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD | Physician
    • When side effects are actually a cry for help with medication costs

      Shuchita Gupta, MD | Physician
    • The hidden math behind physician hiring costs and recruitment

      Timothy Lesaca, MD | Physician
  • Past 6 Months

    • The dangers of vertical integration in health care

      Stephanie Waggel, MD | Policy
    • Why does sex work seem like a more viable path than medicine in 2026?

      Corina Fratila, MD | Physician
    • The 9 laws of health care quality: Why metrics miss the point

      Constantine Ioannou, MD | Physician
    • Politics and fear have replaced science in U.S. pain management [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • From Singapore to Canada: a blueprint for primary care transformation

      Ivy Oandasan, MD | Policy
    • How board certification fuels the physician shortage crisis

      Brian Hudes, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • Why measuring muscle mass matters more than tracking your weight [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Health insurance incentives and alternatives to opioids for chronic pain

      Molly Candon, PhD and Daniel Clauw, MD | Conditions
    • Independent medical practice: Why private clinics are essential

      Marcelo Hochman, MD | Physician
    • How hindsight bias distorts clinical medicine

      Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD | Physician
    • Do no harm: Why physician burnout requires bottom-up reform

      Desiree Francis, MD | Physician
    • Institutional distrust in health care: Why a doctor lost faith

      Joshua Mirrer, MD | Physician

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