The Podcast by KevinMD
Episodes
Why medical students should be taught the business side of medicine
08 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
"Ultimately, patient care is at the center of medicine and is the main reason many physicians chose to go into the field. A good understanding of the ...
End medical school grades
07 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
"There should be no grades in medical school. Forty-something percent of applicants get accepted to one or more medical schools. To even apply to medi...
Film and television continue to depict psychiatrists as heartless swindlers
06 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
"Have you ever watched a movie, television show, or read a book where the villain is a medical doctor? If you are a psychiatrist, you will be alarmed ...
A letter to Black America for those who do not want the COVID-19 vaccine
05 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
"As a Black physician, I urge you to consider taking the COVID-19 vaccine when it becomes available to you. Vaccines save lives. Preventing poor outco...
We must address glaring disparities in treatment
04 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
"It is not enough to say we are anti-racist; we have to modify our systems to recognize that we have placed individuals of color at risk of poorer out...
An unexpected COVID-19 vaccine side effect
03 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
"Just a few seconds after the needle penetrated my arm, I felt a mild soreness, kind of like a flu shot. But as I sat for the required 15 minutes of o...
We need to broaden the definition of what "counts" in careers
02 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
"Many colleagues in medicine already talk about medicine never going back to its state pre-COVID-19 – be it telehealth for patients, new flexibility...
Keep insulting doctors, and good luck finding a physician
01 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
"The tragedy that's happening in medicine today is that the loss of respect and the constant threats to fair payment are making physicians regret that...
Self-care is the Rx we were never taught to write
31 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
"This is our call to action. I have the experience, knowledge, expertise, and deep passion for teaching every medical student these skills. I cannot d...
Why socialized health care is not right for America
30 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
"We need full transparency and empowerment of patients and doctors to make wise decisions. We must renew and restore the sanctity of the patient-docto...
How to protect your resilience
29 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
"Health care delivery will always be inherently unpredictable and challenging. Those drawn to medicine are among our most resilient, but the current l...
You don't have to drown in the paperwork
28 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
"This is not what I signed up for. Have you ever said this when you are rushing home 1.5 hours after the last patient left and you still haven't finis...
How divorce helped this physician
27 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
"I now say getting divorced was one of the best things that ever happened to me. Through that painful circumstance, I rediscovered me. I learned more ...
Put nutrition counseling in primary care
26 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
"One of the best solutions to rising obesity and non-communicable disease rates lie in primary care. Medical professionals can influence the U.S. food...
Why this plastic surgeon chose to become a high school science teacher
25 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
"I have closed my practice, but I have no plans to retire at the age of 52. I have started the journey to become a high school science teacher. There ...
Words matter: Definitions ground us in our profession and in our world
24 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
"Definitions ground us in our profession and in our world. Definitions matter because they help us pause, give our body a moment to settle, and our br...
Solving imposter syndrome in physicians
23 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
"The good news is that imposter syndrome can be quieted with increased awareness and replacing negative internal messages with positive ones. In our w...
Vulnerability is challenging but necessary for health care professionals
22 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
"In the world of medicine, inordinate stress is instead accepted as just part of the job. If you can't handle the heat, get out of the kitchen- or see...
One physician's journey from burnout to bliss
21 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
"As a young girl, I'd stand on my tiptoes, craning my neck to watch her sweep cerulean eye shadow across lids and smear foundation on sunken cheeks. W...
This physician loves primary care. A pandemic isn't going to change that.
20 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
"I just started laughing. It was early on Monday morning during our COVID surge. I couldn't help myself. Phones were not on yet, but I already had tri...
How COVID changed this physician forever
19 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
"As a professional woman who most identifies as a physician more than any other title, I know that I run the risk of losing myself to this disease. ...
Executive presence for women leaders
18 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
"Research conducted by the Center for Talent Innovation (CTI), a nonprofit research organization in New York, defines the three pillars of executive p...
Life in a rural emergency department during COVID
17 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
"I am grateful that I work in a small rural hospital that is like a family. I am grateful that my organization has done everything in its power to pro...
Weight stigma in children and teens
16 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
"Let's meet in the middle and listen to what's happening in communities. All across U.S. communities, there are pockets of promise and programs focuse...
Medical school interview secrets
15 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
"When you're applying to medical school, it's remarkable how much four years or more of intense work can come down to one single day. The medical scho...
A physician deals with uncertainty during the pandemic
14 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
"Despite forces not within our control, namely the thoughts and actions of others, headway has been made in my local practice area: the decline in m...
End the draconian hospital visitation policies during COVID-19
13 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
"At the start of the pandemic when hospitals were overrun, testing and PPE were scarce, and unknowns about COVID-19 transmission abound, such restrict...
What this physician says to vaccine-doubters
12 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
"A scientific achievement can never have success on its own unless if it has acceptance in the social context by the masses. I think that the concerns...
Addiction medicine during COVID-19
11 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
"The rapid change-over to telemedicine in March of 2020 brought predictable challenges to health care at large and substance use disorder treatment in...
Using technology for behavioral health integration
10 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
"While behavioral health integration (BHI) has been a long-standing conversation in collaborative care or health's team-based approach, it hasn't alwa...
High-tech holistic medicine is the future of whole-person care
09 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
"When we think about holistic medicine, many assume that it requires human-to-human touch points and, therefore, doesn't lend itself well to technolog...
Sexual harassment in medicine
08 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
"I would encourage you to see amazing women on social media for who they are in the future. Maybe figure out where they have been and what they are ...
What are your health goals for the coming year?
07 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
"Yearly physicals are usually afforded a longer time than regular visits. If I can use most of that time focusing the discussion on what a healthy lif...
Captions on the COVID vaccine selfie matter as much as the picture
06 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
"For a vaccination campaign to be highly effective, we need to be open to having difficult conversations with people who disagree with our perspective...
Do politics have a place in medicine?
05 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
"In addition to being a pediatrician, I am Jewish and the granddaughter of a sole Holocaust survivor. My grandfather's family perished in Auschwitz, a...
An introduction to medical-legal consulting
04 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
"There is a unique non-clinical consulting opportunity any physician can learn to do full-time, as part of your existing practice, or in lieu of retir...
We need to work together to help schools reopen
03 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
"Children cannot afford to wait, especially our youngest learners who have difficulty engaging on a screen. We need to all work together to help sch...
Health care from the trenches: Change must come from us
03 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
"We, as a profession, must accept some blame for many of the developing problems in health care delivery. No, I am not suggesting that we caused the p...
Why I trust the COVID vaccine
02 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
"Many friends have asked for my perspective on the COVID vaccine. Answering this requires both an explanation of clinical trials and an understanding ...
How physicians can emerge stronger after 2020
02 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
"With 2020 behind us and the pandemic still raging, it is incumbent upon us to take a close look in the rear-view mirror. While the vaccines' approval...
Samuel Shem, MD on how can we put the connection back into medicine
01 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
"There is a frenzy of trying to use technology to re-establish the healing human connection in the doctor-patient interaction. These efforts range fro...
How residents can create a positive clinical learning environment
28 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
"For me, the team room became a safe space filled with light, stories, laughter, and food. There, my residents helped me read CT scans, interpret CBCs...
Is there a role for vitamin D in COVID-19?
27 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
"As we continue to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic causing spiking numbers of cases, the scientific and medical communities continue to search for eff...
Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Chadwick Boseman: a tale of two cancers in America
26 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
"Separated by less than a month (Boseman on August 28th and Ginsburg on September 18th) and both due to gastrointestinal cancers (Boseman had colon ca...
Interstate licensure for telehealth can fuel medical practice growth
25 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
"When it comes to using telehealth to treat patients out of state, most physicians are mindful about licensure issues. But some are not aware that if ...
How books influence the medical student experience
24 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
"I will never forget these words. This physician validated my efforts to emotionally connect with patients. This message will indelibly shape the way ...
Letizia Alto, MD on why to become a semi-retired MD
23 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
"Something had to give, and it would either be clinical medicine, or my business. I finally had to admit I was no longer fulfilled to the same level d...
Overcome COVID vaccine hesitancy and boost vaccine confidence: How you can help
22 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Vaccine hesitancy can have a negative impact on rollout. A striking example comes from long-term care facilities. Approximately 78 percent of resident...
How technology is a weapon in the fight against COVID-19
21 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
"As the COVID-19 cases continue to rise across the globe, companies are working hard to develop innovative solutions to fight the coronavirus pandemic...
Everything physicians need to know about Bitcoin
21 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
"It is still extremely early in the Bitcoin story. This is due to the same network effect that Facebook, Amazon, and Apple have had as adoption of new...
How the pain of unexpected and tragic deaths lingers with physicians
20 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
"The memory of these patients, and their families' utter anguish, stays with me. There was nothing I could have done to save them, nothing I did wrong...
Expanding the osteopathic concept for the health of all things
19 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
"We are all interrelated. This is the foundational basis of osteopathic medicine. Whether considering internal relationships of the systems of the bod...
Telehealth in underserved populations needs telecommunication expansion
18 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
"COVID-19 has propelled the nation into widespread telehealth services to provide consumer-based care, especially for those who access this technology...
A dermatologist reflects on his career
17 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
"At that point, I realized Thanksgiving came early this year, and I missed it. It was a reminder of why many of us go into medicine. I didn't go into ...
To MBA or not to MBA as an MD
16 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
"The first thing my husband said when I told him about MBA school was, 'the NBA has a school?' It didn't help that we first had our conversation abo...
Suicide in veterinary medicine is a huge problem right now
15 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
"I am a veterinarian. More specifically, I am a veterinary specialist, board-certified in emergency and critical care. I don't play with puppies and k...
Infertility and the physician journey
14 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
"I am a medical doctor—a hospitalist working in an environment with many talented professionals. We share our knowledge and our approach to medicine...
Train in the United States. Practice medicine abroad.
13 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
"Oh, Canada! Every presidential election cycle, my colleagues joke that if the election result is not to their liking, they will move to Canada. On el...
Empty chairs at the table this pandemic holiday season
12 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
"It is often difficult to reflect on the holidays when we are grieving positively. One thing to keep in mind is that the loved one/ones we lost would ...
Positive growth from the COVID-19 pandemic
11 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
"The pandemic has been difficult, but it has managed to change my perspective for the better. I mourn for the suffering and loss we have experienced a...
#ThisIsOurShot to end the pandemic
10 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
"Vaccines have been around as early as 1776 when Edward Jenner first pioneered the smallpox vaccine and Louis Pasteur produced a rabies vaccine. As a ...
Nephrology and kidney care during the pandemic
09 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
"COVID-19 wreaks havoc on multiple areas of the body, and myself and my fellow frontline workers across the globe have been forced to quickly identify...
Reforming the peer review process
08 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
"The peer-review process is fallible, slow, and biased, and it takes advantage of the scientific community's altruism. We need to keep pushing the con...
Doctors are killing themselves, and who is taking notice?
07 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
"I can do better. We can do better. Please partner with me and advocate for the ability for doctors and residents in our profession to receive medical...
Why the preservation of the Affordable Care Act should matter to you
06 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
"Is the ACA perfect? Not by a long shot. In Kentucky, where I live, there are only 2 insurers selling individual policies on the exchange. A Silver pl...
Being a neonatologist and a mother
05 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
"Being a neonatologist and a mother is living with the knowledge that the question 'What would you do?' could so easily become real, not hypothetical....
Thank you pediatric medical professionals
04 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
"As the mother of a child born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, besides going through four open-heart surgeries and coding, my son has also had e...
Prison medicine during the pandemic
03 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
"Rumor has it that the SARS-CoV 2 virus was brought into prison via inmates who were on a work-release program. Allegedly, they boarded a city bus w...
Stuck between a virus and a cold place: A choice for homeless Americans
02 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
"What form the incoming winter will take depends on the location and status of the COVID-19 pandemic. Each city must find a method that will provide t...
I will be a doctor because I was once a patient
01 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
"Everything I ever have and ever will accomplish is in part due to the doctors, nurses, administrators, and security officers who gave me safe, compas...
Nisha Mehta, MD on why physicians should consider side gigs
01 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
"At first, it may seem strange that 'physician' and 'side gig' are even used in the same sentence. After all, the average physician in the United Stat...
Death is personal for this physician
31 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
"In Wooster, Ohio, where I practiced, a small not-for-profit hospice agency relied on local physicians, clergy, and many other volunteers to supplemen...
How doctors are losing money every time a patient pays a bill
30 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
"A practicing anesthesiologist for the past 14 years, when COVID hit, and the ORs came to an abrupt halt, I needed to occupy my mind. An opportunity t...
Health care's tech renaissance during the pandemic
29 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
"Just as the pandemic has forced massive technology adoption in the delivery of care, we will see the rapid, widespread implementation of innovative s...
Zoom is foie gras of the brain
28 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
"We lack the necessary signaling of the nonverbal cues when only looking at one's face. The presenter's large face only a few inches from our screen m...
Peer-to-peer support and the second victim syndrome
27 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
"The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted everyone, especially those of us in health care. Our way of practicing medicine has been changed; some would say...
Why medical students should not let medicine define them
26 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
"Doctors are indeed noble for what they do. Their work is undoubtedly physically intense and emotionally taxing. But the notion that they are 'superhu...
A medical student's story of racism and bias
25 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
"I am left wondering what would have happened if I was the patient's daughter, niece (who she said I reminded her of), or friend. The nurse made a qui...
Lessons learned from a combat doctor in Iraq
24 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
"My own dream-induced pain started at the same time this child was mowed down. Then and there is when and where my faith in God died because God, the ...
How health care organizations can tackle racism in patient care
23 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
"The new American Medical Association policy recognizing racism as a public health threat and providing an anti-racist approach to equitable care will...
How to (almost) never have a bad shift
22 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
"To understand how to create good shifts irrespective of external factors, I turned to the ancient philosophy of Stoicism. One of its core tenets is t...
Unmasking inequality: the power of community organization during COVID-19
21 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
"Touted by some as a 'great equalizer,' the COVID-19 pandemic has brought to the forefront long-standing disparities in access to health for Black, La...
General surgery, palliative care and the new meaning of the phrase, "going viral"
20 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
"Today and for the foreseeable future, COVID-19 is a serious threat, virulent and contagious, not only leading to an impressive display of human vulne...
How shame almost ruined a physician's life
19 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
"I do want you all to know that shame is a very familiar brain track (like an 8-track tape, if you know what that is), but not one I am stuck in. The ...
COVID vaccines, overcoming skepticism, and pandemic theater
18 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
"Environmental cleaning rightfully plays a more prominent role within health care facilities to control the spread of other diseases, but even hospita...
How ocean plastic picking made me a better pediatrician
17 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
"It has been over a month since I started this new hobby. I told my middle-school-aged daughter tonight, 'I am going to write a post about how ocean p...
This physician is overwhelmed. She is not alone.
16 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
"I am overwhelmed right now. I know I am not alone. I hear it in the voices of my friends, family, colleagues, patients. We are all feeling it. I am o...
Tips for medical students starting their clinical rotations
15 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
"Each year, medical students across the country prepare to start the long-anticipated core clinical rotations. Suddenly, we're thrust into a world of ...
Do doctors make great entrepreneurs?
14 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
"We in medicine are experts in delayed gratification. We've been in school for what, about 21 years before residency? Then we finally become an attend...
A crisis of physician intra-professional respect
13 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
"What has become of medicine today? What has become of the sacred patient-physician relationship? What has become of medical offices- aren't they supp...
Dear medical community, it's time to engage in the climate movement
12 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
"I plan to reach out to climate organizations and see what I can do to get involved. Whether that means writing more op-eds like this one or writing t...
Women physicians and pivoting from medicine
11 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
"We must continue to work to create gender equity as here is where we stand today: A significant gender pay gap still exists in medicine where women d...
How this surgeon beat a medical staff disciplinary action
10 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
"I recently represented a physician in a noteworthy peer review case at an academic medical center. The medical staff president initiated a complaint ...
When an epidemic of violence against health care workers meets a pandemic
09 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
"The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated factors that cause violence in the workplace. At no time in recent history will you find clinical health care w...
When your institution has a less than 1% hiring rate for Black residents
08 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
"As soon as I realized we had so few Black residents, I began to ask around to find out if there were reasons why. One person brought up the fact that...
Medicine must create inclusive clinical trials
07 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
"Researchers should make clinical trials more accessible by providing patients with simple explanations of studies at a variety of locations, includin...
Beyond the medical lessons learned from COVID
06 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
"I am thankful to you SARS-CoV-2 virus as you allowed me to be human again, to make mistakes, and learn from them. You taught me to slow down so that ...
Care is no longer personal. Care is political.
05 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
"To care for dependents, the carer must be cared for, both for the sake of her charge and for her own sake. Without such basic infrastructure, we have...
A medical student's 100 days of COVID
04 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
"The first 100 days of COVID made me confront and reflect on a lot of aspects of myself and life, as philosophical as that sounds. Often times, I'm ex...
Why flu vaccines are more important than ever in this pandemic
03 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
"The flu vaccine can strengthen your immune system, prevent the disease spread among those closest to you, protect your children, and reduce the healt...