During my first week as an intern, a question weighed heavily on my mind: “How am I going to survive my night shift rotation?” Soon after, another question arose: “How can I make the most of my night shifts and continue to learn and g…
Category: Hospital-Based Medicine
The case for eliminating recertification by the ABIM
The American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) has long been responsible for setting standards and ensuring the competence of internal medicine practitioners. However, the practice of mandatory recertification has faced increasing scrutiny and debate w…
What Lucille Ball and Einstein can teach us about overcoming burnout
In the demanding health care industry, physicians are frequently susceptible to burnout. The constant pressures, long hours, and emotional toll can be detrimental to one’s health. To support physicians on their path to wellness, we have compiled …
The epidemic of narcissistic abuse in the medical field
I didn’t go through that to go through this. “She doesn’t know how to work within a system,” said Snakeskin Shoes. Narcissists grow and thrive in children’s hospitals. Their strategy is to inflict moral injury upon physici…
Stepping into the unknown: reflections of an intern on July 1st
I remember it like it was yesterday. Orientation had concluded, and it was showtime. Officially July 1st. It felt like all the cramming from the last few weeks was sitting astutely in my upper chest. My breathing was fairly shallow, and my brain was in…
Inspiring lessons from WWII veterans and the intensity of the medical field
On some of my night rotations during intern year, I found myself watching WWII documentaries and movies. The patients at the VA medical center had stuck with me with their stories and their attitudes. My experiences at the VA motivated me to learn more…
From doubts to triumph: The inspiring journey of a nocturnist doctor
As I stood there, my mentor, Dr. S, spoke in his gentle, wise voice, “Congratulations! You have been selected as the hospital’s new nocturnist.” The news hit me like a wave of disbelief, and a surge of emotions rushed through me. The …
Nurse-physician collaboration for superior patient care [PODCAST]
Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Catch up on old episodes! Join us as we host Angel J. Mena, an internal medicine physician and health care executive, along with Ali Morin, a nurse and health care executive. In this episode, we explore the importan…
Awakening the dormant elements of humanity
When I was first paged about Mr. P, I braced myself for the worst. He had already had three “code greys” called—the hospital code for aggressive behavior. When we met him on his hospital bed, he was bound by restraints on his wrists and ank…
From medical student to intern: Discovering a deeper connection with patients
As a medical student with a limited knowledge base and limited exposure to taking care of a high volume of patients, my idea of being the physician I hoped to be involved in spending time at the bedside and really getting to know my patients as people …
