Category: Infectious disease

In the midst of a pandemic, this nurse feels betrayed

This nurse notified his hospital unit director testing availability for novel coronavirus on January 26, 2020.  This nurse asked his hospital unit director if signs could be posted discouraging visitation unless necessary on March 10, 2020. The respons…

COVID-19 is teaching us the value of vocation

“Suppose we did our work like the snow, quietly, quietly, leaving nothing out.” -Wendell Berry Greetings from the hospital. It’s a ghost town around here. The roads are empty. Shops are shuttered. Churches won’t be meeting for m…

Spare older anesthesiologists COVID-19 coronavirus risk

The COVID-19 pandemic has gripped modern medicine in unprecedented ways. As a young anesthesiologist, I am not as likely to suffer complications or die from COVID-19 compared to my older colleagues. Data from China and Korea report a 15 to 18 fold grea…

Coronavirus: The simple infographic guide to protect you and your community

Please print or share these graphics that can help educate the public on the do’s and don’ts of COVID-19 coronavirus. Courtesy of family physician Kevin Nguyen. (Please click to enlarge.)
Find jobs at Careers by KevinMD.com. Search thousand…

As society shuts down, hospital workers continue to fight the pandemic

Collectively across our country, as society shuts down, physicians, along with our brave co-workers in the hospital, will be going to work to combat the largest pandemic we have seen in our lifetimes. While such a crisis frightens us all, it has also s…

COVID-19 social distancing is like bedrest

Did the picture above catch your attention? The large Pokemon bean bag belongs to my children. The other object is a plastic bag I made from plastic scraps. I know it’s weird, but I have embraced my off-kilter personality as Dr. Plastic Picker. O…

5 things doctors can do in the midst of coronavirus

1. Stay up to date on recommendations. Information on the coronavirus changes daily. Last week we were only screening patients with travel history. This week, we’ve realized travel history no longer matters. At first, we assumed those infected would ha…

An emergency physician’s spiritual toolkit to battle COVID-19

These are unprecedented times.  As a mid-career ER physician and mom of four kids, COVID-19 has changed everything.  Schools are closed, all public events canceled, and the United States has declared a national emergency.  There is a heightened sense o…

Coronavirus break playdates? This pediatrician says no.

Strange times right now, huh? The spread of COVID-19 is expected to be massive because the virus is sneaky I live in Maryland, and our schools are shut down statewide due to coronavirus (COVID-19). That means that since I’m a pediatrician, I’ve been pe…

A pathologist’s message to the public

14 years ago, I recited the Hippocratic Oath, and two sections have always stuck with me: “Into whatsoever houses I enter, I will enter to help the sick” and “I will use treatment to help the sick according to my ability and judgment.” The events over …