“90 percent of what you will learn over the next four years will be wrong in a couple of decades from now.” Speaking to a lecture hall of 120 first-year medical students, our professor’s prophecy seemed to fall on deaf ears. Looking a…
Category: KevinMD
A physician uses where he comes from for constant motivation
Growing up, any opportunity to eat out was truly a luxury. We just didn’t have the money for it. Occasionally on birthdays or a special trip, we would be treated with a big fish sandwich from Burger King, or my personal favorite, a $20 party tray…
5 financial lessons physicians can learn from Adrian Peterson
Adrian Peterson (AP) made news lately. And it’s not because he is breaking records. In fact, he is breaking in a completely different way. The news that “broke” is that AP is, well, broke. Despite being one of the most prolific running backs to ever pl…
Medical schools cause burnout. Here’s how to fix that.
Students’ time in medical school should help them grow and become insightful, caring doctors. Instead, medical education is somehow turning smart, gifted, enthusiastic applicants into exhausted and unhappy students who become interns, residents, and ph…
Does the House of God stand the test of time?
As media coverage of the 50th anniversary of Woodstock shifted into high gear earlier this month, two articles in the “Arts and Medicine” section of JAMA called attention to another anniversary that transported me back in time. It has been …
After a spouse’s death, a physician is showered with gratitude
I saw Kaitlin (identifying information changed) and her husband Brandon seven days before she died. Kaitlin’s cancer had been in remission at our last visit, but this day she looked awful. I estimated she had less than three months to live. As I …
Meet the orthopedic surgeon who became a rapper
“Jeff, turn my headphones up.” There is a peace and tranquility to the recording booth before the beat drops. A heavy bass and drum kick in, signaling me to bark gravelly lyrics into a state-of-the-art microphone with hopes that it sounds passable. Ove…
Clinical trials advance medicine in the future. And help patients right now.
If you’ve ever used a medication to treat an illness, you have a clinical trial to thank for it. Every standard therapy used in medicine today once started as a clinical trial. And it is commonly understood that today’s clinical trials are shaping trea…
The medical profession needs more shadowing opportunities
Job shadowing is a long-standing tradition. High schools often have dedicated shadowing days, during which students can come and spend time with people working in careers that the students find interesting. While a few hours isn’t really enough to kn…
A pediatrician’s top 10 back to school tips
As a pediatrician, who is also the busy mother of two school-aged children, the end of the summer brings a lot of mixed emotions. As parents and guardians, we can rejoice, while our kiddos may experience a wide range of feelings. The joy of reuniting…
