I’m in the back of an ambulance rig driving 110 miles an hour down the highway with the lights and sirens blaring. The knuckles of my right hand are crushed every four minutes as my patient has contractions. She cries only a bit. She’s sixteen and …
Category: KevinMD
UpToDate? Information my cardiologists didn’t have.
I’ve always felt lucky and relieved when a cardiologist told me I seemed to be fine despite my heart condition. My condition, referred to as congenital, complete AV block, is estimated to affect between 1 in 15,000 to 22,000 live-born infants. Th…
A critical discussion is needed about planned death
“Planned death.” When you put it like that, this can only mean one of two things: suicide or murder. For most of us in medicine, the very idea of “planned death” seems safely outside our purview. After all, the bulk of medicine is concerned with stavin…
Physicians need better PR
On July 8, 2019, the American Academy of Emergency Medicine wrote a letter to the American Medical Association, asking the organization to create a public campaign to support physician-led care. Noting concerns over the recent media crusade to promote …
Physicians need better PR
On July 8, 2019, the American Academy of Emergency Medicine wrote a letter to the American Medical Association, asking the organization to create a public campaign to support physician-led care. Noting concerns over the recent media crusade to promote …
When should physicians read the House of God?
Many consider the novel the House of God, written by Samuel Shem (pen name for Stephen Bergman), to be a must-read for any physician or soon-to-be physician. A fictionalized account of his internship year, the book details how the accumulated stress, f…
The entire medical education system needs sweeping change
In May 2019, headlines of a study out of University of Michigan hit the lay media: “New Doctors’ DNA Ages 6 Times Faster Than Normal in First Year.” Using DNA samples submitted by medical residents across the country, the Intern Health Study measured …
Work hard now, enjoy later. Is it time to rethink that?
Something I’ve been thinking about lately is the path that we’ve all been somewhat conditioned to take. And that is working really hard now so we can reap the rewards later. If you don’t work really hard now, you risk not being able to enjoy life when …
Sometimes as physicians, we need to embrace death with open arms
As a community of physicians, I’m sure we have heard the phrase, “I just want to get well, doc,” from our patients. Have you ever wondered what does “get well” really mean to them? As a third-year internal medicine residen…
Sometimes as physicians, we need to embrace death with open arms
As a community of physicians, I’m sure we have heard the phrase, “I just want to get well, doc,” from our patients. Have you ever wondered what does “get well” really mean to them? As a third-year internal medicine residen…
