This article is sponsored by Careers by KevinMD.com. It’s normal to daydream about living a life very different from our own: “What would life be like if I were Beyonce?” “Would I have the same worries if I were a trapeze artist…
Category: KevinMD
MKSAP: 52-year-old woman with shortness of breath
Test your medicine knowledge with the MKSAP challenge, in partnership with the American College of Physicians. A 52-year-old woman is evaluated during a follow-up visit. She was discharged from the hospital 3 weeks ago following a small non–ST-elevatio…
Our doctors are feeling the emotional burden of the state of health care
Death is an inevitable part of the journey of life. We all have experienced its effects: the death of a family member, the death of a friend or those special individuals who we might have barely known but who left an indelible mark upon our consciousne…
A patient imagines a conversation with Alexa
When Hubby isn’t around to act as a sounding board, when I’m not feeling well, I talk to my dog. She sometimes gets a fearful, tearful earful. I think if I could channel her thoughts to Alexa, Amazon’s virtual assistant, our conversation might go som…
Policymakers: Put down your carrots and sticks. They will not work.
As a family physician in the trenches, I routinely see blatantly poor medical care in the history of my new patients. Far too many people get unwarranted medications and tests, while important things go unrecognized or unaddressed. This paradox is madd…
How to be a merry widow
An excerpt from How To Be A Merry Widow – Life after Death for the Older Lady. You are like an animal cut off from the herd; people are social beings and need to be with others. The very word ‘”solitary” brings fear even to the most h…
Being a nurse: the hardest and the best job of all
I became a nurse at the age of 23. I was pregnant with my first son and dove into nursing headfirst, accepting a job in the pediatric ICU of the hospital where I worked. I still remember the call when I received the job offer. I hung up and jumped up a…
When did people’s feelings start mattering more than patient safety?
As an elder millennial physician, I’ve been straddling two worlds, that of the “old-school” mentality of training and this newer one of “wellness.” I’ve become disheartened with new physicians being increasingly unable to tolerate any criticism by teac…
CBD: What is it? A former DEA agent explains.
What is CBD? Cannabidiol or CBD for short is made from either the marijuana plant that contains tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) or hemp which contains little to any THC. “Hemp-derived” means that the CBD generally contains less than 0.3% THC while “marijuan…
It is time for physicians to reclaim the power of touch
I have three kids — all with very different temperaments and different personalities. Sometimes I use the term superpower to identify and cultivate their strengths and greatest attributes. I have always believed that my superpower is connection. It is …
