I’ve noticed a frightening trend in the latest research on patients taking prescribed opioids: whatever the negative outcomes, researchers attribute them to the opioid medications instead of the underlying pain. The many detrimental outcomes thes…
Category: KevinMD
Children surprise their doctors to say thank you
Children surprise their doctors by dressing up just like them to say thank you for the incredible work they do each day. Happy Doctors’ Day, courtesy of Children’s Health.
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How physicians can find meaning in their work
“Seriously, do you often/very often reflect on how your work helps make the world a better place?” I was recently involved in an email exchange with a colleague when she sent me this line. We will get to the answer to that question at the end. I was di…
Using the Avengers to explain how cancer treatments work
In a recent talk I gave for colleagues, I ventured outside the box. I searched for a metaphor to make cancer treatments easy to understand. Around the same time, it so happened my kids decided we needed to re-watch all of The Avengers movies at home. (…
A physician’s empathy in urgent care makes a big difference
While winter is traditionally the busiest time of year for pediatricians, this winter has been particularly difficult in the Midwest with not only a larger number of ill visits, but a late and heavy flu epidemic hitting at a point where most of us were…
Don’t sign anything: Advice when hospital administration has you against the wall
If you think you are the only one being threatened by the chief medical officer (CMO) and/or the medical executive committee (MEC) think again. If you’re thinking it is going to get better or that they have your best interests in mind, also think again…
The financial barriers of applying to medical school
In May 2018, it happened. The American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS) opened its floodgates. As we wrapped up our last years in undergrad, we felt a twinge of excitement as we finally began applying to medical school. But we quickly found …
6 essential tips (and more) that I never learned in medical school
1. Cover your patients It was my first year of practice. One day I saw a new patient, a 25-year-old man with hemorrhoidal pain. My nurse told him to disrobe and put on a lap sheet. When I entered the room, I was surprised to see that the young man was …
Remembering Dr. Denton A. Cooley
Back in the 70s, Dr. Denton A. Cooley would do eight or so heart operations a day often on babies and children with heart defects. One day, he operated on four babies. Three of them died. It was around eight o’clock at night, and as Dr. Cooley wa…
The sweet path to hell: addiction in medical professionals
K: “I was assaulted by an intoxicated female. She punched me and ruptured two discs in my back. I lost my whole self. I could no longer take the CPR course required. I lost my income that was supporting me and my three children. I needed the narcotics …
