I hated so much of medical school. Not all of it. I started eager, positive and bright. I was excited. But I struggled to belong. There was unwritten, informal segregation. Fresher’s week: I was stoked to try out new things… Hockey and rowi…
Category: KevinMD
C. Everett Koop’s defining stand against the tobacco industry [PODCAST]
Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Watch on YouTube. Catch up on old episodes! Historian and ethicist Nigel Cameron discusses his article, “C. Everett Koop’s fearless fight against the tobacco industry,” drawn from his biography of …
Not all heroes wear capes: Sometimes they just speak up in meetings
In medicine, heroism is often framed in dramatic, high-stakes terms: the code blue that saves a life, the pediatric cancer patient who returns to their family disease-free, or the impossible aneurysm that is successfully clipped by the neurosurgeon. Bu…
Residency as rehearsal: the new pediatric hospitalist fellowship requirement scam
Hypothetically, imagine you complete three years of internal medicine residency; working nights, managing complex cases, making real decisions. Then you’re told: To work in the hospital, in the in-patient setting, you must complete additional yea…
Why physicians are unlike the “average” investor
An excerpt from Wealth Strategies for Today’s Physician: A Multi-Media Playbook. Physicians of all specialties are different from the average U.S. investor in several important ways. This statement reflects data in key areas that impact fundament…
The hidden bias in how we treat chronic pain
As a health care writer and data analyst, I hear frequently from patients who are being denied safe and effective pain care due to unscientific bias on the part of U.S. health care agencies—and sometimes on the part of otherwise once-reputable medical …
The origin of medical licensing exams
In January 2022, the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) Step 1 transitioned to a pass/fail format, sparking debate over how best to assess physician competence in an era where medical misinformation proliferates online. Although medica…
Focusing on medicine’s core, not administrative chores [PODCAST]
Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Watch on YouTube. Catch up on old episodes! Physician executive Grace E. Terrell discusses her article, “Physicians must innovate and focus on medicine’s core, not chores.” She introduces the conce…
When America sneezes, the world catches a cold: Trump’s freeze on HIV/AIDS funding
On the 20th of January 2025, President Donald Trump signed an executive order that initiated a freeze on foreign aid, including the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). This abrupt suspension of funding has triggered a global heal…
Burnout isn’t ironclad—and neither are we
Ah, burnout! That word is used so often in medicine that it now has its own ICD-10 code. Medical professionals are no strangers to pushing beyond exhaustion, running on fumes, and convincing ourselves that a steady IV drip of caffeine and sheer willpow…
