“There is no single culprit responsible for this shift in medical education. However, two, in particular, should be noted. The first is the culture of defensive medicine, or more bluntly, CYA (cover-your-ass) medicine. This culture has been insid…
Category: KevinMD
Meet the physician who loves his job
I only applied to one medical school. Maybe that was hubris, but I didn’t think so at the time. Then, in a moment of sudden insecurity, I asked myself, “What if I don’t get accepted?” During the six months between my military service and the beginning …
Giving little moments of joy reminds us of the human side of medicine
The cab driver pulled up to a small house, typical of the post – WWII era. He honked his horn and waited. He honked a second time, but no one came. He contemplated leaving, as it was near the end of his shift, but decided to go knock on the door. Throu…
Why socialized health care is not right for America
I have been a doctor for twenty years, but I’m also a patient. We are all patients. This summer, my previously mild heart rhythm problem got a lot worse. By July, I was having frequent episodes of heart rates four times normal, causing me to almost los…
Can we separate Donald Trump, the patient, from Donald Trump, the politician?
When the president of the United States contracts a dangerous disease, the story is big news. When the same disease has taken the lives of 200,000 people and the same president has been under fire for grossly mishandling the response, the tale takes on…
Fortune favors the bold: How a physician lives up to that motto
My seven-year-old son’s soccer club motto was “Audentes Fortuna Juvat,” which translates as “fortune favors the bold.” Many years later, I discovered that this concisely stated philosophy is adhered to by the Trumbull College at Yale University, sever…
How to minimize virtual medicine liability risk [PODCAST]
“Telehealth has come into focus during the COVID-19 pandemic as physicians face an immediate need to reduce exposure by providing care—or at least triage—remotely when appropriate. Under usual circumstances, telemedicine is comparatively low risk…
A medical student’s summer of 2020: Family matters
The summer of 2020 is easily one that I would rather forget but has been one that, I believe, will be etched in my memory for a very long time. After a brief vacation to visit my maternal relatives in India during last winter break, I welcomed 2020 wi…
Put nutrition counseling in primary care
The United Nations designated 2016 to 2025 the “Decade of Action on Nutrition” in recognition of the growing importance of food and diet as it relates to all aspects of human health. We’re almost halfway through, and we’re not making the progress we ne…
How blessed was I to witness this true love story
The little things? The little moments? They aren’t little … I noticed the two of them shortly after I arrived for my shift. I was standing at the counter, immersed in a chart, when out of the corner of my eye, I saw them walk out of their t…
