As far as psychiatrists go, I admit I’m odd, even in a field known for its quirks. I’m fast-talking, irreverent, and most patients tell me I’m not what they expected, but they come back. I’m not for everyone, and that’s OK…
Category: KevinMD
Everyone agrees nurses are heroes. Why aren’t we treating them that way?
It’s been said that history doesn’t repeat, but it does often rhyme. And as we’re learning during COVID-19, lessons from the past can be a guide to help us navigate a modern pandemic — if we listen to the rhythm of history. For a little more than two y…
How social distancing affects vulnerable nursing home residents
On a cold evening in early March, my grandpa and I queued outside a nursing home in rural California. He pulled an insulated lunchbox, filled with hot chai and pureed rotis, to his chest and sighed. There are at least eight families in front of us, and…
Stop calling health care workers heroes and do something to help them
The narrative that paints health care workers as “heroes” makes me uncomfortable. I may not have a right to an opinion as I am third-string back up not currently working in an overwhelmed ER or ICU. I also feel uneasy about the sea of grati…
TikTok in the time of COVID: an unexpected wellness tool for health care workers
I recently discovered an app called TikTok. From what I can tell, it seems to be used primarily by younger people who record themselves performing short music videos, lip-syncing scenes, or absurdities with their unsuspecting family members and pets. …
TikTok in the time of COVID: an unexpected wellness tool for health care workers
I recently discovered an app called TikTok. From what I can tell, it seems to be used primarily by younger people who record themselves performing short music videos, lip-syncing scenes, or absurdities with their unsuspecting family members and pets. …
We must protect the most precious scarce resource required for the next phase of the pandemic
“Good news! You have antibodies, so you’re immune to COVID-19.” How relieved would we be to hear that? I could move throughout my place of work, or my grocery store, with added security. I would muse about a vetted cohort of immune providers to car…
Deploring racism isn’t enough: Addressing white privilege in medical school
If you ask a group of medical students to raise their hands if they are, in fact, racist, I’d venture to guess that not a single hand would shoot up. And I don’t think they would be lying. I am sure that no student believes that he, she, or they are a …
Should we stress about stress? Protecting ourselves during the pandemic.
COVID-19 has exposed us to a wide variety of different stressors. In the short term, our stress response is useful as it helps us respond quickly and effectively. But when the stress lasts longer, we have to identify and acknowledge the “downside” risk…
After COVID-19, there’s no turning back from a digital clinical workforce
Novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has challenged our health care industry in profound and irreversible ways, creating massive pressure that has exposed system-wide inefficiencies and inequalities. It has also fundamentally shifted the way first responders, …
