Category: KevinMD

As I become a better baker, I hope that I will continue to become a better doctor

Growing up in a Korean household meant that I had very little experience with the type of baking that most Americans are used to; My grandma made rice cakes, not birthday cakes. But during my third year of medical school, an intern recommended a show c…

The great bidet mystery

An excerpt from Dottoressa: An American Doctor in Rome. The great bidet mystery: What’s it for? Americans can live here for decades thinking Italians go to the trouble of installing bidets just so they can soak their feet. If they’ve read Henry Miller,…

Cultivating your personal partnerships as a physician

The center of a physician’s job is the doctor-patient relationship.  Without a healthy one, the physician is unable to help the patient make meaningful changes in their life to maintain a state of wellness.  Too often, in the process of medical t…

Treating the patient, not the disease

A guest column by the American College of Physicians, exclusive to KevinMD. Engaging personally with our health care system either as a patient or family member is usually an eye-opening experience for most physicians.  It provides a glimpse of what th…

How minor fixes can help with resident burnout

“How did you like it there?” I ask, sitting down next to a new fellow (between bites of a plump sandwich, hoping there is no spinach in my teeth). I expect to hear the standard resident talking points — long hours, frequent call, and ballooning student…

The medicine that defines hospice care

An excerpt from Death Is But a Dream: Finding Hope and Meaning at Life’s End. Published on February 11, 2020 by Avery, and imprint of Penguin Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House, LLC. Copyright © 2020 by William Hudson, LLC Dying…

Cervical cancer guidelines leaves women confused about annual pelvic exams

There is good news and bad news in the world of women’s health. The good news is that women do not need annual Pap smears. The bad news is that, upon hearing the good news, many women incorrectly assume they no longer need annual pelvic exams, either. …

Why doctors need life skills

Medical school prepares doctors for patient care: perform a history and physical, and based on the findings, consider the next diagnostic tests to order, review all data, and develop a treatment plan. By graduation from medical school, you are skilled …

3 reasons why some physicians aren’t burned out

I have gotten to the stage where I take a more philosophical approach to the issue of physician burnout and job dissatisfaction. I see it all around me, and it’s impossible to miss some of the sobering statistics just browsing online any medical public…

A surgeon on the other side of the operation

Today started like any other day. I woke up, got ready, drove into work. I dropped my bag in my office, changed into scrubs, and wandered down to pre-op. After a few minutes of small talk with the staff, I found the patient I was looking for. He was aw…