Category: KevinMD

The secret to travel doctor success? Bring your family.

I recently returned from my second extended stay in New Zealand with my family. The entire experience was wonderful, but perhaps our most memorable day began with our three teenage sons waking up early to surf in the South Pacific Ocean. Once we had ou…

Physicians are usually adulting in every other aspect of their life except money

This week my wife and I celebrated our 31st wedding anniversary. It made me think about how my life has changed from when I was a single freshman in college. A time when I didn’t always do the right thing. I knew it was against both the law and school …

3 reasons every physician investor should consider self-storage as part of their alternative investment portfolio

We talk with a lot of physicians every day who ask us a simple question.  “Why should I invest in self-storage?”  Obviously, as a self-storage operator, we are biased, but there are three data points that we believe make this a fantastic asset class fo…

7 reasons why it’s hard to be kind

Why do so many of us (meaning me) need to be reminded to act with kindness? Why can’t we “just do it”? Yesterday, a friend asked me why we don’t celebrate World Kindness Day every day. I believe that’s a wonderful idea. Bu…

Doctors shouldn’t be horse whisperers

I scribbled my signature on a pharmaceutical rep’s iPad today for some samples of Jardiance, a diabetes drug that now has expanded indications, according to the Food and Drug Administration. This drug lowers blood sugar (reduces HbA1c by less than 1 po…

I’m a surgeon and I don’t depend on narcotics

I recently had a conversation with a new patient who was referred for surgery. As it happens, she discussed me with people she knew before her appointment. I like patients to look me up, talk to friends, find out who I am, and come with an expectation …

What will happen when the mentally ill get older?

Jacob is just past 30 by a year or two. He is, as I like to describe him, a little boy trapped inside a man’s body and very much mentally ill. He started off with fetal alcohol syndrome, which means his mother drank heavily when she was pregnant….

What will happen when the mentally ill get older?

Jacob is just past 30 by a year or two. He is, as I like to describe him, a little boy trapped inside a man’s body and very much mentally ill. He started off with fetal alcohol syndrome, which means his mother drank heavily when she was pregnant….

3 reasons why smart doctors fail big exams

OK, quick — word association time. I say “doctor,” and you think what? “Smart,” right? And it’s true. Doctors are smart. But before you buy into the myth that every doctor has breezed through school and could fall out of bed with a #2 pencil and crush …

The key to being an attending physician

When I graduated from residency, I was too worried about killing my first few patients to examine the meaning of being an attending physician. An early patient, a 97-year-old retired doc, brought it to my attention. “Being an attending physician means …