“I made a big mistake a long time ago.” These words snapped my concentration. I squinted at the computer screen, and even though it had been stable, I waited for Brenda’s pancytopenia to collapse entirely. I enjoyed seeing Brenda, the…
Category: primary care
Physician mental health: Breaking the silence [PODCAST]
Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Watch on YouTube. Catch up on old episodes! Pediatric nephrologist Katherine Twombley opens up about her personal journey and her book, First Do No Harm: A Physician’s Burnout and Mental Health Guidebook from …
The spiritual crisis of the employed physician
Our physician coaching team and I have extensive experience working with thousands of doctors over the past 13 years who have approached us feeling burned out, exhausted, and uncertain about their future. We have developed a structured method to assist…
Bridging the gap between public perception and reality in health care [PODCAST]
Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Watch on YouTube. Catch up on old episodes! In this episode, we are joined by Sarah Smithson, an internal medicine physician, as we discuss the stark disparities between the experiences within clinical settings and …
From passion to burnout: When a doctor’s love hurts
If only I had managed Mrs. Smith’s blood pressure better, she wouldn’t have had that car accident. If I had made the case for a statin better, Mr. Wu would not have had the diverticulitis episode. These types of thoughts have been with me f…
Why we all need to care about the primary care physician shortage
It is somewhat cliché these days to talk about physician workforce shortages, but recent data highlights that the problem is getting worse. Two research publications this past year were particularly alarming. First, in a recent analysis of internal med…
“No” can be a complete sentence
Nope, nada, no gracias, non, rara—they may sound different, but they all mean the same thing: no. In our world of instant messaging, the immediate gratification society seems to have lost the ability to unplug, unwind, and say no to unnecessary demands…
Primary care for all Americans: What the U.S. health care system can learn from Scituate, Rhode Island
In the quaint New England town of Scituate, Rhode Island, with a population of 10,000, a health care revolution was brewing. Dr. Michael Fine, a passionate family physician, had moved to Scituate with his family in 1992 to serve a quiet, rural communit…
The power of syncing life with nature’s yearly cycles
Humans are naturally attuned to various biological rhythms, such as daily (circadian), weekly (circaseptan), monthly (circatrigintan), and yearly (circannual) cycles. These rhythms not only govern our sleep, eating habits, and energy levels but might a…
Prioritizing self-care for health care workers [PODCAST]
Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Watch on YouTube. Catch up on old episodes! Join us as we sit down with general surgeon Scott Ellner to discuss evidence-based strategies aimed at improving the well-being of those on the front lines. In this insigh…
