Many of us physicians are starting off 2023 with various new resolutions, including efficiency and “doing better,” but how do we get there? Our variable training experiences may prevent us from working with health professionals around us wh…
Category: primary care
Gaslighting and dismissal: the consequences of invalidating patients’ concerns
Social media has really exposed the trauma caused by gaslighting, dismissal, and misogyny by medical professionals. Chronic illness groups are rife with posts recounting the poor treatment they suffered at the hands of doctors. Imagine presenting with …
Why being a perfectionist can be good for patient care [PODCAST]
Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Catch up on old episodes! In this episode, we welcome Scott Abramson, a neurologist with over 40 years of experience in the field. We discuss the topic of perfectionism in the medical profession, and how it can have…
Breaking the glass ceiling in medicine: the struggles and strengths of female doctors
There’s some pretty good evidence out there that women physicians provide really good medical care—in some cases, better than their male counterparts. For instance, a 2017 study showed that hospitalized Medicare patients under the care of a femal…
The unexpected gift of friendship in trying times
I spotted her on the opposite sidewalk, standing right next to the idling police cruiser. Petite. Brunette. Late 80s and leaning over her red walker as she stared, transfixed, as the EMTs eased her husband into the back of the ambulance. A few minutes …
A thank you to those who take care of us
As patients, we often think of our health care providers as infallible beings who can easily handle their profession’s emotional and physical tolls. However, the reality is that health care professionals are human too, and they are not immune to …
The hidden toll of racism in medicine: a doctor’s perspective
It felt like a monumental moment when I started my career in medicine. I grew up largely on the borderline of poverty; my parents lived check to check with my sister and me. Neither of them had gotten a college education, and they sacrificed much of th…
When a loved one is a patient: Navigating the emotional burden for physicians
It can be uniquely difficult as a physician when your loved one needs medical care, and you can’t help them in the way you would like. Many feelings arise (failure, anger, anxiety, frustration) and the sense that you are letting them down. As wit…
The dark side of medicine: How the profession can become an emotionally and psychologically manipulative relationship
To the quiet physician who keeps her head down and powers through her days while secretly calculating the ratio of BS-to-be-tolerated versus time-to-retirement: I have some tough love for you. You are in a toxic relationship. How do I know? I’ll …
The challenges and rewards of being the doctor in the family
Let me tell you that being a doctor in the family can be a tricky business! On the one hand, you’re the go-to person for all things medical, so you’re never short on people to talk to at family gatherings. On the other hand, you’re al…
