As health care leaders and providers, our ultimate mission is to provide safer care for all—but there’s a flaw in our system. Today, as many as 4 in 10 patients are harmed in primary and ambulatory health care settings, and up to 80 percent of th…
Category: primary care
Rethinking shift work: Why “job sharing” is the key to happier, healthier doctors
In the realm of shift-based health care, the term “job sharing” doesn’t technically exist—after all, shifts aren’t a single continuous job to split. Yet, still, a full-time workload is considered the norm, and the concept of div…
How a doctor’s clever approach restored a life—and a marriage
An excerpt from Yankee Doctor in the Bible Belt: A Memoir. Doctoring in the mountains of Eastern Kentucky, I met Mrs. Snoop, a new patient at the clinic. She is 38 years old. Her chief complaint, according to her husband, is “not wanting to have …
Lessons in career sustainability: Why self-care is the key to success [PODCAST]
Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Watch on YouTube. Catch up on old episodes! We’re joined by Diane W. Shannon, an internal medicine physician and physician coach, to explore the hard lessons of career sustainability and the importance of inte…
What 10 minutes reveal about the broken health care system in rural America
A response to “The overwhelming reality of primary care: Why doctors still persevere.” I am a primary care patient in a rural area of a western state, and I have not seen the same physician or other provider more than two or three times in …
From burnout to breakthrough: Why treating yourself like a patient could save your medical career
I started my career in medicine with the same noble intentions that many physicians share—to help and care for people. But like so many of my colleagues, I quickly found myself consumed by a broken system. Three years into my medical career, I was an o…
How a no-internet vacation transformed my life and career
The vacation had been planned for months. With laptop in hand, I headed to my happy place… my favorite place in the sun. I was excited to check some things off my to-do list while enjoying the sun, the beach, and the breeze. But things didn’t go …
How burnout sneaks up on health care professionals [PODCAST]
Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Watch on YouTube. Catch up on old episodes! Devina Wadhwa, a psychiatrist, shares her personal journey through burnout and the challenges of navigating systemic pressures in health care. From recognizing subtle sign…
How being “the problem” can make you a force for change
The people unwilling to tolerate the BS in the face of dysfunction are often identified as the problem by those who have adapted to and/or benefit from maintaining the status quo. Too often, we believe it—that we are the problem. By challenging this be…
How being “the problem” can make you a force for change
The people unwilling to tolerate the BS in the face of dysfunction are often identified as the problem by those who have adapted to and/or benefit from maintaining the status quo. Too often, we believe it—that we are the problem. By challenging this be…
