From an Indian parable dated from before 500 BCE: A group of blind men heard that a strange animal, called an elephant, had been brought to the town, but none of them were aware of its shape and form. Out of curiosity, they said: “We must inspect…
Category: primary care
Stop and smell the cadavers
Medical students are an odd bunch. At least in my day. Warning: The following may seem a little distasteful, violating the doctrine of proper decorum expected of medical professionals. I feel your anguish for those bent to the more sensitive side, but …
5 things I learned from Nepali health care
You must be thinking, what on Earth can the U.S. health care system learn from a poor, developing country like Nepal? Isn’t the U.S. known across the globe for its latest innovation and advanced procedures? Well, I was thinking the same thing. Un…
Meet the primary care doctor who’s happy with his job [PODCAST]
Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Catch up on old episodes! “There is no temptation to go back to my old life. I hit rock bottom and have been enjoying a doctor’s job. My future is bright. My income is growing. My schedule still has …
Amazon, CVS, and Walmart are playing health care’s long game
In recent months, three of the nation’s largest retailers have stirred up a frenzy on Wall Street with a string of high-profile health care deals. Amazon bought primary-care company One Medical in early August for $3.9 billion. That was a month b…
Institutionalized racism in psychiatry: a doctor’s experience
I was sitting in front of a panel of six people for my psychiatry training interview in Wellington, New Zealand. Two community members, two psychiatry consultants, and a senior psychiatry registrar, all of which were of Caucasian ethnicity. I can recal…
We need to talk about the bullying in health care
As we continue our third year of the pandemic, there have been reports of hostile treatment directed at public health officials and medical personnel. This is escalating a crisis of burnout among health professionals, but there is an insidious, chronic…
Boundaries for women physicians [PODCAST]
Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Catch up on old episodes! “I learned the hard way what can happen when physicians—especially women physicians—lack personal boundaries. Before hitting my low point, I had no boundaries. I had been raised to gi…
26 hours in a day: the impossible math and timing of providing quality care
You recently told me that I have the physician’s group’s highest patient satisfaction scores. This doesn’t surprise me. I know what makes me great: I take time. I let patients tell their stories. I listen, educate and collaborate. Whe…
We are lost and forgotten in the immensity, waiting in the shadows
We traverse parallel paths, you and I. Paths that intersect during times of stress, loss, and illness. Each of us searching for truth, understanding, and resolution. Our stories need to be heard, but in these trying times, we are but mere specks in the…
