Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Catch up on old episodes! “I think we all have an inclination—at least from time to time—to judge others. No matter how experienced, compassionate, and professional we are as physicians, we’re still human. I c…
Category: primary care
Doctoring in the backwoods: challenges and rewards
I worked in rural Kentucky for 20 years, all of it in poverty clinics. I suspect I got to know my patients better than someone working in a specialty clinic in a big city. The challenges and rewards of doctoring are unique to each specialty. But these …
To scribe or not to scribe? That is the question. [PODCAST]
Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Catch up on old episodes! “I was working at an urgent treatment center, where a busy Saturday in January would be overwhelming. At one point, I hired a scribe. She was a bright young woman interested in medici…
The true art of medicine
There have been countless references to the art and science of medicine over the years. I, for one, certainly have embraced both in my long career as a physician in internal medicine. However, I have always had a special connection to the art part. My …
How privileged a physician’s knowledge is
I was warned about it before we walked into the room. So when I did walk in, I made sure my eyes stayed focused on his eyes, my gaze high and attentive. I smiled, possibly more than normal, to make sure he felt comfortable. Like a puppeteer holding up …
A physician’s work dread and what he did about it [PODCAST]
Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Catch up on old episodes! “Work dread. Even if you didn’t know it had a name, you know the feeling. It is that sensation in the pit of your stomach when you realize that the start of your workday or workweek i…
Boundaries for women physicians
An excerpt from Boundaries For Women Physicians: Love Your Life And Career In Medicine. My story is similar to that of countless other women who have chosen careers in medicine. I am a pediatric hematologist/oncologist. A few years ago, I was driving h…
Comparing charity evaluation websites: What do those ratings mean?
The majority of people who donate money don’t research or compare charitable organizations. Only 1 in 3 research before giving, according to one of the biggest charity ratings websites, Charity Navigator. Giving 2.0 author Laura Arrillaga-Andreessen sa…
Why doctors should write poetry
It’s been two and a half years post-pandemic, and I still don’t feel normal. There’s a dark veil hanging over my life. I feel oppressed, unable to practice the way I want, unable to live and think in ways other than this abnormal new …
We are all responsible for women physicians’ pay discrepancy
A recent JAMA article showed that starting salaries for female physicians were lower than that of their male counterparts in most subspecialties. New physicians are not expected to have many differentiating factors besides gender, yet the starting sala…
