I was trained in delivering bad news. I knew what to expect. I knew the questions that would come. I have learned the stages of grief. More importantly, I had done this before many times in the past 15 years. This is my job and my responsibility, I tol…
In a moment of caffeine-depleted delirium, I volunteered to head the creation of a “notes committee” for my 80-member hospitalist group. I placed myself on a 72-hour hold and quickly established a group consensus: “Bloated notes are a huge proble…
A guest column by the American College of Physicians, exclusive to KevinMD. I recall with crystal clarity the day I finished my residency training and thinking to myself that at that point in time, I probably knew the most medicine I ever would. Fast f…
“Every professional I have done the exercise with admitted that their ideal patient was inspired by someone they were close to in their personal life. It was usually a family member, a best friend, or themselves. The ones who carry the most unbea…
“The science of complexity lays a conceptual foundation for understanding “complex adaptive systems.” What all complex adaptive systems have in common is that they are all bound by the same set of physical laws. Their “behavior,” i.e., growth, ma…
“That’s great. You want to start a women in medicine program! How are you going to pay for it?” This is the most common question and potential barrier from colleagues, leaders, and those who understand the value of these programs. We found that our tw…
Medicine is very much like driving. As an emergency physician, when you see a patient, you ask the same questions, “What brought you in today? What’s bothering you?” and go through the normal flow of the history and physical. You order the same labs an…
Training physicians to serve in rural areas is a vital piece of modern medical education. It’s also frequently overlooked. Most medical education institutions are in cities, because cities allow us to concentrate the learning opportunities: the special…
At the start of this year, I decided to go on a “joy quest.” Too often, we rush from one mental worry to the next and don’t take the time to notice, experience, and create the joy that’s either already there or that can be added…
For years the trend has been a continued critique about physicians and their bedside manner, or lack thereof. It is an important topic as we have moved from a time of paternalistic care to a collaborative model where patients and doctors work together…
