The residency match process is one of the most defining and often most daunting milestones in a medical student’s journey. It represents the culmination of over eight years of dedication, sacrifice, and hard work in pursuit of a dream many of us …
Category: Residency
When doctors forget how to examine: the danger of lost clinical skills
An older woman with osteoporosis fell at home, developed back pain, then went to urgent care and was diagnosed with a “muscle strain.” During a follow-up visit in my office, she told me she’d had transient urinary incontinence after h…
When the white coats become gatekeepers: How a quiet cartel strangles America’s health
A nation that can map the human genome, transplant a face, and land rovers on Mars somehow cannot guarantee its citizens a timely doctor’s appointment. The official story blames “complex market forces,” “geographic maldistributi…
Trapped by SOAP: How the residency match system fails future doctors
“We are sorry, you did not match to any position.” That sentence alone is enough to crush someone who has spent over a decade chasing the dream of becoming a physician. But what came next was a blur of rushed decisions, emotional exhaustion…
Professional identity: a new narrative for medical education [PODCAST]
Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Watch on YouTube. Catch up on old episodes! Otolaryngologist Kevin C. McMains discusses his article “The hero’s journey: Understanding professional identity formation in graduate medical education.”…
Why medical students are trading empathy for publications
In the race to get into competitive medical residency training, today’s medical students are chasing something that may surprise you: scientific abstracts, posters, workshops, and research papers. Lots of them. Not necessarily new ideas or meanin…
An introduction to occupational and environmental medicine [PODCAST]
Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Watch on YouTube. Catch up on old episodes! Occupational medicine physician Robert Nathan Clapp discusses his article, “Why you should take a closer look at occupational and environmental medicine.” Addr…
What my first Match Day as a program director taught me about hope
Today was my first Match Day as a program director and, while most of my emotions are unprocessed, I already have many thoughts. I can’t forget the concurrent drop in my stomach, pause in my cardiac systole, and the involuntary intake of breath w…
Teaching by humiliation is still crushing future doctors
Shouting at student physicians is still a thing. Justified as “teaching by humiliation.” It is the worst form of “teaching” I have ever encountered. Being asked questions aggressively, Being ridiculed if you get the answer wrong…
Match Day 2025: Safeguarding the future of medical students amid crisis [PODCAST]
Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Watch on YouTube. Catch up on old episodes! Janet A. Jokela, an infectious disease physician, discusses her article, “Match Day 2025: Protecting our students’ futures.” She explores the unprecedent…
