Being a nurse is the hardest and the best job of all

--------------------------------------------------------------- Here are the stories you missed on KevinMD. Thank you for your continuing readership. --------------------------------------------------------------- Sponsors This [interactive eBook]( follows patient William Jones as he enters the ED with chest pains, weakness, and palpitations -- illustrating how a communication platform improves his experience and streamlines care team collaboration. [See how](. [Great development differences]( exist between neonates and teenagers.This means the patient safety risks when treating them differ too, [this study on malpractice claims]( involving children shows. [We've talked to practices just like yours]( to learn how they leverage engagement solutions to increase revenue, empower and improve the relationships with their patients. [Learn what they had to say](. See how Vail Health has transformed clinical communication from manual, paper-based processes to [automated workflows](. The end result? Information at care team members’ fingertips, and real-time situational awareness of what’s going on with every patient on the floor. [Watch now](. Because you want a [single source for trusted answers]( to your most complex questions, [start a free trial of ClinicalKey today](. --------------------------------------------------------------- KevinMD Plus: Apr 8, 2019 [Being a nurse: the hardest and the best job of all]( I became a nurse at the age of 23. I was pregnant with my first son and dove into nursing headfirst, accepting a job in the pediatric ICU of the hospital where I worked. I still remember the call when I received the job offer. I hung up and jumped up and down, screaming in […] [A fight this physician didn’t ask for]( I have a story to tell. And it’s going to be hard to read. Would you believe me if I told you that the health care industry is not immune to the same gender disparities and discrimination we see all over the news these days? I realize it’s difficult to marry the medical field — […] [It is time for physicians to reclaim the power of touch]( I have three kids — all with very different temperaments and different personalities. Sometimes I use the term superpower to identify and cultivate their strengths and greatest attributes. I have always believed that my superpower is connection. It is a value I hold dear and a quality that has allowed for authentic alignment in my […] [Policymakers: Put down your carrots and sticks. They will not work.]( As a family physician in the trenches, I routinely see blatantly poor medical care in the history of my new patients. Far too many people get unwarranted medications and tests, while important things go unrecognized or unaddressed. This paradox is maddening. We must do better. To this end, policymakers have developed programs to promote “quality” […] [Patient satisfaction should not be driven by poorly-designed surveys]( A young male patient checks into the emergency department (ED) and is brought back to a room for an ankle injury he suffered the day before. He states that he twisted it while doing some indoor rock climbing and tells the triage nurse that it is swollen and tender, but that he can walk on […] --------------------------------------------------------------- [Thousands of physicians are browsing this job board](. They love its selection of over 12,000 openings across the U.S.. [Physicians are finding opportunities they almost missed](. --------------------------------------------------------------- [A veteran tells an unexpected story]( “You ever work with vets?” asks the young man sitting across from me in the hospital waiting room. He’s been sitting there all morning. So have I. Since 5:30 a.m., my father-in-law, 88, has been undergoing surgery to remove a tumor in his lung. The surgeons just sent word that they’ve finished, and my wife […] [CBD: What is it? A former DEA agent explains.]( What is CBD? Cannabidiol or CBD for short is made from either the marijuana plant that contains tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) or hemp which contains little to any THC. “Hemp-derived” means that the CBD generally contains less than 0.3% THC while “marijuana-derived” contains higher amounts of THC. It is THC — and not CBD — is the […] [When did people’s feelings start mattering more than patient safety?]( As an elder millennial physician, I’ve been straddling two worlds, that of the “old-school” mentality of training and this newer one of “wellness.” I’ve become disheartened with new physicians being increasingly unable to tolerate any criticism by teaching faculty, even when patient harm is at risk. However, it wasn’t until I was accused of bullying […] [How to be a merry widow]( An excerpt from How To Be A Merry Widow – Life after Death for the Older Lady. You are like an animal cut off from the herd; people are social beings and need to be with others. The very word ‘”solitary” brings fear even to the most hardened criminal. Familiar rooms looked alien to me, […] [A patient imagines a conversation with Alexa]( When Hubby isn’t around to act as a sounding board, when I’m not feeling well, I talk to my dog. She sometimes gets a fearful, tearful earful. I think if I could channel her thoughts to Alexa, Amazon’s virtual assistant, our conversation might go something like this: Me: Alexa, it took seven days of seeing dentists for […] [Our doctors are feeling the emotional burden of the state of health care]( Death is an inevitable part of the journey of life. We all have experienced its effects: the death of a family member, the death of a friend or those special individuals who we might have barely known but who left an indelible mark upon our consciousness of living. I will share with you a remembrance […] [MKSAP: 52-year-old woman with shortness of breath]( Test your medicine knowledge with the MKSAP challenge, in partnership with the American College of Physicians. A 52-year-old woman is evaluated during a follow-up visit. She was discharged from the hospital 3 weeks ago following a small non–ST-elevation myocardial infarction treated with drug-eluting stent placement in the right coronary artery. An echocardiogram obtained during hospitalization showed normal […] [Regret medical school? Here are 3 things you can do.]( This article is sponsored by Careers by KevinMD.com. It’s normal to daydream about living a life very different from our own: “What would life be like if I were Beyonce?” “Would I have the same worries if I were a trapeze artist?” “Would I have been happier as a librarian?” We all do it from time to time — perhaps in moments of boredom, or maybe in times of high stress. But recent studies suggest that […] [How medicine rose up to the challenge of the AIDS epidemic]( A guest column by the American College of Physicians, exclusive to KevinMD.com. In the run-up to the Academy Awards this year, like many people I made a concerted effort to see most of the top-nominated pictures. Of particular interest was Bohemian Rhapsody, the biographical film about the lead singer of the rock band Queen, Freddie […] [Should medical residents appear in reality TV shows?]( This notice appeared on a general surgery news website in early February. I don’t know who has been long anticipating this, but I’m pretty sure it’s not people on medical Twitter. My informal, nonscientific Twitter poll garnered 707 votes with 87 percent of those responding saying they would not allow their residents to participate in a reality […] [A physician’s love-hate relationship with her pager]( When my colleagues and I reported for new intern orientation 19 years ago, we were given navy scrubs emblazoned with the residency program’s logo, a couple of creased and blindingly clean white coats, and, of course, a standard issue pager. I will admit that there was something thrilling about having my own tools of the […] --------------------------------------------------------------- If a friend sent you this email and you want to subscribe, go to [KevinMD](. --------------------------------------------------------------- 345 Hudson Street New York NY 10014 USA [Unsubscribe]( | [Change Subscriber Options](