The story of how a homeless teen became a physician

--------------------------------------------------------------- Here are the stories you missed on KevinMD. Thank you for your continuing readership. --------------------------------------------------------------- Sponsors Communication is truly paramount in delivering great patient care. See how Vail Health [cut the average time]( to reach hospitalists by 50% using a unified communication platform. [See how](. Physicians face [challenges of cultural diversity]( in health care. Ensuring safe and quality health care for all patients requires physicians to understand how each patient’s sociocultural background affects his or her [health beliefs and behavior](. [Convenience is a major factor]( for younger generations when choosing a health care provider. But how can providers give them what they want? [Learn 5 ways on how you can build a practice for younger patients](. [Receiving good HCAHPS scores]( is a financial priority, as they determine a percent of Medicare payments. As a voice of the patient, the scores are also an indicator of patient experiences. [Read this guide]( to learn the 5 ways technology helps improve your HCAHPS scores. [Residents save 40% on ClinicalKey]( Access a continuously updated library of knowledge with advanced search technology, because you want to confidently answer any question that you face. [Discover ClinicalKey](. --------------------------------------------------------------- KevinMD Plus: Jun 3, 2019 [The story of how a homeless teen became a physician]( An excerpt from Hindsight: Coming of age on the streets of Hollywood. During my medical school clerkships, an attending recognized a truth within me that I’d hidden for many years. Just a few hours into my pediatrics rotation, the attending asked me, “You had a rough childhood, didn’t you?” I was astonished. How had he […] [It’s time to rethink what it means to be a DO]( The future of our profession lies in our ability to come together with a unified voice. We must also recognize that the practice of osteopathic medicine, and the training of osteopathic physicians, has evolved significantly since A.T. Still, MD, DO, created osteopathy. The AOA recognized this when its Board of Trustees announced that the AOA […] [How did we let insurance companies get so intimately involved with patient care?]( Who works for who? How did we allow ourselves to let a system get built up around us that makes it so hard for us to take care of our patients? Our job is to advocate for our patients, to help guide them towards their best health, to help them understand the difficult choices and […] [A family physician changes the culture of his department]( “He died because he’s Black!” screamed his mother, inconsolable in the intensive care unit as her unresponsive teenage son underwent a formal neurologic examination. We had done all that we could. Mr. M had experienced a cardiac arrest for unknown reasons at home, and his mom felt the emergency medical technicians treated her son differently, […] [Home buying tips for physicians]( Financial planning is comprised of the six decisions people make with their money. Physicians need to make decisions as to how you earn, spend, save, borrow, give, and protect yours. Home buying typically touches on all of the six money decisions. Home buying often begins with a mortgage, so you will have to make decisions […] --------------------------------------------------------------- [Join the fastest-growing physician Facebook group](. Physician voice by KevinMD. [For physicians by physicians](. --------------------------------------------------------------- [How this physician fought imposter syndrome]( It took me a long time to put a name to what I was feeling. Only recently had I started to read about imposter syndrome. I’ve had this feeling multiple times throughout my life, and it always had the potential to pull me backward instead of allowing me to propel forward towards my goals. I […] [A student finds his passion for medicine]( 3:30 a.m. – Wake up. 4:00 a.m. – Leave apartment. 4:15 a.m. – Arrive at hospital. 4:20 a.m. – Print out the patient list. 4:20 – 5:25 a.m. – Split the list of 50 patients with your partner, go to a computer and write down for every patient their 24-hr vital signs, any reported fevers […] [When constipation pain was worse than cancer pain]( Coming in to meet the students, house staff, and patients for the first day on service always excites me. This Monday was no exception. What awaited me? How many patients would I need to see? What lessons could I impart? When I arrived, we had 11 patients, two new, and nine had arrived previously. Going […] [3 ways to change your mindset in continuing medical education]( The seeds of emotional turmoil inherent in medical education are planted early in the pursuit of becoming a doctor. It is the unspoken fear that medical students and residents experience each day on attending rounds. It is the worry of missing a vital piece of information from the history and physical exam of a patient. […] [The power of an individual’s story reminds physicians why they got into medicine]( As a surgeon who specializes in gynecologic cancer, I have performed thousands of operations over my two-decade career. But the ones my team and I have done since the beginning of this year have been the most fulfilling. The reason? A simple yet remarkable adjustment in how we prepare for surgery has forever changed the […] [A physician’s sudden, disastrous day. And its tragic consequences.]( An excerpt from Physician Suicide: Cases and Commentaries. “Dear Richard and Yvonne, I feel I have no choice but to end my life and am doing so in the hope that you will take this letter and employ it in the way that I suggest below. Please use what has happened to me as an example […] [You can save your baby for $2 million. Can we afford to do this?]( You can save your baby for $2 million. Can you afford to do this? If you cannot, should we all pay? Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a rare genetic disease affecting the part of the nervous system that controls voluntary muscle movement. All types of SMA result from a single known cause, a deficiency of […] [Ageism in medicine is real. How can it be stopped?]( Society gives short shrift to older age. This distinct phase of life doesn’t get the same attention that’s devoted to childhood. And the special characteristics of people in their 60s, 70s, 80s and beyond are poorly understood. Medicine reflects this narrow-mindedness. In medical school, physicians learn that people in the prime of life are “normal” […] [Compassion is never a sign of weakness. It’s a sign of greatness.]( Recently I had the wonderful, yet solemn opportunity of attending my ninety-three-year-old paternal uncle’s funeral. I purposely choose the word “wonderful” to describe this experience because honoring the life of such a remarkable man, surrounded by my family who will continue to love him dearly, was such a special gift. Amid today’s increasingly complex world […] [Medicare for all will kill jobs. But it may be necessary.]( As calls for radical health reform grow louder, many on the right, in the center and in the health care industry are arguing that proposals like “Medicare for all” would cause economic ruin, decimating a sector that represents nearly 20% of our economy. While exploring a presidential run, former Starbucks chief Howard Schultz called Medicare […] [Pay people for their kidneys? It’s time.]( These are trying times for health care optimists. Despite all the hype surrounding breakthroughs in clinical practice and technology, American medicine is stuck in in neutral. Though the engine is revving loudly, little progress is being made. This unfortunate truth came into clearer light last week when I was preparing lesson plans for the health care […] [MKSAP: 48-year-old woman with elevated liver chemistry tests]( Test your medicine knowledge with the MKSAP challenge, in partnership with the American College of Physicians. A 48-year-old woman is evaluated at a follow-up appointment for elevated liver chemistry tests over the preceding 6 months. She reports no symptoms. She has type 2 diabetes mellitus and hypertension. Her family history is unremarkable. She drinks two glasses of […] [Protect yourself and your standard of living as a nurse]( This article is about learning to protect yourself and your standard of living as a nurse. Now that I am considered a seasoned nurse, I have concluded that there are many essential aspects of the nursing profession that are not discussed during nursing school. It is a shame because many of these topics should be […] [Shorten recovery with prehabilitation before surgery]( Would you take an exam without studying? Would you run a marathon without training? If not, why would you show up for surgery without physical preparation for a life-changing event? Few patients capitalize on the opportunity to improve the odds of a successful surgery and a speedy recovery. Recently, an explosion of medical research suggests […] [The breakthroughs and failures of medicine]( There is a pervasive tendency to turn to medicine looking for magic. Patients and health care professionals alike generally expect medicine to be able to cure diseases, alleviate symptoms, and relieve suffering. Historically, medicine has met and exceeded these expectations in a variety of ways. However, in some cases, these expectations can cause a blurring […] --------------------------------------------------------------- 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](