I am a critical care physician. These are the patients in the ICU.

Here are the stories you missed on KevinMD. Thank you for your continuing readership. --------------------------------------------------------------- Here are the stories you missed on [KevinMD](. Thank you for your continuing readership. --------------------------------------------------------------- Sponsors [Report] [More than 600 health care professionals]( provide insights on topics including COVID-19 and health care communications, the role of cloud technology, enterprise communications, and more in a 2020 survey conducted by Spok. [See the results](. [Keep cultural diversity in mind]( during the pandemic. Safe and quality health care requires understanding how patients' sociocultural background affects [health beliefs and behavior](. [No-shows and avoidance in care]( have impacts to patient outcomes and practice operations. The pandemic is causing these issues to become worse. [Download this guide]( to proactively engage patients in their health care. Get a free copy of [Money Insights for Physicians]( which teaches doctors the proven path to move from high income to high net worth! [Take the F3 Assessment]( and find out where you’re at along the path to financial freedom. --------------------------------------------------------------- KevinMD Plus: Nov 30, 2020 [I am a critical care physician. These are the patients in the ICU.]( I am a critical care physician. I am at the frontlines of this pandemic, in a state of “war” against an unseen enemy that has brought unimaginable destruction in its path. I arrive at work at 7 a.m. for my shift. I am in a state of hypervigilance. It is a chilly fall day, but […] [The perfect podcast for busy physicians]( The Podcast by KevinMD shares the stories of KevinMD authors in their own words. 15 minutes a day. 7 days a week. Your daily dose of information, insight, and inspiration. Here is what people are saying: “Thank you Kevin for your dedication to giving so many of us, your colleagues, a chance to amplify our voices […] [A physician waits in uncertainty]( It started with diarrhea. Then fever before the patient sought care. The infiltrates were impressive. A dry cough with paroxysms that were sometimes uncontrollable. The rapid test came back negative, as did the send out PCR. The patient returned from international travel two days before admission. My index of suspicion was extremely high. Yes, please […] [Keys to sustainable telehealth post COVID-19]( As we’ve listened to providers describe their reactions to this pandemic, telehealth continues to be a pervasive theme at the foundation of their response. They refer to this as a “watershed” event that will permanently change healthcare delivery. In that context, many expressed concern that the current relaxation of regulations, and as importantly, the parity […] [Don’t let a negative COVID-19 test ruin your Thanksgiving]( Mirroring the national surge of COVID-19 infections, this past week, I received a barrage of requests from patients seeking pre-travel COVID-19 tests. Despite urgent pleas from the CDC not to travel this holiday season, Americans seem hellbent on celebrating Thanksgiving the way we always do; around a table with family and friends. If COVID-19 is […] [Choose respect over fear]( My son is a cub scout, and I am a den leader. Recently our den met outside and practiced putting up tents and learned how to build a fire. With efforts to stay distanced, every scout made his own s’more, and we had such a fun time. One highlight of the evening was letting each […] [In the face of uncertainty, choose hope over fear]( Over and over again, I find myself repeating the same words to myself as I watch the sunset over the Sacramento River on my dreary commute back from my job in clinical research: hope over fear. It was with hope that 2020 began—a catalyst year in which we had the wind at our backs and […] [Ballad of a sober man: an ER doctor’s journey of recovery [PODCAST]]( “Now, in her afterlife, she occasionally accompanied Maggie on excursions into my head, usually at night. Make that a double vodka. I thought I had finally learned in sobriety how to put them in the past, encased in a box, and keep them there. Still, sometimes they found a way out to visit me. The […] [Artificial intelligence, COVID-19, and the future of pandemics]( Artificial intelligence (AI) has proven of value in the COVID-19 pandemic and shows promise for mitigating future health care crises. During the pandemic’s first wave in New York, for example, Mount Sinai Health System used an algorithm to help identify patients ready for discharge. Such systems can help overburdened hospitals manage personnel and the flow […] [Peer-to-peer support and the second victim syndrome]( The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted everyone, especially those of us in health care. Our way of practicing medicine has been changed; some would say forever. We find ourselves affected not only clinically but also emotionally. As a result, clinicians are experiencing more stress and anxiety than ever before. These feelings are not new but have […] [To MBA or not to MBA as an MD: a physician’s journey]( The first thing my husband said when I told him about MBA school was, “the NBA has a school?” It didn’t help that we first had our conversation about MBA school during the NBA playoffs but really – NBA school? I quickly overcame this moronic start to the conversation by saying “M” as in Michael […] [Life in the emergency department during COVID: a rural physician’s perspective]( “Do you think we should prepare a will?” I vividly remember saying these words to my wife, also a physician, as we drastically saw COVID cases rise in early March 2020. Just months ago, we heard about the novel coronavirus now known as SARS-CoV-2 but did not grasp the world-changing consequences it would have. Living […] [COVID-19 is a war on two fronts [PODCAST]]( “I’m exhausted. As the pandemic rages on, the mental toll of dealing with COVID-19 has started to wear on me. As a practicing hospitalist in the Midwest impacted by one of the many hotspots caused by the meatpacking industry, I have spent a fair bit of time with this virus on the frontline. Some aspects […] [What this doctor learned from cartooning other peoples’ stories]( After three months as a newly minted doctor, I knew that any plan that I made for my first vacation week would be futile in the context of COVID-19, so I attempted an escape into the headspace of others. During my first day on vacation, I asked my Twitter community to share the following post […] [Physicians have spoken. The Biden administration should listen.]( Life as we know it has been upended by the COVID-19 pandemic. Every aspect of our health care system is affected; in particular, our nation’s frontline workers are being stretched like never before. From managing the pandemic long term to physician well-being, social determinants of health (SDOH), and health care reform, the incoming Administration should […] [Essential tips for the physician-entrepreneur [PODCAST]]( “Being an entrepreneur can be a lonely road. Everyone dreams of life after a successful round of funds being raised, staff being hired, and plunging headfirst into the making and shipping of widgets. But there are many days which no one talks about, where a budding entrepreneur must find a way to get ideas from […] [Normalizing infertility conversations in the workplace]( I am a medical doctor—a hospitalist working in an environment with many talented professionals. We share our knowledge and our approach to medicine with one another in ways that profoundly affect our patients and other personnel in the hospital. At our best, we are a community whose foundation is a willingness and openness to discuss […] [I could not save this life with every possible medical tool at my disposal]( An excerpt from The Healer’s Burden: Stories and Poems of Professional Grief. Leaning on the door of Trauma Bay 1, I survey the remains of my latest failure. The story is told in the bloody and jumbled instrument trays, monitors now silent and dark. In the center of the room sits a gurney covered with […] [A society that values evidence is more resilient in the face of health crises]( In a world of unprecedented access to information and incredible connectedness, everyone is an expert. Public health has been one of the many victims of this phenomenon, yet it is the single most important strategy for managing the global crisis we are in. The problem with public health is that it is not particularly likable. […] [Managing through COVID-19: a virtual doctor’s story]( It was early February when I first felt the tides changing. I remember it well. I was having lunch with a friend – another doctor – and the situation in China was bleak. We agreed it was only a matter of time before the novel coronavirus would erupt in the United States. As medical professionals, […] [A physician moves from the exam room to the C-suite [PODCAST]]( “The dictionary definition of learning is ‘the acquisition of knowledge or skills through experience, study, or by being taught.’ For leaders, the most crucial and common way of learning happens through experience, and as we often say, leadership is flying the plane while building it. Moreover, the onus of making the process of learning an […] --------------------------------------------------------------- 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](