I’m a physician, not a provider

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 With [state and federal governments]( expanding supervision of health care professionals, preventing practice regulatory violations and subsequent investigations has become critical. [Six ways to optimize your EHR for better clinical communication](. Learn how to maximize your EHR investment. [Read the ultimate guide]( on extending the value of your organization’s EHR. [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](. --------------------------------------------------------------- KevinMD Plus: Aug 1, 2022 [I’m a physician, not a provider]( Your parents likely spent months searching through baby name books, polling the family, and looking through the photo albums of ancestors to pick the perfect name for you. Maybe your parents had to see your face before they could pick the perfect one. Names have history, they have power, and they embody your personality. My [...] [Allow yourself the space you need to heal [PODCAST]]( “As doctors, we are called to heal. We are called to serve. It’s in us. Our ability to heal and serve others does not have to be limited to the hospital and clinic walls. I want all our brilliant doctor minds to be part of the solution to the [...] [Please stop saying “provider”]( When I started my internal medicine practice in 1996, the medical arena was vastly different than it is today. Back then, having an MD after my name actually meant something. A letter from me to an insurance company would get a needed medication covered for a patient––a time before preauthorization existed. Dr. Google was not [...] [Gun violence is our society’s disease]( About a month ago, I had just finished hospital rounds when I heard “code active threat” on the overhead intercom. Thinking it was a drill, I continued typing patient notes until I heard a more urgent: “Please barricade in place or, if able, evacuate the premises immediately.” My heart raced as I quickly weighed my [...] [Health care takes its toll. Look for the moments that remind you why you’re in it.]( Completing my second year as an attending during a pandemic has been, well, interesting. It has brought up a variety of emotions. It’s all you’ve dreamt about for the past 7+ years of training, finally making it — the ability to “call the shots.” It is exhilarating yet mortifying, all wrapped in one! You have [...] [What a good death looked like [PODCAST]]( “He needed to be taken to the hospital to be pronounced, and he was put on a gurney. One frequently mouthed wish was to be taken from his home feet first. I stood beside him as he was placed in the ambulance. His soft, sweet smile told me everything [...] [I received a comprehensive sex education. I still chose abstinence.]( Here’s the story of a girl who got a comprehensive sex education and still chose abstinence. That girl was me. Did I gain this knowledge from school? Heavens no. I grew up in the South at the turn of the 21st century. Abstinence-only sex education was the name of the game (still is, last I [...] [The nurse who walked a million miles]( Nurses are notoriously tough, resilient, and caring. Their ability to deliver health care with a mindful spirit is uncanny. Multitasking is soon ingrained in even the greenest of this kind. Go ahead, inundate them with requests, some admittedly regretful, and you will witness amazing things being accomplished with few exceptions. They can be mischievous as [...] [There’s no one to drive your patient home]( There’s a particular bit of conversation I hope never to hear when my doctors are discussing surgery or testing. Not the details of the procedure. Not the possible outcome. Not the pain (and let’s be real, we all know “some discomfort” is actually “pain”). It’s the post-op directions that pose a conundrum: “You’ll need someone [...] [What needs to change in medicine for it to be sustainable? [PODCAST]]( “A prospect seeking a career in medicine must start with their own awareness of boundaries and perfectionism before entering the field. This inner work must be indoctrinated in schools and encouraged through residencies and mentorships. Furthermore, administration must model this and valued it as highly as continuing education, credentialing, [...] [Candid about my breast cancer]( Lump I am a pretty private person and will only disclose information with a small few I trust. However, it has been five years since my second diagnosis with breast cancer, and I felt compelled to share my journey because I’ve made it a lot longer than I thought I would. Every day for the [...] [Do microaggressions persist after practice?]( Microaggressions are common, subtle, offending behaviors and attitudes that stem from implicit (unconscious) bias. Individuals targeted by microaggressions are different than us — different in their look, skin tone, gender, sexual preference, socioeconomic status, educational level and age. Implicit bias refers to unconscious stereotypes, assumptions, and beliefs held about an individual’s group identity. They affect [...] [Seemingly unimportant acts make a big difference]( We were reminiscing recently at a brunch we set up. It had been many years since we had seen each other. Eventually, we went our separate ways. But we reconnected once again. Anna was one of our night shift nurses. She was bright and articulate. She eventually became a preceptor and mentor to many new [...] [Robotic interventional cardiology [PODCAST]]( “In the majority of robotic-assisted cases I perform, automated movements are particularly helpful in delivering gear – I can easily get balloons and stents around the C-shaped curve in the right coronary artery from the cockpit just like I would be able to if I were at the table. [...] [Denying essential medical care doesn’t save money — or lives]( That health care in the United States is wildly expensive is beyond debate — but the actual numbers are almost beyond belief. In 2010, for example, health care costs amounted to $2.6-trillion. By 2020, those costs had risen to $4 trillion — an increase of more than 50%. Worse, such increases show no signs of [...] [A nut allergy nightmare at 35,000 feet]( A hungry college student was on a plane flying to Italy. She was alone, as her parents had bought her a ticket to join them on the trip, but their own flight had been sold out. About an hour after take-off, the flight attendants came down the aisle with their carts to serve dinner. She [...] [Transition planning: financial moves for medical residents and fellows [PODCAST]]( “While you may not know exactly what your transition period will look like ahead of time, you can do your best to prepare for this change. By having a plan in place, you can make sure you are ready for the time between training and your new career so [...] --------------------------------------------------------------- [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](. --------------------------------------------------------------- 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](