The Podcast by KevinMD

"Clinicians want specific things from a pathology consultation. They want a short turnaround time and a clear and coherent report, which can be discussed with the patient and correlates with the clinical findings. Unfortunately, this does not always come to pass, particularly with some smaller or disrupted specimens, resulting from minimally invasive surgery. It takes a cultural change to reach that balance between what pathology and pathologists are, and what the perception about the field is. Medicine has changed dramatically in recent years regarding disease understanding and test diagnosis. In the past year, pathologists played a crucial part during the COVID-19 pandemic and the laboratory medicine field has taken huge responsibility in our hospitals to support every clinical department. Addressing the pathologist's role on the patient care team should be addressed in medical school early on." Albert Alhatem is a pathology resident. He shares his story and discusses the KevinMD article, "Is pathology an ATM machine?" (https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2021/01/is-pathology-an-atm-machine.html)

"Yoga therapy differs from contemporary yoga in that the profession has a defined scope of practice based on educational standards and accreditation requirements for training schools and yoga therapists. In dealing with pain conditions, certified yoga therapists possess understanding and knowledge of pain theories and pain physiology and may collaborate with a patient's health care team to develop an individualized care plan. While pain and musculoskeletal conditions represent the most common reasons for referral, yoga therapists may also see clients with chronic conditions, such as diabetes, heart disease, post-traumatic stress disorder, and addiction." Jaime Lewis is an internal medicine and palliative care physician. She shares her story and discusses her KevinMD article, "Recommending yoga to your patients? Consider this first." (https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2021/02/recommending-yoga-to-your-patients-consider-this-first.html)

"We eventually got the news that Dr. Rathburn had hung himself from one of those beautiful trees that the wind made dance. How sad. It adds to my own grief. Who had found him? How did he look? Babies born with a nuchal cord have the cord wrapped around their neck. That's the closest I have seen to a hanging. I once delivered a baby who had it wrapped around three times, and by the time he was born, his little face looked bloated and bruised, tongue swollen and sticking out, and he had petechiae (small dots of microscopic veins that burst) on his face. I wonder if he looked similar. Did he have petechiae? How would even do that? I wish I knew. I wish I had said goodbye. I wish the image of him shuffling by me would leave my head. Would every warm and beautiful summer afternoon with the tree limbs dancing remind me of him; of this place; of this horrible feeling? That was something to look forward to. At least I was thinking of a future. That had not been possible just a few short weeks ago. When it's dark, it is bleak, like black silence and extraordinary effort to move and operate the body. The pain of my empty feeling heart and just holding my head on my neck seemed unbearable at times. Right, I am here, and I am feeling better. At least the empty blackness is gone most of the time. I light another cigarette. It's better than crying. Dr. Rathburn, you haunt me still. I was so close. It could have been me." Robyn Alley-Hay is an obstetrician-gynecologist and physician coach. She can be reached at her self-titled site, Dr. Robyn Alley-Hay. She shares her story and discusses her KevinMD article, "A physician hung himself. That could have been me." (https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2021/01/a-physician-hung-himself-that-could-have-been-me.html)

"Why else should a person become a doctor? Because there is always something to learn. Because holding someone's hand when they're scared is a profound gift that feels as good to give as it does to receive. Because your job will call on you to be brave, honest, and the best human you can be. Because you can work with people who are as devoted to and optimistic about our fellow humans as you are. Because you can choose your patient populations, your clinical settings, the procedures that you do, and the way that you practice. So, yes, good luck, young friend. Keep your focus on what brings you joy, and pursue that. You'll be great at it." Rebekah Rollston is a family physician. She shares her story and discusses the KevinMD article, "So you want to be a doctor? Here are 10 truths." (https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2020/09/so-you-want-to-be-a-doctor-here-are-10-truths.html)

"I firmly believe that if physicians leveraged themselves and their knowledge of medicine, there would be no need to for them to undertake ventures in the fields that they know little about. The old adage goes like this: Physician, heal thyself. I call on my fellow physicians to heal themselves by dropping the cloak of victimhood and taking charge of their professional and personal destiny. We all spent years in medical school, residency, and for many, fellowship to become experts in our field. Let's apply that expertise and regain control of the practice of medicine by understanding the business of medicine in order to secure the integrity of medical practice and our financial future. If I could do this, so can everyone else. Audentes Fortuna Juvat." Sandra R. Weitz is an anesthesiologist. She shares her story and discusses her KevinMD article, "Fortune favors the bold: How a physician lives up to that motto." (https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2020/10/fortune-favors-the-bold-how-a-physician-lives-up-to-that-motto.html)

"The hospital systems ignored us by putting us lowest on the totem pole for the COVID vaccine. The pharmaceutical companies overlooked the strains on us and increased our vaccine prices. The medical supply companies took advantage of us by limiting our supplies and increasing prices astronomically. Worst of all, the insurance companies (knowing we are already the lowest reimbursed field) changed coding and billing requirements and reimbursements in 2021, ultimately decreasing our reimbursements even further. So now we are paid even lower than we were prior to the pandemic." Jamie S. Hutton is a pediatrician. She shares her story and discusses her KevinMD article, "Being a pediatrician in a pandemic." (https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2021/01/being-a-pediatrician-in-a-pandemic.html)

"As members of the health care workforce, we must recognize the crucial role we play in influencing vaccine uptake. With the death toll over rising in the U.S., the stakes could not be higher as the final death count will hinge on how quickly we can translate the vaccine's efficacy into real-world effectiveness through optimizing uptake. We should aim to increase vaccine uptake at 'warp speed.' Now is the time to harness the power of social media to combat disinformation. Now is the time to use creative content to put an end to this pandemic. This is our lane. Will you join us in this fight?" Emmanuel Ohuabunwa is an emergency medicine resident. He shares his story and discusses the KevinMD article, "COVID-19 vaccine and disinformation: How health care providers can leverage social media to combat this trend." (https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2020/12/covid-19-vaccine-and-disinformation-how-health-care-providers-can-leverage-social-media-to-combat-this-trend.html)

"Dr. Good's willing intervention and active interest in my development kept me in medical school and led me to become an academic anesthesiologist. When his career took a turn toward administration, his mentor, Dr. J. S. Gravenstein, took over. He convinced me to stay at the University of Florida, and a couple of years later, when I mentioned a need for a good introductory anesthesia textbook geared to medical students, he suggested we co-write one. So we did. Writing Essential Anesthesia: From Science to Practice together was an incredible journey. Not just through selecting topics and writing and choosing diagrams and writing and working with publishers and proofs and reviews, but through his innumerable stories about the evolution of anesthesia during his career and the story of his remarkable life. But that's a topic for another article, or a full-length book, or series, on its own. Sadly, Dr. J. S. Gravenstein did not live to see the publication of the 2nd Edition of our book. Instead, two of his sons wrote it with me. But Dr. Gravenstein made me into the educator I became." Tammy Euliano is an anesthesiologist and author of Fatal Intent. She shares her story and discusses her KevinMD article, "The inestimable value of a mentor." (https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2021/02/the-inestimable-value-of-a-mentor.html)

"I realized that training in psychiatry would give me the opportunity to understand suicide far better, and hopefully allow me to make a difference at an earlier stage. My exposure to psychiatry in medical school was clearly not enough. I was ill-equipped to fully grasp when individuals begin to have thoughts of suicide and when those thoughts progress into planning or researching methods – and then acting on them. As I thought back to the numbers of dead-on-arrival patients that I attended to in Detroit – dead by overdoses, self-inflicted gunshot wounds or stabbings, electrocution, asphyxia, drowning or jumping from tall buildings – I knew that I wanted to do more than pronounce people and fill out death certificates. Becoming a psychiatrist could help me save some of these despairing souls." Michael F. Myers is a psychiatrist and author of Becoming a Doctors' Doctor: A Memoir. He shares his story and discusses his KevinMD article, "Training in psychiatry would give me the opportunity to understand suicide far better." (https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2021/01/training-in-psychiatry-would-give-me-the-opportunity-to-understand-suicide-far-better.html)

"Medical professionals face uniquely challenging pressures. Our work itself is extremely demanding, and always has high stakes for those we care for. External circumstances that impact our work carry uncertainties that add more stress. Constantly feeling targeted as the financial solutions to greater health system issues compounds our burden. While some choose to talk about their struggles openly, many stay silent and suffer in solitude. There is reluctance to share for fear of being judged negatively in some way. This culture of silence is harmful, and it works against medical professionals' wellness. It is time that we address our difficulties head-on." Nina Ahuja is an ophthalmologist and author of Stress in Medicine: Lessons Learned Through My Years as a Surgeon, from Med School to Residency, and Beyond. She shares her story and discusses her KevinMD article, "The culture of silence works against medical professionals' wellness." (https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2021/02/the-culture-of-silence-works-against-medical-professionals-wellness.html)