The Podcast by KevinMD

"Have you ever wondered how much time we spend worrying about call, versus the amount of time that we actually spend being on call? What about the Monday after a long weekend, returning from vacation, or an overnight shift? Is it as bad as we think it's going to be, even a fraction of the time? Is it worth all of that anticipation?" Katie Townes is a physician and founder, Physician Lounge Online. She shares her story and discusses her KevinMD article, "4 ways to decrease your dread of being on-call." (https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2020/08/4-ways-to-decrease-your-dread-of-being-on-call.html) This episode is sponsored by Elsevier Health (https://www.us.elsevierhealth.com/). Looking to update your personal or professional medical library? Shop Elsevier Health's Holiday Sale and save up to 35% on your purchase of medical books! Plus, you can take an extra 5% off your order with code KEVINMD at checkout. Take advantage of the biggest sale of the year from Elsevier, the world-leading provider of medical books and reference materials. Shop us.elsevierhealth.com now through December 31.

"I was admitted to the hospital for psychiatric evaluation and stabilization just after my third year of medical school. Leading up to my episode, I thought I was fine – stressed, sure, overworked, definitely, but I thought that was normal for someone just finishing a year of clinical rotations. I deteriorated rapidly, and by the time I was admitted, I felt dazed, disoriented, and completely exhausted. I didn't know what day it was or where I was, but I knew one thing with crystalizing certainty – I wanted to be dead. It was an incredibly isolating experience, one that left me feeling alone and terribly frightened. But since then, I've come to realize the harsh reality: I am not alone. Mattie Renn and Thomas Pak are medical students. They share their stories and discuss their KevinMD article, "The mental health jeopardy of our youngest healers." (https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2020/09/the-mental-health-jeopardy-of-our-youngest-healers.html) This episode is sponsored by Elsevier Health (https://www.us.elsevierhealth.com/). Looking to update your personal or professional medical library? Shop Elsevier Health's Holiday Sale and save up to 35% on your purchase of medical books! Plus, you can take an extra 5% off your order with code KEVINMD at checkout. Take advantage of the biggest sale of the year from Elsevier, the world-leading provider of medical books and reference materials. Shop us.elsevierhealth.com now through December 31.

"When I was regularly working 80+ hours a week, and was on call almost every day, I had to admit that something needed to change. I stepped back and did significant research to find a strategy to help coach myself out of constant exhaustion and put myself first. Today, I'm a peak performance speaker who helps other ambitious and overworked health care professionals to find their voice, feel more confident as influential leaders, and fall back in love with their career. I believe with the right system, ambitious professionals can be both: powerhouses in health care and passionate people in life. You just have to say no to almost everything, so you can say 'heck yes' to the only things that matter! Let me share with you the three-step process that has helped me to fall back in love with my career." Sabrina Runbeck is a cardiothoracic surgery physician assistant. She shares her story and discusses her KevinMD article, "How to bring joy and be valued while avoiding burnout." (https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2020/09/how-to-bring-joy-and-be-valued-while-avoiding-burnout.html) This episode is sponsored by Elsevier Health (https://www.us.elsevierhealth.com/). Looking to update your personal or professional medical library? Shop Elsevier Health's Holiday Sale and save up to 35% on your purchase of medical books! Plus, you can take an extra 5% off your order with code KEVINMD at checkout. Take advantage of the biggest sale of the year from Elsevier, the world-leading provider of medical books and reference materials. Shop us.elsevierhealth.com now through December 31.

"I write in my book, 'I know from experience that nothing positive comes from directing blame at yourself.' When it comes to chronic illness (which includes chronic pain), it's crucial to remember that you are not the enemy. Anyone can get sick, physically or mentally, and anybody can develop chronic pain. I just got an email from a women who turned 20 last month and has been in chronic pain for most of her young life. Chronic pain and illness come with the human condition. It's not your fault when they come calling. Don't make things worse by adding self-blame to the mix. Instead, add self-compassion to help alleviate your emotional suffering." Toni Bernhard is a patient advocate and the author of How to Be Sick: Your Pocket Companion. (https://amzn.to/3pCHcb9) She shares her story and discusses her KevinMD article, "10 challenges faced by those with chronic pain and illness." (https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2020/09/10-challenges-faced-by-those-with-chronic-pain-and-illness.html) This episode is sponsored by Elsevier Health (https://www.us.elsevierhealth.com/). Looking to update your personal or professional medical library? Shop Elsevier Health's Holiday Sale and save up to 35% on your purchase of medical books! Plus, you can take an extra 5% off your order with code KEVINMD at checkout. Take advantage of the biggest sale of the year from Elsevier, the world-leading provider of medical books and reference materials. Shop us.elsevierhealth.com now through December 31.

"Ultimately, our job is a difficult one. It's hard to take usual comfort in heartwarming statistics or hollow promises of prosperity when you find yourself loving and grieving your patients. I have found there is comfort and an impenetrable hope that comes from this; this is the life-hack for training: Seek the welfare of the program, the institution, the city where you have found yourself. For in its welfare, there you will also find your welfare. As you start, finish, or continue your training, let the foundation of your vocation be marked by the virtue of hope rooted in doing the little things with great love. This rhythm will help you not only in the transition to or from training, but will also allow you thrive in the wake of this pandemic." Sumner Abraham is an internal medicine physician. He shares his story and discusses his KevinMD article, "A letter to medical interns, in the midst of a pandemic." (https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2020/04/a-letter-to-medical-interns-in-the-midst-of-a-pandemic.html) This episode is sponsored by Elsevier Health (https://www.us.elsevierhealth.com/). Looking to update your personal or professional medical library? Shop Elsevier Health's Holiday Sale and save up to 35% on your purchase of medical books! Plus, you can take an extra 5% off your order with code KEVINMD at checkout. Take advantage of the biggest sale of the year from Elsevier, the world-leading provider of medical books and reference materials. Shop us.elsevierhealth.com now through December 31.

"If we are serious about supporting the optimal health and well being of our nations' patients and physicians, we need to start believing and implementing the science across the public and private sectors. We need to recognize that at its core, the practice of medicine is a human science. We need to allocate and deploy resources to the people and programs in health care doing the work of healing our nation. We need to provide a 'self-care as health care' optimal health system, which is educative, accessible, preventative, and patient-centered. This is what a successful health care system looks like." Lillie Rosenthal is a physiatrist. She shares her story and discusses her KevinMD article, "This is what a successful health care system looks like." (https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2020/09/this-is-what-a-successful-health-care-system-looks-like.html) This episode is sponsored by Elsevier Health (https://www.us.elsevierhealth.com/). Looking to update your personal or professional medical library? Shop Elsevier Health's Holiday Sale and save up to 35% on your purchase of medical books! Plus, you can take an extra 5% off your order with code KEVINMD at checkout. Take advantage of the biggest sale of the year from Elsevier, the world-leading provider of medical books and reference materials. Shop us.elsevierhealth.com now through December 31.

"Recently, a fellow physician mom ended her life. While outwardly, a very vibrant, lively, and happy woman, she fought her own internal demons for some time. From what we know, she struggled with depression but was still committed to being a good mom, physician, and wife. Sadly, a few days before her birthday, she could no longer bear her sadness and decided to end her agony. I know many physicians' lives follow these patterns. What shook me this time, though, was a discussion I had with a very close group of friends. These are all very highly educated professionals whom I love, respect, and admire. But, none are physicians." Fariha Shafi is an internal medicine physician. She shares her story and discusses her KevinMD article, "Who are the doctors who end their own lives?" (https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2020/01/who-are-the-doctors-who-end-their-own-lives.html) This episode is sponsored by Elsevier Health (https://www.us.elsevierhealth.com/). Looking to update your personal or professional medical library? Shop Elsevier Health's Holiday Sale and save up to 35% on your purchase of medical books! Plus, you can take an extra 5% off your order with code KEVINMD at checkout. Take advantage of the biggest sale of the year from Elsevier, the world-leading provider of medical books and reference materials. Shop us.elsevierhealth.com now through December 31.

"In medicine, the guise of 'professionalism' is an example of how an oppressive system has led us to believe that we ought not to advocate for our rights. It would be 'unprofessional' to organize for a better health care system for both patients and workers. To work towards personal liberation, Boal calls for a transformational process to bypass the censorship of habit and find 'antibodies' to oppression. With this situation so clearly revealed, the COVID-19 crisis has become an unprecedented moment for physician organizing. Where does this leave the mental health profession and their role in managing this current crisis? We are very much equipped to address individual concerns. But addressing systemic issues does not come naturally to the mental health profession, which was founded in large part on individually-based approaches. But any approach to mental health today must recognize that if the system we work in is making us sick, then it is not enough to change ourselves." Eden Almasude is a psychiatry resident. She shares her story and discusses the KevinMD article that she co-wrote, "COVID-19 is the symptom. Chronic oppressive job conditions are the disease." (https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2020/07/covid-19-is-the-symptom-chronic-oppressive-job-conditions-are-the-disease.html) This episode is sponsored by Elsevier Health (https://www.us.elsevierhealth.com/). Looking to update your personal or professional medical library? Shop Elsevier Health's Holiday Sale and save up to 35% on your purchase of medical books! Plus, you can take an extra 5% off your order with code KEVINMD at checkout. Take advantage of the biggest sale of the year from Elsevier, the world-leading provider of medical books and reference materials. Shop us.elsevierhealth.com now through December 31.

This episode is brought to you by Doc2Doc Lending (https://www.doc2doclending.com/), a novel lending platform created for doctors, by doctors, with the aim of facilitating fast access to personal loans at rates that make sense. "For the vast majority of us doctors, a career in medicine will also mean spending a significant portion of our adult lives carrying multiple forms of debt. Understanding student loans (the average medical school graduate in 2019 had $201,490 in student loans while the average dental school graduate had $292,159), credit card debt, home mortgages, car loans, and practice loans, becomes a worthy exercise given the potential impact – both positive and negative – these products can have on our personal and professional lives as we consume them. We'd like to propose a methodology to understand and assess loan options, using a doctor-specific perspective, to better appreciate when the pros outweigh the cons or vice versa. This methodology is based on our experience in speaking with applicants through the Doc2Doc Lending platform (the platform facilitates personal loans exclusively to physicians and dentists, and as part of the application process offers each applicant a call with a doctor-member of our Doc2Doc team to speak through the product, application process, and the applicant's goals) and it is by no means meant to be financial advice. Through these conversations, we have observed many similar themes that arise from applicant to applicant which has formed the basis for this construct. In our experience, there are three common areas that will generally be the determining factors as to whether a loan may make sense: the immediate and future impact on cash flow the total cost of the money borrowed over the entire term of the loan the degree of flexibility built into the terms of the product As doctors, debt is a real and important part of our personal and professional lives. We hope this framework may serve as a starting point for better understanding when a loan is the right decision for you." Kenton Allen and Zwade Marshall are anesthesiologists. They are cofounders, Doc2Doc Lending (https://www.doc2doclending.com/), a novel lending platform created for doctors, by doctors, with the aim of facilitating fast access to personal loans at rates that make sense. Doc2Doc Lending was founded on the belief that doctors are a unique group that are more responsible in repaying debt obligations than the general population. Doc2Doc Lending employs a proprietary underwriting algorithm that considers doctor-specific metrics to enable interest rates that are often more favorable than those found at traditional banks. Drs. Allen and Marshall are neither licensed financial nor investment advisors; they are not accountants or attorneys. Any opinions expressed above are solely their own. Learn more at www.doc2doclending.com.

"I'm now CMO at a private biotech company focused on developing therapies for patients with rare endocrine diseases. We are conducting a trial in the U.S., Europe, and Israel. I mention this to raise the possibility of travel in pharma/biotech roles. In most companies, roles are both 'functional' (i.e., clinical development, medical affairs, marketing) and geographic (i.e., global, regional). I've had both global roles, being responsible for the entire world strategy for a therapy, and U.S. specific roles where I've focused on the U.S. only. Some roles, like medical science liaison, are smaller areas of focus (state or several states). I enjoy travel and have been able to do so extensively; however, there are roles where travel is limited. One of the great things about physician roles – there is a broad range of careers that can be had, and it's likely there is one to fit your life needs! There is a need for physicians in pharma/biotech, and physicians need to more exposure to this career path. I encourage doctors to network; connect with people to learn and make your name known. My final piece of advice is to understand how all of your past experiences, whether leadership, management, or research translate into supporting your resume for a role in pharma/biotech; do not undersell your experience!" Nerissa Kreher is a pediatric endocrinologist and founder, The IndustryMDCoach. She shares her story and discusses her KevinMD article, "How physicians can find jobs in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries." (https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2020/08/how-physicians-can-find-jobs-in-the-pharmaceutical-and-biotechnology-industries.html) This episode is sponsored by Elsevier Health (https://www.us.elsevierhealth.com/). Looking to update your personal or professional medical library? Shop Elsevier Health's Holiday Sale and save up to 35% on your purchase of medical books! Plus, you can take an extra 5% off your order with code KEVINMD at checkout. Take advantage of the biggest sale of the year from Elsevier, the world-leading provider of medical books and reference materials. Shop us.elsevierhealth.com now through December 31.