The Podcast by KevinMD

"My sister called me. I answered. And, then, I lost it: 'He died. He died,' I repeated. 'Our patient died. I literally did CPR on this guy. We tried to save his life, and he died,' I repeated over and over. The tears streaming down my cheeks were cathartic. More than signifying a loss, the tears signified that I was still human, that I haven't lost touch with reality. Residency hasn't changed me. Death still affects me. I'm not numb. I'm human. My tears were confirmation that I haven't changed in that way. I was not calloused. He died. And I still felt it. I had a heart." Maseray S. Kamara is a general surgery resident and can be reached on Instagram @drkamara. She shares her story and discusses her KevinMD article, "Death still affects me. I'm not numb. I'm human." (https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2020/09/death-still-affects-me-im-not-numb-im-human.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.

"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 active one is on the leader, and self-reflection is the key to it. So, what's self-reflection? Simply put, reflection is a conscious consideration and analysis of our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors for the sole purpose of learning. Experiences can be messy, but reflection gives us an opportunity to unravel and sort through our feelings and thoughts, and the ability to gauze new perspectives. Self-reflection helps us see the bigger picture, see ourselves in a richer multidimensional way, and create meaning." Priti Golechha is a pediatrician and a physician executive. She shares her story and discusses her KevinMD article, "Lifelong learning through skillful self-reflection." (https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2020/08/lifelong-learning-through-skillful-self-reflection.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.

"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 their brain to a whiteboard to a minimum viable product. In those times, progress can seem elusive, and sometimes even when the resources are at hand, we may not know if we are moving forward." Amelia L. Bueche is an osteopathic physician and founder, This Osteopathic Life. Akash Sharma is a nuclear radiologist and can be reached at Jeevun. They share their stories and discuss their KevinMD article, "Accountability partnership: a secret ingredient for entrepreneurial success." (https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2020/08/accountability-partnership-a-secret-ingredient-for-entrepreneurial-success.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'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 of practicing medicine in a pandemic have actually improved, such as the increase in possible treatments and data to support those treatments. But one of the most stressful aspects of practicing medicine right now is the unexpected second front—the propagation of information from an increasingly vocal group of people who think the dangers of COVID-19 are imagined or manufactured." Clarissa Barnes is an internal medicine physician and can be reached at Dr. Clarissa Explains Healthcare. She shares her story and discusses her KevinMD articles, "COVID-19 is a war on two fronts" (https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2020/05/covid-19-is-a-war-on-two-fronts.html) and "To my health care colleagues in South Dakota." (https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2020/10/to-my-health-care-colleagues-in-south-dakota.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.

"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 program taught me how to at least limit their appearances. I worked hard over the months, showing up for shifts with an energy I had not seen in myself for decades, a newfound enthusiasm I had not felt since my residency days back in Baltimore." "J. D. Remy" is an emergency physician and author of Ballad of a Sober Man: An ER Doctor's Journey of Recovery. (https://amzn.to/3lZlBHu) He shares his story and discusses his KevinMD article, "A sober emergency physician returns to work, just in time to face the COVID-19 pandemic." (https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2020/08/a-sober-emergency-physician-returns-to-work-just-in-time-to-face-the-covid-19-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.

"You have made difficult choices about your family's health and safety already. Pediatricians help parents make these kinds of decisions all the time. The shared- decision model for practicing medicine encourages doctors like me to help provide information and counseling to empower you to make decisions. You've already made decisions essential to your family's health, whether about vaccination, safe sleep, or car seats. Other more everyday decisions parents make also carry real risk — driving while tired or distracted or selecting other activities like skiing or soccer. You can make difficult decisions and, in the process of coping with the pandemic, maybe you'll learn more about what's important to your family." Kelly Fradin is a pediatrician and author of Parenting in a Pandemic: How to help your family through COVID-19. She shares her story and discusses her KevinMD article, "Parenting in a pandemic: Making the best decisions for your family." (https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2020/08/parenting-in-a-pandemic-making-the-best-decisions-for-your-family.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.

"These strategies on how the rich get richer do not only apply to the wealthy. These same opportunities and strategies are open to us as well. If we want to accumulate wealth, or simply keep more of the money we currently have without paying a large portion in taxes, then we should consider following the strategies above. Think about what you are good at or what you like doing and consider a business you could start, product you could create/sell, or service you can render then file it as an LLC (or other business entity). Before you know it, you've "started your own business" and can now take advantage of tax rules that allow you to write off many of the expenses you already paid for. If you feel you pay too much in taxes, then meet with a tax advisor or talk to an experienced professional about ways you can lower your taxes. If you'd like to have your net worth increase in value so you can start living the life you've always envisioned, then talk to a financial planner and start investing. If you don't have a financial planner or don't think you can afford one, then start by putting money aside in your job's 401(k) plan and investing the money in that account into a low-cost index mutual fund. (If you're an advanced investor, then start learning about real estate and other active/passive investments.)" Altelisha Taylor is a family medicine resident and can be reached at Career Money Moves. She shares her story and discusses her KevinMD article, "3 ways the wealthy increase their net worth." (https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2020/08/3-ways-the-wealthy-increase-their-net-worth.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.

"A majority of physicians see between 11 and 20 patients per day, and among all practices, the majority of doctors spend between 17 and 24 minutes with each patient. Assuming a five-day workweek, this translates to more than 900 patient interactions per year and over 1,066 minutes spent communicating with patients. Today, many of these interactions fall short of effective communication so pivotal to building rapport, trust, and loyalty with patients and ultimately driving down the bottom-line results. While most physicians are compassionate by nature, many struggle to convey that compassion. A recent survey on doctor-patient interactions found that 71% of patients reported they've experienced a lack of compassion when speaking with a medical professional, and 73% stated that they always or often feel rushed by their doctor. These findings highlight the need for medical professionals to develop the 'soft skills' – verbal and non-verbal communication techniques, listening skills, and empathy – critical for transforming the patient experience, increasing patient satisfaction, and improving outcomes." Anthony Orsini is neonatologist and founder, The Orsini Way. He is the author of It's All In The Delivery: Improving Healthcare Starting With A Single Conversation. He shares his story and discusses his KevinMD article, "The case for compassionate communication." (https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2020/08/the-case-for-compassionate-communication.html)

"Around the time of the coronavirus outbreak, 2019 also marked a full century since the death of Sir William Osler, who revolutionized medical training. Despite some lingering debate over whether Dr. Osler's pneumonia-related death should be counted among the 50 million lost to the 1918 influenza pandemic, his notes suggest that he believed the flu precipitated his demise. As a chaplain who teaches medical humanities and professional identity formation in a medical school, I've been thinking about how Dr. Osler might have guided medical students during COVID-19. Here, the evidence is a little clearer. Dr. Osler advocated for trainees to 'let no day pass without contact with the greatest literature in the world,' and to spend 30 minutes each night reading from a bedside library of ten classics. Included among these recommended texts were the Old and New Testaments and Sir Thomas Browne's Religio Medici, a physician's spiritual testament." Elizabeth J. Berger is an advanced practice board-certified chaplain and a narrative medicine specialist. She shares her story and discusses her KevinMD article, "Why spiritual health is so important for medical students." (https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2020/08/why-spiritual-health-so-important-for-medical-students.html)

"Our country, and the world, is beyond exhausted by COVID-19 and the utter chaos and destruction of lives it has caused. All people, including physicians, are being pushed beyond capacity. What do we mean, collateral damage? Originally related to war: the unintended result of a terrible, unprecedented event or action. We may not be in a traditional war, but make no mistake, we are in a war. We can and must do better for our mentally ill patients. They deserve it. Their families deserve it. As physicians, we took an oath to care for all people, not just those with a 'cool kid's disease.' It is time." Ann L. Contrucci is a pediatrician. She shares her story and discusses her KevinMD article, "Mental health care is the not so silent collateral damage of COVID-19." (https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2020/07/mental-health-care-is-the-not-so-silent-collateral-damage-of-covid-19.html)