The Podcast by KevinMD

"I was a bit nervous about how she would perceive my advice. She could find it inappropriate and report me for making personal remarks. But I believe she sensed the sincerity in my words and appeared invigorated, uplifted, and excited. She was smiling now and exclaimed, 'Doctor, you will see now how I get my game on!' She asked me when her next scans would be, and I told her, 'First, you make an appointment at the hair salon, and I will schedule your next scans after that.' We struck a deal, and her body language changed. She jumped out of her chair and walked out of the room like a woman on a mission. A mission to look good. A mission to not feel ugly. I don't know how much longer she has to live. She may have another two months or another two years. I will be ready to treat any symptom she gets from cancer, but I will also make sure that we do everything for her to feel beautiful. Just like she actually is." Farhan S. Imran is a hematology-oncology physician who blogs at Did I Ask? He shares his story and discusses his KevinMD article, "After all the years of medical training, I learned how to treat ugly on my own." (https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2021/04/after-all-the-years-of-medical-training-i-learned-how-to-treat-ugly-on-my-own.html) This episode is sponsored by Tradeoffs, available on your favorite podcast platform.

"Always remember your humanity. You are not super-human. Make connections to your heart, to your mind, to others. Look closely at the situation that lies before you, listen carefully to all that is around you, and calm the pounding heart. Dig deep within your psyche, ask the big questions, and most importantly, listen to the answers. Rediscover the reasons that have been your motivation, your driving force. Uncover those layers you have put in place for your protection to cushion against the harshness. Open your eyes. Open your heart. Your lifeline is within your grasp. This lifeline is tethered to your core, to those you care for, to those who care for you. Once lost, you are now found. You are at equilibrium. You have found your way back." Michele Luckenbaugh is a patient advocate. She shares her story and discusses her KevinMD article, "A message from a patient to health care workers: Always remember your humanity." (https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2021/08/a-message-from-a-patient-to-health-care-workers-always-remember-your-humanity.html) This episode is sponsored by Tradeoffs, available on your favorite podcast platform.

"In fully-humanized health care, I envision patients as clients, with doctors as part of the health care team in a role more akin to expert consultants and skilled proceduralists. The consumer is empowered in the network to drive his or her own health — taking the central role rather than the physician. By continuously humanizing health care and creating therapeutic alliances, we gain one more benefit. We enlist the efforts of the client's natural support network, a free army of caregivers to reduce the load on our overburdened health care system. But to be effective, the support network will need engaging and actionable information. Together with providers, they will help individuals integrate multiple modalities in their journey toward healthfulness. Therapeutic alliances not only would reduce costs by sharing information with people in a way that encourages them to take more responsibility for their own health, but they would also reduce the dehumanization rampant in health care today." Summer Knight is a family physician and physician executive. She is the author of Humanizing Healthcare: Hardwire Humanity into the Future of Health. She shares her story and discusses her KevinMD article, "Humane health care outcomes by creating therapeutic alliances." (https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2021/04/humane-health-care-outcomes-by-creating-therapeutic-alliances.html)

"While opposition to the vaccine may be hardening, pediatricians and family physicians enjoy an advantage the CDC and Dr. Fauci may not: namely, they are liked and trusted by patients. In general, parents look to personal physicians for guidance and usually follow their advice on health care for their children. Doctors can use that trust to convince skeptical parents of the benefits of getting their children vaccinated. Even the medical office setting can be an advantage. Unlike a bustling pharmacy or a crowded mass vaccination site, a doctor's office offers a low-key, familiar environment, one in which a parent might be more open to counseling." Rich Parker is an internal medicine physician. He shares his story and discusses his KevinMD article, "How to get young patients vaccinated against COVID-19." (https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2021/08/how-to-get-young-patients-vaccinated-against-covid-19.html)

"The idea was to try working in Rome for a year and see how it went. This sensible American plan collapsed under the weight of Italian bureaucracy. Luckily I didn't investigate every angle before starting off; if I had known the true lay of the land I might not have kept going after that Italian medical license like a donkey after his carrot. I'd have taken a job in some clinic in the Bronx, where I'd be seeing four patients an hour to this day. Instead, I made those steps you can't retrace: gave up my three-bedroom apartment on the Upper West Side with views of the Empire State Building and the Tri- borough Bridge, and sold my Dodge Challenger convertible to a pinky-ringed Turkish importer-exporter who planned to strip it down to the skeleton of an Oriental low-rider. Months beforehand I started focusing my Manhattanite efficiency on getting registered in Italy, my Italian husband leading me by the hand through the wilderness of Old World red tape. The first step was "getting my documents together," an Italian ritual repeated before every encounter with officialdom. Sticking to a list kindly provided by the Italian Consulate, I collected my birth certificate, passport, high school diploma, college diploma, college transcript, medical school diploma, medical school transcript, certificates of internship and residency, National Board Examination certificates, American Board of Internal Medicine test results, and specialization diploma. Then I got them transfigured into Italian by the one person in New York authorized by the Italian Consulate to crown his translation with an imprimatur. We judiciously gave him a set of our own translations as crib notes, tailored by my husband to match the Rome medical school curriculum." Susan Levenstein is an internal medicine physician and author of Dottoressa: An American Doctor in Rome. She shares her story and discusses her KevinMD article, "An American doctor in Rome." (https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2019/09/an-american-doctor-in-rome.html)

"I have no doubt, given my extensive experience in health care and being a Black woman in America, that we as health care professionals have made the same mistakes as Chris Harrison with our patients. Instead of listening to and validating our patients' concerns, we make excuses for ourselves or the people who have caused the injustice that our patients are experiencing. Effectively we delegitimize or invalidate their concerns, and we exacerbate their pain due to the experience. In some ways, our role as clinicians, combined with the reason for them seeking health care, magnifies and even eclipses the pain from the original experience causing an even more damaging effect. Whether or not we believe their experience is real or perceived is irrelevant. We are no authority to know the difference, and when a patient is in our care, it is our responsibility to place their needs first. As health care professionals, we should strive to validate our patients' feelings and offer comfort whether or not we agree about the etiology. Resist the urge to justify or defend the perceived abusers. I believe that this could potentially improve our relationship with our patients and improve their care and, as a bonus, make us more empathetic to the other people in our lives." Monique Rainford is an obstetrician-gynecologist. She shares her story and discusses her KevinMD article, "When it comes to bias, doctors need to do their homework." (https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2021/07/when-it-comes-to-bias-doctors-need-to-do-their-homework.html)

"We have a chance to take a meaningful step in fighting burnout and mental health issues in the health care profession. We have lost too many valued and vibrant health care professionals due to an illness that is treatable but stigmatized – including the devastating loss of Dr. Lorna Breen. The Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act will leave a lasting legacy for bettering our health care community, taking the first step in addressing this horrible crisis. Endorsement of the Lorna Breen Act is not limited to medical students, other health care workers, students, and hospitals have a stake." Corey Feist is co-founder, Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes Foundation. He shares his story and discusses the KevinMD article, "A step forward: a way to advance the mental health of health care professionals." (https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2021/05/a-step-forward-a-way-to-advance-the-mental-health-of-health-care-professionals.html)

"Five years into my practice as an academic allergist/immunologist, my perceptions continue to evolve. Though once primarily informed by my mentors' wisdom, I continue incorporating my experiences as both physician and autoimmune patient to guide my practice. Though we all know medicine isn't like it used to be, nostalgia is bittersweet. In its wake, the real question remains: how are we going to respond to ongoing changes and fight for the health of our patients and our colleagues? From the loss of autonomy with the advent of managed care and corporate takeovers, we find ourselves practicing under increased pressure from all sides. Less time and resources to help sicker patients. Answering not only to our patients' needs but those of insurance companies and other interested parties whose motives are less than altruistic." Kara Wada is an allergist-immunologist. She shares her story and discusses her KevinMD article, "Burnout and bias? Or medical gaslighting?" (https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2021/07/burnout-and-bias-or-medical-gaslighting.html)

"It is no wonder that in 2020, a Doximity physician compensation report revealed there were no specialties in medicine in which women earned the same or more than men. We can all agree that many things could account for this, including structural barriers and lack of diversity or mentorship. It may also include factors such as women not maximizing billing knowledge, not knowing how to negotiate, not asking for the same or more of what is offered and just not thinking about what they really want. Instead as women, we think of others first, or what others expect of us. Yes, we know we want the job or the position. But is that position truly, truly, taking you towards your true purpose? Becoming chief of department, manager or CEO, are remarkable goals and should be pursued. But are the pursuits authentic to what you consciously found your purpose is? It is not about what your family thought you should achieve, but about doing something that truly takes you and continues to propel you on your true-life purpose. If you have not thought about it, then I challenge you to find introspection. Find consciousness and think about your true purpose. Continue to follow its path to experience joy so it will not leave you with regret when you look back. Find your purpose. Ask yourself, 'What do I really want in life?' And do it today." Diana Londoño is a urologist and can be reached at her self-titled site, Dr. Diana Londono, and on Twitter @DianaLondonoMD. She shares her story and discusses her KevinMD article, "What do you really want in life?" (https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2021/08/what-do-you-really-want-in-life.html)

"The problem with health care isn't 'fixing' the system. The problem is continuing to ensure that profits can be made and millions can be employed while better health care outcomes and experiences are achieved. We won't find the solution to that problem by embracing the solutions offered by either the right or the left. We need to leave the past behind and start again, building a new health care system that better meets our needs. We have to build from the ground up, starting with a new foundation. I can't wish away the political realities that stand in the way of such fundamental reform. But given all that's at stake, I'm unwilling to accept anything less than this goal. Hopefully, you agree." Jeb Dunkelberger is a health care executive and author of Rich & Dying: An Insider Calls Bullsh*t on America's Healthcare Economy. He shares his story and discusses his KevinMD article, "Our health care system may be failing, but it isn't broken." (https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2021/06/our-health-care-system-may-be-failing-but-it-isnt-broken.html)