The Podcast by KevinMD

"We are in the midst of a crisis in humanity. While we are still dealing with COVID pandemic and its deleterious health, economic and societal consequences, our troubling past of racism and inequality is rearing its ugly head. The senseless killings at the hands of police, the shameful subjugation of persons of color, the systemic prejudice of a person based upon gender, sexual orientation, or disability have placed us at a tipping point in society. We are vulnerable as a community, as a state, and as a nation. As I am writing this, I am disheartened, disillusioned, and spiritually broken. Our children are witnesses and possibly victims of this inequity. So we as persons of all ways of life and ethnicity must do right for our current generation of highly impressionable minds. As I pen this 'call to care,' I ask you all to consider the following important actions." Nicolo Geralde is a neonatologist. He shares his story and discusses his KevinMD articles, "We are in the midst of a crisis in humanity" (https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2020/06/we-are-in-the-midst-of-a-crisis-in-humanity.html) and "A different perspective on PPE during the COVID-19 crisis." (https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2020/04/a-different-perspective-on-ppe-during-the-covid-19-crisis.html)

"With my passion for writing and connecting digitally with others in health care and the general public, this 'downtime' has allowed for an expansion of these interests. I've begun recording on my podcast, a multidisciplinary conversation between women who thrive in fields that traditionally they haven't thought to be able to (or shouldn't). I've spent more time than I ever could have imagined with my son – a wonderful by-product of the distancing measures. And I've found that I love to make my friends – and even strangers – find their laughter during this dark time. My family and friends will often attest to this, how I get joy from getting a smile, a smirk, or even a head shake (I can see you trying not to laugh under there though). As I've grown as a clinician, I've become more comfortable with infusing humor – appropriately – with my patients, and I know that a shared laugh even as they are going through a time that isn't the best in their lives is appreciated." Nancy Yen Shipley is an orthopedic surgeon and can be reached at her self-titled site, NancyMD, and on Twitter @_nancymd and Instagram @_nancymd. She shares her story and discusses her KevinMD article, "How a physician finds laughter during this dark time." (https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2020/04/how-a-physician-finds-laughter-during-this-dark-time.html) We also discuss her #1 tip for women physicians interested in traditionally male-dominated fields, and her new podcast, The 6% with NancyMD. (https://www.nancymd.com/podcast/)

"I had been trained to be this way. No panic, just a calm journeyman's approach to any affliction, like a mathematician working an equation. Years of preparation, acquiring a skill set, building up my vault, had readied me to stand in the lounge like a zebra. And so, I stared at my hands to see if I was actually here, to see who I was. Maybe I was hoping to see something different. Anything, really. A tremble, a shake. But I saw nothing. Just my hands. Steady. Solid. Quiet. The clock clicked, 8:21. It was one of those old-school clocks, like you'd see on the wall back in grade school. I had zoned out looking at a similar clock at my son's last parent-teacher conference. The second hand was rigid and jerky, making a big move forward, then a small move back. Big forward, small back. Everything fits together, like the pieces of a giant puzzle. The picture becomes clear only when the dark colors blend with the bright. The picture is revealed because of the unity of pieces. I felt the seconds ticking, moving forward from 8:21. Even though it didn't look like it, deep down, the last thirty minutes had kicked my ass. From the outside I was calm, but somewhere inside, the hideous reality of death and suffering screamed and rattled in my well-guarded cage." Shannon Sovndal is an emergency physician and author of Fragile: Beauty in Chaos, Grace in Tragedy, and the Hope That Lives in Between. (https://amzn.to/30SyL1C) He shares his story and discusses his KevinMD article, "Calm in the face of the hideous reality of death." (https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2020/05/calm-in-the-face-of-the-hideous-reality-of-death.html)

How do racial issues affect patients' physical and mental health, and how do we address them during regular visits? For those without the lived experience of the black community, how can we learn and educate ourselves? How are the current protests different from those in the past? In order for us to make enduring changes that arise from the protests, what needs to happen? C. Nicole Swiner is a family physician and can be reached at Docswiner and on Twitter @docswiner. She shares her story and her perspective on the country's racial climate and how it affects both doctors and patients.

"Physicians have struggled and sacrificed to develop the clinical judgment and skill needed to provide competent clinical care. They have undergone over a decade of schooling and training, taken on excessive student loan debt, worked backbreaking hours for low pay during residency, and risked their lives during the process. Yet when they have completed their training, they often times have to pay excessive malpractice premiums, having to answer to bureaucrats, administrators, insurance companies, politicians, and lawyers. Many times they get the short end of the stick, and are completely expendable by the system. Their incomes are tied to a job, boss, corporate, and regulatory entities that do not have their best interests in mind. More frequently, these entities are failing physicians. Look at what happened with COVID-19, and ask yourself, "What if that source of income was eliminated by no fault of your own?" What is needed is a paradigm shift, and breaking out of traditional modes of linear thinking that our profession is so accustomed to. Now, more than ever, it's not just about having a single high-income wage. Too many physicians are living paycheck-to-paycheck, have large liabilities, little-to-no savings, and families to support. Today's physicians must be able to use asset and income diversification to mitigate economic risks." Christopher H. Loo is a physician and author of How I Quit My Lucrative Medical Career and Achieved Financial Freedom Using Real Estate. (https://amzn.to/37MiPPB) He shares his story and discusses his KevinMD article, "How COVID-19 is forcing physicians to rethink the concept of job security." (https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2020/05/how-covid-19-is-forcing-physicians-to-rethink-the-concept-of-job-security.html) This episode is brought to you by Money Insights. Please visit Moneyinsights.net/KevinMD (https://moneyinsights.net/KevinMD/) for a unique financial strategy to help physicians across the country grow and protect their wealth.

"Sitting in front of my laptop with both of us on the screen, I can maintain decent eye contact even if I look something up or type something into the medical record. The patient sees me as paying more attention than when I couldn't effectively both maintain eye contact and look at the screen while talking to him or her (because I'm not that good at typing). Without the ability to do a physical exam, I have more time to listen and ask questions, and my patient is speaking to me from their home environment without the distractions of getting to my office, sitting in the waiting room and perhaps waiting in a sterile exam room longer than they should have. We are now perhaps a little more at ease as we begin our encounter. Without the trappings of the medical office, we are face to face, and our surroundings are less obvious and less able to distract us. We feel more on an equal playing field, each one of us in our own environment. At the same time, if the patient chooses to, they can show me a glimpse of theirs. Just the other day, a tough-looking ex-convict showed me his new cat, a surprising side of him that deepened my understanding of his new life and new level of responsibility and respectability." Hans Duvefelt, also known as "A Country Doctor," is a family physician who blogs at A Country Doctor Writes: and is the author of A Country Doctor Writes: CONDITIONS: Diseases and Other Life Circumstances. (https://amzn.to/30Kl0BT) He shares his story and why he writes, explores how the pandemic change primary care, and discusses his KevinMD article, "Will telemedicine make us better diagnosticians?" (https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2020/05/will-telemedicine-make-us-better-diagnosticians.html) This episode is brought to you by Money Insights. Please visit Moneyinsights.net/KevinMD (https://moneyinsights.net/KevinMD/) for a unique financial strategy to help physicians across the country grow and protect their wealth.

Physicians are finding out that their jobs aren't as secure as they thought. Many have taken salary acts, are furloughed, or worse, laid off completely. It comes as a financial shock to many doctors. In this episode, gastroenterologist and certified financial coach Brent Lacey shares his tips and advice on how physicians can navigate these uncertain financial times. Brent Lacey is a gastroenterologist and certified financial coach and can be reached at the Scope of Practice. He shares his story and discusses finance tips for physicians in the year 2020. This episode is brought to you by Money Insights. Please visit Moneyinsights.net/KevinMD (https://moneyinsights.net/KevinMD/) for a unique financial strategy to help physicians across the country grow and protect their wealth.

"We desperately want to be part of it. For most of us, this pandemic has tapped at a foundational, altruistic urge to do our part. Our friends and loved ones are on the frontlines, their faces creased by masks worn all day, their eyes bloodshot, their foreheads grooved by too-tight goggles. Our friends and loved ones risk their lives while we … don't. If you're anything like me, social isolation has felt like the opposite of heroism. It's felt like a jarring mix of survivor guilt, uselessness, and boredom." Mark G. Shrime is an otolaryngologist. He shares his story, global health perspective, and discusses his KevinMD article, "Let's not let our pride get in the way of heroism." (https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2020/04/lets-not-let-our-pride-get-in-the-way-of-heroism.html)

"When the director of my general surgery program asked for a report on how the pandemic was affecting the residents, I queried my colleagues, promising anonymity to encourage candor. I received a wide variety of responses and reactions. Some are thriving; others are not. In the end, I cannot decide if things are going well or not. That may be because everything still feels uncertain and, at times, overwhelming. Parts of our health system are shining, and others need improvement. As residents, we're frightened; we're fearless; we're overworked; we want to work more. But we are all proud of our work, our colleagues, and our institution. Generations of doctors have lived and died without facing a catastrophic health event quite like this one. Our institution and our forebears have faced many. This is our time." Maggie Connolly is a general surgery resident. She shares her story and discusses her KevinMD article, "How are the residents doing during the pandemic?" (https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2020/05/how-are-the-residents-doing-during-the-pandemic.html)

"Few physicians feel properly prepared to face the fear caused by this pandemic. I certainly did not. However, we continue to show up every day for our colleagues and our patients. We continue to focus on our jobs and the things that we can do to help. Let's not forget to find moments throughout the day to recognize that we are fearful and for good reason. Face the fear and then keep going, just as we have always done." Kristin Yates is an obstetrics-gynecology physician. She shares her story and discusses her KevinMD article, "Coping with fear as a physician during a pandemic." (https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2020/04/coping-with-fear-as-a-physician-during-a-pandemic.html)