Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

The only way to save medicine, save our country, and to save ourselves is to pivot

Nicole M. King, MD
Physician
September 15, 2020
548 Shares
Share
Tweet
Share

A few months ago, I signed up for a virtual conference for women in medicine. It’s a group of women, over 10,000 of us, who have watched me and supported me through the past two years of my career. Two years of struggle. Two years of personal and professional pain. Two years of opportunity for growth, and two years of numerous setbacks that were only overcome with all of their assistance. At the close of each interview with women leaders in various industries, the organizer asks them what 2020 has taught them. A friend of mine from the group reached out to a few of us and asked us what 2020 had taught us. In my response, I referenced so much of what we have touched on in this class and things that have been brought to the surface by the turmoil of this year. The only way to save medicine, save our country, and to save ourselves is to pivot.

Absolutely nothing that is happening in 2020 with any of us as individuals, as a profession, or as a nation is spontaneous or mere chance. Everything is rooted in what was built within ourselves, within our medical system, and within our society prior to 2020. Politics aside, racism didn’t get elected in 2016. It was already here. Police brutality didn’t start when phones became cameras. The pandemic isn’t unprecedented, the west coast burning isn’t surprising, and the fallacy of profit over people is hardly a new concept. The honest truth is that the average White American who has lived in relative prosperity cloaked in American exceptionalism is finally forced to face the ugly underbelly of what this prosperity cost others: their lives. The facade is over. Reality is here, and pivoting is essential for our survival.

In medicine, we always point to “To Err is Human” in 1999 as the turning point for patient safety and the need for greater focus on patient outcomes and prevention of medical errors. The paradox is that this is happening in parallel to the medical infrastructure, becoming a commodity for various companies to buy, consolidate, and sell-off. So in the pitting of patient safety against the need for cost savings, the only thing that is destroyed is the humans involved, and this is not limited to the patients themselves. The answer for so many people is that burn out is a symptom of this impossible equation, in which we are asked to balance our oath with someone else’s budget, but I caution us from hearkening back to the “golden age of medicine.”

What exactly was golden about it? Anyone who has taken the time to read books such as The House of God or The Blind Eye would wonder if this is the equivalent of “Making America Great Again.” Giving medicine back to physicians and nurses will only work if we are willing to move forward, not retreat backward. And embracing that “reaching across the aisle” is going to be a much harder endeavor when the person across from you does not look like you, does not speak like you, and does not think like you. This is called diversity and inclusion, and it is uncomfortable, but embracing it may just allow 2020 to be our pivot point.

Nicole M. King is an anesthesiologist.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com

Prev

A physician's journey from Survivor to Shark Tank to quarantine

September 15, 2020 Kevin 0
…
Next

Don't make the mistake of equating an hourly wage for the value of your time

September 15, 2020 Kevin 0
…

Tagged as: Public Health & Policy

Post navigation

< Previous Post
A physician's journey from Survivor to Shark Tank to quarantine
Next Post >
Don't make the mistake of equating an hourly wage for the value of your time

More by Nicole M. King, MD

  • On the front lines of COVID-19: the untold sacrifices and heroic efforts of health care professionals

    Nicole M. King, MD
  • The surgeon-anesthesiologist relationship: Learning to work together in the OR

    Nicole M. King, MD
  • Working in medicine isn’t an all-or-nothing situation

    Nicole M. King, MD

Related Posts

  • The fight to save Howard University College of Medicine

    Vicky Li and Naveen Balakrishnan
  • Can humanism save medicine?

    David Coulter, MD
  • How medical societies can save American medicine

    Steve Levine
  • How social media can advance humanism in medicine

    Pooja Lakshmin, MD
  • I’m sorry that we couldn’t save you

    Evan Schauer
  • Nurse practitioners will save primary care

    Leah Hellerstein, LCSW

More in Physician

  • Physician return-to-work policies

    Deepak Gupta, MD
  • How my patients’ Zoom backgrounds made me a better doctor

    Joseph Barrera, MD
  • Understanding reproductive rights: complex considerations

    Anonymous
  • Challenging the diagnosis: dehydration or bias?

    Sydney Lou Bonnick, MD
  • Practicing medicine with conviction

    Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA
  • The power of memory in shaping human identity

    Emily F. Peters and Sandeep Jauhar, MD, PhD
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • The erosion of patient care

      Laura de la Torre, MD | Physician
    • Challenging the diagnosis: dehydration or bias?

      Sydney Lou Bonnick, MD | Physician
    • COVID-19 unleashed an ongoing crisis of delirium in hospitals

      Christina Reppas-Rindlisbacher, MD, Nathan Stall, MD, and Paula Rochon, MD | Conditions
    • Air quality alert: Reducing our carbon footprint in health care

      Shreya Aggarwal, MD | Conditions
    • A teenager’s perspective: the pressing need for mental health days in schools

      Ruhi Saldanha | Conditions
    • End-of-life ethics and antibiotic use [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
  • Past 6 Months

    • Medical gaslighting: a growing challenge in today’s medical landscape

      Tami Burdick | Conditions
    • I want to be a doctor who can provide care for women: What states must I rule out for my medical education?

      Nandini Erodula | Education
    • Balancing opioid medication in chronic pain

      L. Joseph Parker, MD | Conditions
    • The erosion of patient care

      Laura de la Torre, MD | Physician
    • I’m a doctor, and I almost died during childbirth

      Bayo Curry-Winchell, MD | Physician
    • Mourning the silent epidemic: the physician suicide crisis and suggestions for change

      Amna Shabbir, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • End-of-life ethics and antibiotic use [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Physician return-to-work policies

      Deepak Gupta, MD | Physician
    • Communication, power dynamics, and organizational culture in health care

      Beth Boynton, RN, MS, CP | Conditions
    • How my patients’ Zoom backgrounds made me a better doctor

      Joseph Barrera, MD | Physician
    • Understanding reproductive rights: complex considerations

      Anonymous | Physician
    • Innovations in surgical education [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

View 1 Comments >

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

CME Spotlights

From MedPage Today

Latest News

  • Mortality Risk From Damaged Bronchi Extends to People Without COPD
  • ChatGPT Improving, but Still Lacks Reliability as a Clinical Support Tool
  • COVID Vax in Pregnancy Protects Young Infants Against Omicron
  • Repeat Tests for Inflammation Aid Prognosis After Acute Heart Failure
  • FDA OKs Another Injectable for Rare Kidney Disorder

Meeting Coverage

  • Hot Flashes: Precursor to Alzheimer's Disease?
  • SABR Offers New Hope for Older Patients With Inoperable Kidney Cancer
  • Menopausal Women With Obesity Endure Worse Symptoms, Less HT Relief
  • Study Pinpoints Growing Use of Cannabis to Manage Menopause Symptoms
  • Fezolinetant Benefits Women Not Suited for Hormone Therapy
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • The erosion of patient care

      Laura de la Torre, MD | Physician
    • Challenging the diagnosis: dehydration or bias?

      Sydney Lou Bonnick, MD | Physician
    • COVID-19 unleashed an ongoing crisis of delirium in hospitals

      Christina Reppas-Rindlisbacher, MD, Nathan Stall, MD, and Paula Rochon, MD | Conditions
    • Air quality alert: Reducing our carbon footprint in health care

      Shreya Aggarwal, MD | Conditions
    • A teenager’s perspective: the pressing need for mental health days in schools

      Ruhi Saldanha | Conditions
    • End-of-life ethics and antibiotic use [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
  • Past 6 Months

    • Medical gaslighting: a growing challenge in today’s medical landscape

      Tami Burdick | Conditions
    • I want to be a doctor who can provide care for women: What states must I rule out for my medical education?

      Nandini Erodula | Education
    • Balancing opioid medication in chronic pain

      L. Joseph Parker, MD | Conditions
    • The erosion of patient care

      Laura de la Torre, MD | Physician
    • I’m a doctor, and I almost died during childbirth

      Bayo Curry-Winchell, MD | Physician
    • Mourning the silent epidemic: the physician suicide crisis and suggestions for change

      Amna Shabbir, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • End-of-life ethics and antibiotic use [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Physician return-to-work policies

      Deepak Gupta, MD | Physician
    • Communication, power dynamics, and organizational culture in health care

      Beth Boynton, RN, MS, CP | Conditions
    • How my patients’ Zoom backgrounds made me a better doctor

      Joseph Barrera, MD | Physician
    • Understanding reproductive rights: complex considerations

      Anonymous | Physician
    • Innovations in surgical education [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

The only way to save medicine, save our country, and to save ourselves is to pivot
1 comments

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...