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Welcome to this session of grand rounds, a collection of posts I have discovered in the blogosphere and have found of interest and hope you do too.

This offering of Grand Rounds looks at articles from around the web that deal with some troubling issues that physicians face.

 

 

 

It may be shocking to some but despite large paychecks/high income, there is a significant proportion of physicians that live paycheck to paycheck or even qualify as being broke.

Financial Success MD highlights why despite earning a top percentile income this phenomenon occurs in, “Here’s Why So Many Doctors are Broke.”

 

 

Patient interactions can have a profound effect on a physician’s psyche, some good, some bad.

Saving a patient’s life or making a great diagnosis can leave you feeling the highest of highs.

However most physicians will experience some bad patient outcomes that can leave a mark for the rest of their lives.

I still remember the first patient who died in my arms when I was rounding as a medical student.

One of the toughest rotations for me was to rotate through the pediatric cancer ward as a medical student.

I have seen children dying in the trauma bay or succumb to cancer and it is not simple to regain your composure and move on to the next patient.

There is a term being applied to physicians who experience these tragic events, a second victim.

Thrive Physician sheds some light on this in, “Am I a Second Victim? 3 Ways to Know.”

 

 

Being married to a physician can not be easy.

Some physicians, especially those in the surgical fields, often find themselves missing important occasions when duty calls.

Long hours, interrupted sleep from being on call, and personality changes from working too hard/burnout can certainly put a strain on a marriage.

Surprisingly physician divorce rate, around 9%, which doesn’t even rank in the top 15 occupations for divorce.

Speaking from firsthand experience, a physician divorce can be quite traumatic, especially if it becomes contentious like mine was.

Fortunately I survived my experience and have no created a great life for myself and loved ones.

A guest poster on White Coat Investor gives some tips in case you happen to find yourself in chancery court in, “Physician Divorce: How to Survive and Thrive.”

[In the past I have also shared a high yield 4 part series on navigating successfully through a divorce based on my experience in, “The High Income Earner’s Ultimate Guide To Surviving Divorce.”]

 

 

A physician can do everything by the book and still have an adverse outcome.

To add salt in the wound that physician may find him or herself served with a medical malpractice lawsuit.

I can only imagine the feelings one goes through if this happens.

I am sure you replay every step in your head again and again trying to find any possible mistakes that occurred.

Having your medical judgement question can be devastating.

The Female Professional shares some insights in, “5 Thoughts On Living Through A Medical Malpractice Lawsuit.”

 

On top of all the things physicians face there is a new combatant that is entering the ring and changing healthcare (in not a good way), the corporate world.

Corporations are only interested in one thing, the bottom line.

This puts a lot strain on physicians who are now forced to navigate corporate rule books in an effort to provide good care to the patient.

It is no wonder physicians that are feeling burnout already are pushed over the edge with this trend and just decide to hang the stethoscope up for good.

Dr. Corriel discusses the problem in, “Doctors Are Leaving But The Corporate Healthcare Joysticks Play On.”

 

 

 

Hope you enjoyed the reading material.

Have a great rest of the week.

 

 

Note:

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