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is obtaining a great history . I think that ’ s one of the things that ’ s not appreciated enough with the advancement of technology , but history and examination are very , very important .”
While he loves his patients and his work , he also said it ’ s important to make sure that you take time to step away from the office . If you ’ re allowed a certain amount of time off – maximize it , he said . In his time off , he plays as much tennis as he can , and enjoys hiking , biking , photography , travel and most importantly , loving on his dogs .
None of these activities are complete without the three women most important to him . Jacquelyn and Julia are now college seniors – Jacquelyn is pre-law at the University of Virginia and Julia is pre-dental at Boston College ( recently earning a perfect score on her DAT exam !). The other leading lady in Dr . Kim ’ s life is his partner of nine years , Mina . She is a Director of Talent Acquisition for long-term care facilities here in Louisville . Early on in their relationship , he wore a t-shirt reading “ Make Kimchi Not War ” and the two fell for each other . They love to travel together and recently returned from a trip to Scotland .
As we move away from the pandemic , Dr . Kim is thinking about his future and the future of health care , riddled with physician burnout , especially over the last few years .
“ Unfortunately , the problem is that as we are taking care of a higher volume of patients , sometimes 18-20 per day , we are not able to give as individualized care as we could . I want to continue to practice medicine at a high level , giving the individualized care that I want to give to my patients , and not having to compromise that ,” he said . “ When you think about burnout , the question is , do you still enjoy what you ’ re doing ? I ’ m old school in that I think being a physician is a calling and is not just about my personal happiness or my personal well-being financially or anything like that . Every day when I come to work , I love talking to my patients and I love finding ways I can assist them in attaining better health . As long as you went into the profession for the right reasons , no matter how challenging or demanding your schedule might be , you will still love what you ’ re doing , just make sure to remember to take time for yourself .”
Kathryn Vance is the Communication Specialist at the Greater Louisville Medical Society .
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