Mission over margin: a community ER doctor's discipline

Summary: Dr. Michael Schmitz, an emergency room doctor in Maine, often struggles with the pressure to put hospital profits and speed ahead of caring for patients. To stay grounded, he uses a powerful memory from his youth. He remembers seeing a pregnant teenager working hard at a diner, a moment that taught him about empathy and the hidden struggles people face.

Now, when the ER gets chaotic, he uses that memory like a mental optical illusion. It helps him shift his focus from seeing a patient as just a medical label—like "the stroke in room 3"—to seeing them as a real, complex person. This simple pause helps him protect his mission to provide human-centered care in a busy, metric-driven world.

Source: KevinMD URL: kevinmd.com/2026/05/mission-over-margin-a-community-er-doctors-discipline.html (opens in new tab)