What is Op-Med?

Op-Med is a place for Doximity members to share their stories and experiences. It aims to lift the voices of clinicians speaking earnestly on original or nuanced topics about the reality of a life in medicine. Opinions expressed on Op-Med are those of the writers and do not necessarily represent the views of Doximity. The information within is not a substitute for clinical advice.

How do I submit?

Send an email to opmed@doximity.com. Please click here for which topics we are currently seeking submissions on. Please include "Submission" in the subject line. Include in the email:

• A Google or Word document with your 600-1,000 word final draft (we do not accept PDFs).
• Your Doximity profile URL (note: at this time, we only accept essays by authors who are MD/DOs or students, NPs or students, PAs or students, CRNAs or students, or PharmDs or students).
• A one-to-two sentence, third-person bio that includes any social media handles you'd like to share. 
• In addition, if your essay references a specific treatment, health care-related organization or product, you must also submit a complete Author Disclosure Form. If your essay is a lifestyle or opinion piece that does not reference a specific course of treatment, health care-related organization or product, your bio should provide us with enough information to determine whether a conflict of interest nonetheless exists, including your employer, your associations, and any research funding you may be receiving. 
• Finally, if you are including references in your piece, please hyperlink them rather than providing a list at the end. 

Please do not include sensitive patient information in your submission. This includes patient ages, patient names, and dates of treatment. If you include altered patient names or details, please write a disclaimer stating you have done so. Polished final drafts only. 

We reserve the right to make edits for grammar and clarity, and to retitle the piece. By submitting your essay to Op-Med, you are giving us permission to publish your piece and all that entails. For example, Op-Med does not allow withdrawal of submissions or posts — you may not withdraw your piece because it got published elsewhere first, because you no longer agree with what you wrote, or because the reception of the essay was not favorable. You retain the rights to anything you write for Op-Med; however, we reserve the right to decide to retract a piece once it's been published. Additionally, by submitting to us, you hereby license to Doximity the right to publish your submission in print and electronic media, in any form or format, including derivative works, and the license to the submission is royalty free, non-assignable, worldwide, and non-exclusive. You also represent to us that you have all rights necessary to submit the material to us for such use and publication and that no element of the submission violates or infringes the copyright, right of publicity, right of privacy, or any other rights whatsoever of any person or entity.

What makes a good Op-Med?

The best Op-Meds are well argued, engaging, and eloquent, and offer fresh insights about the reality of life in medicine. 

Here are general guidelines for Op-Med essays:

• Op-Med essays should be written in a conversational, lucid style for an audience of fellow medical professionals. They can be directed at a specific specialty, or at clinicians as a whole. Either way, they should provide an actionable message and resonate with our dynamic clinician readership.
• We like to see first person narratives that tell a unique story about a patient encounter or a personal experience. You can write about work-life balance, a lesson learned through a patient encounter, your opinion about new guidelines, or something else you’re passionate about. Sample essays include The Moment I Chose to Just Be Mom and For Every First There Is a Last. 
• Op-Med essays use inclusive, equitable language. They adhere to the CDC’s ​​Health Equity Guiding Principles for Unbiased, Inclusive Communication.
• When submitting to Op-Med, the work you produce should be your own, i.e., not drafted by someone else or by AI.

Please note: We do not accept submissions that are advertisements or promotional, are disparaging toward a member, patients, or group on Doximity, are written for a patient audience, are medically irrelevant, are a thesis or abstract, or that are unoriginal or plagiarized. We do not accept press releases or essays written in the third person.

Can I share something I've published on a personal blog?

Yes. If you have previously published the submission on a personal blog and want to re-publish here, that's fine. Please send it as a Word or Google document and include a link to the original post at the bottom of your submission. Remember, however, that you may not submit any material that is subject to the intellectual property interests of a third party.

Can I be anonymous?

We allow anonymity on a special case-by-case basis. Please specify in your submission why you feel you need anonymity for your piece and we can have a discussion. You will still need to send your Doximity profile URL in your submission email so we can verify you are a member. We promise not to share your identity with others.

Who sees what I write?

Op-Med pieces may be shared with all of Doximity — your audience is your peers. As America’s leading professional health care network, Doximity reaches more than two million U.S. medical professionals, including more than 80% of U.S. physicians. Op-Med pieces are shared on the Doximity newsfeed and have a high likelihood of being shared in weekly emails to our members. You can also share your story with your own network outside Doximity.

Is this a paid opportunity?

No. Op-Med gives you a platform to share your stories with more than two million Doximity members, but there is no monetary incentive.

Anything else I should know before submitting?

Your Doximity profile page should have a photo, your specialty, your title, and your practice name or hospital. If you don’t have a Doximity account, sign up here. Doximity is a HIPAA-secure private network for verified clinicians only.

I submitted — now what?

Once your piece is successfully posted to Op-Med, you will receive a notification on your Doximity profile. We will only contact you prior to publication if it has been rejected or if we require edits. Due to a high volume of submissions, we do not offer feedback on each submission.

If you have a question not answered in this FAQ, please contact opmed@doximity.com. If you have a comment about an essay image, please contact illustrators@doximity.com.

Doximity/Op-Med Digital Millennium Copyright Act policy information is available here.