Understanding cultural context in healthcare can seem overwhelming, especially when time and resources are limited. Why should clinicians invest energy in learning about different cultures? In this pod, we break down the differences between cultural competence and cultural safety, explaining why the latter is essential for patient care. We share practical examples of how understanding cultural context can improve interactions, strategies for making patients feel seen and heard, and the pitfalls ...
Jun 03, 2024•49 min•Ep. 125
"Kicking the can down the road" is a common behavior that manifests in various ways, from delaying difficult patient decisions to avoiding complex tasks. We explore the reasons behind on-shift procrastination and strategies for overcoming it. Our discussion includes practical steps to recognize and address decision deferral, techniques for managing aversion to some decisions, and pre-loading accountability. We also highlight the importance of building decision-making resilience and creating syst...
May 20, 2024•30 min•Ep. 124
How do you build a team in the critical first moments of a crisis? The balance between rapid response and thoughtful planning is delicate, especially when understanding what defines a crisis and acknowledging when you're in the midst of one. This conversation delves into the complexity of emergency team dynamics, emphasizing that the composition and organization of these teams are deeply influenced by their members' specific skills and contexts, with lasting implications long after the crisis ha...
Apr 01, 2024•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 123
Will you have enough money to retire? What does that even mean? In this pod, our guest physician financial coach, Elisa Chiang, M.D. Ph.D. breaks down Trading time for money and money for time Working harder vs creating value The FIRE (Financial Independence Retire Early) movement and why it doesn't always mean living by austerity rules The risk of relying solely on retirement accounts to fund your post-career life Her biggest financial mistake How identity influences spending habits Incorporati...
Mar 25, 2024•36 min•Ep. 122
Phantasia Kataleptike, a lesser-known gem from Stoic philosophy, offers a transformative approach to life's challenges. This practice of 'objective representation' strips away the layers of subjective judgment that often cloud our perceptions. Imagine the power of viewing a setback not as a disaster but simply as a fact of life, a moment ripe with potential for growth. How does this shift affect our inner turmoil? The Stoics had insights that might surprise you, blending ancient wisdom with acti...
Mar 11, 2024•31 min•Ep. 121
Have you ever found yourself deep in “The Pit” where the mere thought of going back to work triggers an existential crisis? You wonder if your current job is the right choice. Sometimes, all it takes are a few adjustments to the current job and you'll feel fully refreshed and stoked to tackle that next shift. It may also, however, be time for The Trade. In this episode, we delve into the critical juncture many professionals, particularly physicians, find themselves in when their once-aspired car...
Feb 26, 2024•53 min•Ep. 120
The interplay between the Default Mode Network (DMN) and the Task Positive Network (TPN) is crucial for our cognitive and emotional health. The DMN, active during restful states and wandering mind, facilitates introspection, memory recall, and creativity, serving as a foundational element in our mental processes. On the other hand, the TPN takes charge during focused, goal-oriented tasks, enabling attention, decision-making, and problem-solving. They operate in balance - when one is active, the ...
Feb 06, 2024•32 min•Ep. 119
Moral injury, a term initially used in the military context during the Vietnam War to describe the psychological trauma soldiers experienced, has become increasingly relevant in medicine. In this episode, we discuss how moral injury manifests as psychological distress when healthcare professionals' actions, or inactions, contradict their moral or ethical codes, leading to feelings of guilt, inadequacy, and a sense of betrayal. Our conversation will navigate through the history of this term, its ...
Jan 22, 2024•50 min•Ep. 118
There’s no getting around the surges and potential chaos of an emergency department. The good news is that these events are predictable, you know they’re going to happen, just not when. So how do you prepare and then navigate the storm once you’re in the thick of it?In today’s episode, we start with a discussion with Thom Mayer, MD exploring strategies to steel yourself for the inevitable chaos, underscoring the importance of maintaining a positive, agentic, proactive mindset. Drawing parallels ...
Jan 08, 2024•53 min•Ep. 117
We all have an internal drive that propels us forward, inspiring us to achieve and create. Yet, there's also an innate anti-drive, a subtle yet powerful force that holds us back. This episode delves deeply into the nature of this anti-drive. We explore the foundations of resistance, drawing insights from Stephen Pressfield's 'The War of Art' and linking it to entropy and the Second Law of Thermodynamics. We'll examine why resistance occurs, how it manifests in both our personal and professional ...
Dec 25, 2023•29 min•Ep. 116
When a critical patient lands on your department's doorstep without prior notice, even the most seasoned professionals can find themselves momentarily at a loss — wondering what steps to take first and how to prioritize actions in those crucial initial seconds. What do I do first, what do I do next? What’s REALLY important in the first few seconds? In this episode, emergency intensivist and physician coach Scott Weingart breaks down how to get your mind unstuck and move into action. Guest Bio: S...
Dec 11, 2023•44 min•Ep. 115
The specter of medical malpractice lawsuits looms large for many clinicians, but according to Mark Brown, MD, JD, this anxiety may be disproportionate to the actual risk. In this discussion, we explore the contrasting nature of law and medicine, the unpredictable and capricious nature of legal proceedings, the systemic elements that fuel the high number of medical malpractice lawsuits in the United States, and several practices to reduce the risk of lawsuits. Guest Bio: Mark W. Brown, M.D., J.D....
Nov 27, 2023•53 min•Ep. 114
None of us are born with the skills to build and sustain healthy relationships. These things are learned. In this episode, our guest is Ryan Cheney, an experienced psychotherapist and behavioral leadership coach, guiding us through the intricacies of healthy and unhealthy relationship dynamics. Our conversation will explore the importance of interdependence, the negative impacts of codependency, and the nuanced practice of attunement, including how to rectify misattunements. Further, we will del...
Nov 13, 2023•48 min•Ep. 113
Burnout is not a foregone conclusion. While individual efforts play a pivotal role, continually battling systemic challenges can be exhausting. In this episode, we delve into a simple and cost-effective systemic intervention that not only mitigates burnout but also enhances job satisfaction. We then discuss how you can recognize when your colleagues might be in distress, what to do about it, what to say, what not to say, and how to break through the stigma of seeking help. Guest Bio: Dr. Tricia ...
Oct 30, 2023•55 min•Ep. 112
What’s the impact of private equity’s increasingly large footprint in medicine? The results so far have not been promising. We dissect: what is private equity, the recent bankruptcy of the largest emergency medicine staffer in the US and how that impacts clinicians, can corporations practice medicine, the American Academy of Emergency Medicine has jumped into the fray, does profit-driven medicine ever serve patient care, HCA has been accused of naughty deeds, performance metrics versus the one m...
Oct 16, 2023•51 min•Ep. 111
In this real-life coaching session, we walk Dr. Brit Long through building a framework to help navigate being overwhelmed during the middle part of an emergency department shift. Since this session, he has become more efficient, gotten home earlier on a consistent basis, lowered his stress level, felt less burnout, and experienced more joy in his career. Guest Bio Brit Long is an assistant professor of emergency medicine in San Antonio, Texa, and Editor-in-Chief of Clinical Content at emcdocs.ne...
Oct 02, 2023•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 110
We wear many hats in life, and one of them can become disproportionately large: our professional identity. Don’t get me wrong, being a physician is amazing and the associated identity is imbued with meaning and purpose. The challenge comes when identity becomes calcified and too narrowly defined. When that happens, it can limit us. In this episode, we delve into the diverse and often unforeseen roles of a physician, the constraints placed on one's identity due to deeply entrenched beliefs about ...
Sep 19, 2023•30 min•Ep. 109
It’s tempting to think of accepting the reality of the moment as acquiescence or giving up, but the opposite is true. Awareness and acceptance of what’s going on inside of you and around you is a recipe for equanimity. With this equanimity, you are able to operate at a higher level as well as be an effective agent for change in the system. Sounds like a paradox! In this episode, we look at mindfulness as a tool for addressing and mitigating burnout, fostering self-compassion, promoting a sense o...
Sep 04, 2023•55 min•Ep. 108
Investigative journalist Scott Carney is our guest as we dive into: Why you might want to consider getting in cold water, the technique for staying in cold water for more than a few seconds, how to take your first step into the freeze, brown fat, the power of lightly held beliefs, how people are dying with the Wim Hof method, and the law of speedy gains. Guest Bio: Scott Carney is an anthropologist, investigative journalist, author, and a seeker of both the fringes of human experience and the co...
Aug 14, 2023•52 min•Ep. 107
The Drama Triangle identifies our roles in dysfunctional interpersonal dynamics. It can be a potent tool for understanding conflict and miscommunication within personal and professional relationships. In this episode, we break down the core components of the Drama Triangle, strategies to disentangle ourselves from ‘drama’, and explore practical tools to identify and navigate the dynamics of our own interactions. Conceived by Stephen Karpman, the Drama Triangle highlights a particular type of des...
Jul 24, 2023•26 min•Ep. 106
How do you make important decisions? Do you go by your gut, some sort of defined process, or perhaps a combination of the two? When we're offered an opportunity to participate in something that seems amazing, it’s almost always associated with a cost. That cost is time. Every ‘yes’ is accompanied by even more ‘no’s’. In today’s episode, we take a look inside a real coaching session that addresses just this scenario. Our client is a physician who wants to develop a decision-making process so that...
Jul 10, 2023•41 min•Ep. 105
Are you often quick to give advice? You're not alone, but sometimes our advice may not be as helpful as we think. In this podcast episode, we explore the concepts of the advice trap and humble inquiry, which shift communication from telling to asking and encourage us to stay curious a little longer. Guest Bio: The late Edgar Schein, PhD. was a renowned figure in the field of organizational psychology, with significant contributions to the understanding of organizational culture and leadership. A...
Jun 26, 2023•29 min•Ep. 104
How often do you walk into work hoping it will be a good day or at least not a bad one? What if it didn’t matter what happened and the good/bad was entirely in your control? In today’s episode, Christina Shenvi MD, MBA, PhD gives insight and specific strategies for a nearly perfect shift. Guest Bio: Christina Shenvi MD, MBA, PhD is an emergency physician at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. She is president of the Association of Professional Women and Medical Sciences, director of t...
Jun 05, 2023•38 min•Ep. 103
In this episode, we explore the 10% rule - the idea that in disagreement, the other person is at least 10% right. This is a tool for conflict abatement and resolution. It’s easy to get caught up in the rightness of our own opinions and ideas – whether it’s in medicine, business, leadership, relationships, or any time we interact with others. However, this can be detrimental to collaboration and creativity. The basics of the 10% rule are simple. When presented with an idea that your gut reaction ...
May 15, 2023•15 min•Ep. 102
Transitions, by their nature, involve ambiguity and disorientation. It's important to recognize that this zone is a natural part of the process of growth and change. In this episode we break down the nature of the being in a transitional/liminal space, embracing it as an identity, and navigating it through small and tectonic changes. The liminal space is a transitional or in-between state where you’re in a place of vagueness or uncertainty. It’s a place of being ‘in-between’. In architecture, it...
May 01, 2023•29 min•Ep. 101
Hidden in plain sight is the most important procedure we do. Listening. And not just listening, but listening to understand. Measurable, improvable, and, when done well, can have an incredibly positive impact. Intention is key with listening: are we doing it to understand or to win? In this episode, we break down specific strategies for quality listening, potential pitfalls, and how to know when you've got it right. Guest bio: Lon Setnik MD is an Emergency Physician and Associate Director of Cli...
Apr 09, 2023•55 min•Ep. 100
Have you ever wondered what it takes to reach the highest level of mastery?Are you a medical student looking for ways to achieve excellence in medical school or a physician wanting to become an expert in your field? If so, you’re in luck! Join us as we explore a fascinating conversation with Dr. Jeff Riddell, a leading expert in medical education as he talks about strategies to develop any skill, how medical school curriculum is adapting, the importance of context and relationships for comprehen...
Mar 27, 2023•52 min•Ep. 99
Have you ever had a day at work that was so difficult and draining, it felt like it took a toll on your entire being? You're not alone. Meet Dr. Sara Gray, an expert in wellness, resilience, and resuscitation team performance. In this episode, Dr. Gray dives deep into her special framework for coping with difficult days and how to recover and even come out of them a little stronger. She has outlined a process to help you identify and acknowledge the struggles, practice self-care, and ultimately,...
Mar 13, 2023•54 min•Ep. 98
Part of practicing medicine is telling patients 'no'. It’s never fun to do so and it can be a draining daily task. It doesn’t have to be that way! In this episode, we break down pitfalls and pearls in these situations as well as specific scripting to help the medicine go down, The Spock Retreat - falling back on logic to solve an emotional situation, what happens when we get pushback on our logical responses, when embracing logic is the right and wrong move, how to approach frustrating and illog...
Feb 22, 2023•23 min•Ep. 97
When you have a patient who requests a Z-pack for what is almost certainly an acute viral respiratory infection, you probably respond internally or externally (possibly both) that antibiotics do not treat viruses. But could there be some effect on their symptoms, or the viral infection itself, that is not part of the common discussion when it comes to such things? We know that azithromycin is an antibiotic, but it turns out that azithromycin actually has some activity in the viral arena. This ab...
Feb 06, 2023•14 min
