SCCM Podcast

Traditional career development frameworks often overlook the importance of well-being. This podcast episode emphasizes why wellness is essential to building a sustainable and fulfilling career. Host Kyle Enfield, MD, FCCM, is joined by Jennifer Duncan, MD, and Raquel Cabral, PhD, CPH, to explore how team members and leaders can integrate personal values, connection, and purpose into career decision-making. Dr. Duncan, director of wellness for graduate medical education (GME), and Dr. Cabral, a staff psychologist for GME, both at Washington University School of Medicine, share insights from their work supporting trainees’ personal and professional growth. Together, they explore the nuanced meaning of well-being—not as constant happiness, but as a sense of satisfaction and alignment with a person’s values, even amid challenges. The conversation highlights the importance of helping team members identify and live by their personal values as a foundation for career satisfaction. Dr. Cabral distinguishes between goals and values, underscoring that, while goals can be achieved or not, values guide how a person shows up in all aspects of life. She outlines how residents and other early-career professionals can uncover values by reflecting on meaningful or difficult work experiences. These reflections can then guide decisions about clinical rotations, job searches, and leadership opportunities. Dr. Duncan emphasizes how small but intentional adjustments—such as carving out just 20% of one’s time for personally meaningful work—can protect against burnout. Both guests discuss the critical role leaders play in supporting well-being, from understanding each team members’ values to fostering a strong sense of community. They refer to The Burnout Challenge (Maslach C, Leiter MP. Harvard University Press. 2024), which outlines six workplace drivers of burnout, including mismatches in values. Finally, the episode highlights the work of the Mayo Clinic’s Colleagues Meeting to Promote and Sustain Satisfaction (COMPASS) Groups. The COMPASS randomized clinical trial (West CP, et al. Mayo Clin Proc. 2021;96:2606-2614) evaluated a small group established to promote well-being. The group was provided discussion topics without trained facilitators. Protected time was not provided but meal expenses were compensated. This model showed positive outcomes in reducing burnout and strengthening collegial connections. This episode is part of SCCM’s Leadership, Empowerment, and Development (LEAD) series and offers actionable insights for anyone invested in building healthier, value-aligned medical careers.

Host Maureen A. Madden, DNP, RN, CPNC-AC, CCRN, FCCM, welcomes Kitman Wai, MD, and Sonali Basu, MD, to discuss the article, “Evolution of Pediatric Critical Care Medicine Physicians Clinical and Academic Profile by Gender,” published in the October 2024 issue of Pediatric Critical Care Medicine (Wai K, et al. Pediatr Crit Care Med. 2024;25:e376-e386). This is the first analysis of career and academic characteristics of practicing pediatric critical care medicine physicians. The authors also studied the association of gender and career trajectory. They will discuss the gender gap between male and female pediatric critical care physicians in academic metrics and rank, career trajectory factors such as burnout and academic versus nonacademic careers, and the study limitations. Dr. Wai is a critical care specialist and director of critical care medicine fellowship at Children’s National Hospital in Washington, DC. Dr. Basu is a critical care specialist, associate chief of critical care medicine, and associate director of critical care fellowship at Children’s National Hospital in Washington, DC. Find more expert-developed articles from Pediatric Critical Care Medicine at pccmjournal.org.

Host Kyle Enfield, MD, FCCM, welcomes Adriano Targa, PhD, to discuss the article, “Sleep and Circadian Health of Critical Survivors: A 12-Month Follow-Up Study,” published open access in the August 2024 issue of Critical Care Medicine (Henríquez-Beltrán M, et al. Crit Care Med. 2024;52:1206-1217). They will discuss the prevalence of sleep disturbances and circadian rhythm fragmentation in critical survivors, the impact of factors such as invasive mechanical ventilation and hospitalization duration, and associations among sleep quality, mental health, and respiratory function one year post-discharge. Dr. Targa is a researcher at the Center for Biomedical Research Network - CIBER in Madrid, Spain. Find more expert-developed articles from Critical Care Medicine at ccmjournal.org.

In this episode of the SCCM Podcast, host Diane C. McLaughlin, DNP, AGACNP-BC, CCRN, FCCM, is joined by Heather Meissen, DNP, FCCM, to discuss the importance to nurses of publication and navigating the academic publishing process. They discuss how nurses at the bedside are uniquely positioned to identify trends and gaps in patient care that can be addressed through research and publication. This podcast aims to raise awareness for nurses and other critical care practitioners wanting to enter the research and publishing fields. This unique professional development topic is designed for healthcare workers at the beginning of their research and publishing journeys. Dr. Meissen stresses that publishing is vital for advancing nursing practice and improving patient care, urging clinicians to “just get started” on their research and writing journeys. She emphasizes the importance of finding a mentor to help refine research questions, structure projects, and navigate challenges. She provides practical advice on identifying a research topic, conducting a literature review, and selecting the appropriate journal for submission. The discussion also highlights imposter syndrome among new writers and how overcoming self-doubt is crucial to getting published. The conversation touches on the peer review process, including how to handle feedback constructively and spot predatory journals that seek publication fees without legitimate editorial oversight. Dr. Meissen also discusses the role of AI in writing and research, cautioning against its misuse while acknowledging its potential benefits. Finally, she encourages nurses to participate in the Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM) Reviewer Academy, which aims to train a community of trusted, skilled, and diverse peer reviewers to perform high-quality reviews for the SCCM journals (Alexander P, et al. Crit Care Med. 2023;51:1111-1123). Learn more about the SCCM Reviewer Academy at sccm.org/journals. Diane C. McLaughlin, DNP, AGACNP-BC, CCRN, FCCM, is a neurocritical care nurse practitioner at University of Florida Health Jacksonville. She is active within SCCM, serving on both the APP Resource and Ultrasound committees, and is a social media ambassador for SCCM. Heather Meissen, DNP, FCCM, is a nurse practitioner and associate clinical professor at Emory Healthcare in Atlanta, Georgia.

What form of renal replacement therapy should clinicians use for patients in the intensive care unit (ICU)? New research has connected the renal replacement therapy choice with mortality end points and renal replacement therapy dependency in patients with acute kidney injury. In this podcast episode, experts discuss their research in this area. Ron Wald, MDCM, MHP, professor of medicine at the University of Toronto, discusses his article, “Initiation of Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy Versus Intermittent Hemodialysis in Critically Ill Patients With Severe Acute Kidney Injury: A Secondary Analysis of STARRT-AKI Trial,” published in the November 2023 issue of Intensive Care Medicine. Jay Koyner, MD, professor of medicine and director of the nephrology intensive care unit at the University of Chicago, discuss his article, “Initial Renal Replacement Therapy (RRT) Modality Associates With 90-Day Postdischarge RRT Dependence in Critically Ill AKI Survivors,” published in the August 2024 issue of Journal of Critical Care. This podcast is sponsored by Vantive U.S. Healthcare. Vantive supports true patient-focused treatments with industry-leading CRRT technology and is a partner dedicated to optimizing your clinical success in treating patients with acute kidney injury. Our commitment to you starts with education and provides complete support every step of the way. Visit us at vantive.com.

Matthew Kirschen, MD, PhD, a critical care expert from the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, joins host Diane McLaughlin to discuss updated brain death guidelines. They delve into the new consensus that integrates criteria for both children and adults. Key updates include structured assessments and the importance of thorough evaluations, especially in complex cases involving brain injuries. Matthew also highlights the ethical implications of determining brain death and the necessity for comprehensive training among practitioners.

Host Elizabeth H. Mack, MD, MS, FCCM, welcomes Elizabeth Y. Killien, MD, MPH, to discuss pediatric acute respiratory distress syndrome (PARDS). Dr. Killien explains the findings from her retrospective study on PARDS severity, emphasizing how factors such as severe hypoxemia can impact health-related quality of life (HRQL) after discharge. (Killien EY, et al. Pediatr Crit Care Med. 2024;25:816-827). Dr. Killien is an attending physician in the pediatric ICU and an assistant professor at Seattle Children’s Hospital, University of Washington School of Medicine, in Seattle, Washington.

Host Ludwig Lin, MD, welcomes Raghavan Murugan, MD, MS, FRCP, FCCM, a professor and leading expert in critical care nephrology. They discuss the latest insights on fluid management strategies during continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT), drawing from recent research and white papers. Dr. Murugan emphasizes the importance of updated education on CRRT fluid removal practices to enhance clinical outcomes and patient care in critical settings. This podcast is sponsored by Baxter Health.

Host Maureen A. Madden, DNP, RN, CPNC-AC, CCRN, FCCM, sits down with Christina L. Cifra, MD, MS, to discuss communication strategies for interfacility transfers to the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU). Dr. Cifra shares insights from her recent study on verbal handoffs during transfers, examining the challenges and vital elements of communication during these high-stakes situations (Thirnbeck CK, et al. Pediatr Crit Care Med. 2024;52:162-171). Dr. Cifra is an attending physician in the Division of Medical Critical Care at Boston Children's Hospital and assistant professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts.

Patients with sepsis are regularly transferred to intensive care units, but there is a dearth of literature that describes the type of communication occurring between the receiving and referring clinicians after these transfers take place. The Society of Critical Care Medicine's (SCCM) Diagnostic Excellence Program sought to gain a better understanding of these communications through an in-depth survey. In this podcast, host Kyle B. Enfield, MD, discusses the survey results with grant principal investigator Greg S. Martin, MD, MSc, FCCM. Dr. Martin also discusses a new toolkit created by SCCM to facilitate better transfer communication. Learn more about the toolkit and the Diagnosis Excellence Program at sccm.org/diagnosticexcellence. This podcast offers 0.25 hours of accredited continuing education (ACE) credit. Learn more at https://sccm.org/diagnosticexcellence The Diagnostic Excellence Program is funded by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation through a grant program administered by the Council of Medical Specialty Societies to support the development and dissemination of resources and programs to improve the timeliness, accuracy, safety, efficiency, patient-centeredness, and equity of diagnostic outcomes for patients in the United States. Dr. Martin, a past SCCM president, is the James Paullin Distinguished Professor and division director of pulmonary, allergy, critical care and sleep medicine at Emory University. He is an international authority on critical care medicine and an expert on sepsis, COVID-19, and ARDS, having conducted groundbreaking clinical trials on these conditions, coauthored the Sepsis-3 definition, and published seminal papers for diagnosing and treating critically ill patients.