Stimulus - Learn Tools to Crush It in Your Medical Career

Sam Ashoo, an emergency physician, medical educator, and clinical informaticist, brings a skeptic’s eye to medicine’s AI rush. They explore how AI scribes omit crucial mental-health clues and medication changes, why polished answers can hide dangerous limitations, and when OpenEvidence beats or falls short of UpToDate. They also tackle FDA guardrails, discoverable searches, consent, and how the HIPAA checkbox could put your license at risk.

Tim Thomas, a former professional fighter and Special Forces soldier who helps people improve sleep and nervous-system health, explores the first five minutes of the day. Discover breathwork, gentle movement, gratitude, connection, and phone-free focus. He shares practical ways to outmaneuver worry, lower resistance, and create a morning routine that works even when motivation is low, plus the surprising lesson a pot of coffee taught an Army platoon.

Dr. Jake Zadra, a board-certified emergency physician and department chair in Wisconsin, explores how his ED nearly eliminated unnecessary interruptions. They discuss a 10-minute EKG review window, local data on missed STEMIs, handling gray-zone findings, asynchronous communication, protected workspaces, and partnering with nurses to make attention a deliberate patient-safety resource.

Gita Pensa, MD, an emergency physician and litigation performance coach, shares how malpractice suits reshape clinicians' lives. She covers the emotional toll, why preparation matters, what not to say during litigation, deposition prep and common plaintiff tactics. Practical tips on communication, legal steps to take first, and rebuilding confidence after a case are highlighted.

They explore why telling someone to "calm down" often escalates conflict. The conversation introduces valence matching as a way to align with emotions before offering solutions. Neuroscience behind amygdala-driven reactions and why logic fails in the heat of the moment is discussed. Practical phrasing and small language shifts to improve clinical and personal interactions are highlighted.

Ronald Epstein, MD, family and palliative care physician and mindfulness educator. He explores why listening is a teachable clinical skill and how small pauses and a 60–90 second habit transform patient encounters. Stories include an OR near-miss, EHR-driven attention loss, and simple practices like the doorknob breath and grounding tools to stay present during busy clinical days.

Matt Wiggins, founder of Doc Insure and a physician disability insurance expert, walks through why employer plans often fail and the value of true own-occupation coverage. He covers common disability causes, specialty-related risks, claim-preparation tactics, timing pitfalls, and why buying coverage early can save your future income.

Mizuho Morrison, MD — board-certified ER physician, educator, and CEO of EM:RAP. She talks about the vanishing post-training map and building nonlinear, hybrid careers. Short seasons and experiments replace one-size-fits-all paths. She shares a CGM test that exposed the physiological cost of shifts and practical ways to reclaim agency, prioritize values, and design a medical life that fits.

Dr. Erin Broderick, a mid-career emergency physician and ultrasound fellowship-trained clinician, shares how she built a personal scorecard aligned with her values. She discusses items like teaching and leadership, a post-shift routine to close open loops, a compliment notebook for tough days, reframing patient surveys, and scheduling small breaks to gamify and sustain shift wellbeing.

If you have ever lost it mid-shift, frozen when you should have acted, or spent the next two weeks asking yourself what's wrong with me, you already know what character assassination feels like.In this episode, we break down a simple and effective reframe that interrupts the self-flagellation shame spiral without making excuses or lowering standards. You will learn how to move from why did I to, of course, how to give yourself a legitimate and hard-earned break, and why self-compassion is not softness but one of the most underutilized performance tools in medicine. Topics include physician burnout, self-compassion, cognitive reappraisal, shame and self-criticism, communication under stress, and physician coaching.💡 Check out our Free Resources specifically designed to address pain points in medical practice💡We discuss:Why self-criticism after a hard moment often hurts more than the moment itselfThe difference between first-order distress and second-order distressWhat the research on rumination and shame actually showsWhy your brain treats harsh self-evaluation like a physical threatThe biology of performance under load and why grit has a limitThe of 'course' reframe and how to use it in real timeFour steps to move from character assassination to context assessmentWhy suppression makes it worse, and reappraisal changes the signalPre-shift dread and how to take the shame out of itWhy self-compassion is a performance tool, not a soft skillWhat this reframe is not: excuses, lowered standards, or avoiding accountabilityHow to start today with one sentenceMentioned in this episode:Doctoring Done Well | Bite-Sized WinsEvery other week, a few minutes of career-elevating insight delivered straight to your inbox. The Doctoring Done Well Newsletter is never lame, never spammy, and always fresh.Sign up for our NewsletterSupranormal: A Field Guide for the Impossible JobRob's book is for anyone doing high-stakes, human-facing work who's ever thought I wasn't trained for this. Built from 20 years in emergency medicine and thousands of hours coaching physicians, Supranormal delivers the tools, mindset shifts, and communication techniques that don't show up on any board exam, but make all the difference in how you perform, connect, and build a career worth keeping.Get Supranormal on AmazonThe Out-On-Time CourseBuilt for emergency clinicians who are tired of chart debt and getting derailed by interruptions and overwhelm. Learn practical, real-time documentation and shift-efficiency strategies to finish your shift and actually leave on time.Learn More About The Out-On-Time Course