Explore the personal journey of navigating burnout within the medical field. Hear cautionary tales that highlight the gap between initial enthusiasm and the harsh realities of residency. Discover the importance of recognizing one’s value and addressing burnout’s root causes for a more fulfilling career. This discussion offers both practical insights and relatable experiences that resonate with many professionals.

Psychological safety is a crucial factor in creating a healthy and effective workplace. It involves a shared belief that the team is safe for interpersonal risk-taking. This episode delves into the intricacies of psychological safety, particularly in high-stakes environments like medicine. We explore how rigid hierarchies, cultural biases, incivility, and unrealistic expectations can hinder psychological safety and how fostering a culture of openness and vulnerability can lead to better team performance and resilience. We explore various strategies to enhance psychological safety, including setting clear expectations, modeling vulnerability, and showing gratitude. Finally, we provide actionable tools for leaders to create a psychologically safe team environment.💡 Check out our Free Resources specifically designed to address pain points in medical practice💡Guest Bio: Kim Bambach, MD  is an Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine at The Ohio State University and Assistant Director of the Kiehl Resident Wellness Endowment We Discuss:What is “psychological safety”?Google's Project AristotleWhy psychological safety is important, even on a SWAT teamThreats to psychological safetyThe Korean Air Crash of 1997Contributors to trainees feeling psychologically unsafeCollegiality between specialties and its impact on psychological safetyThe Psychological Safety ScaleSix key leadership behaviors to create a culture of psychological safetyMentioned in this episode:Awake + Aware Bend May 5-7, 2025 | Our in person live event Ready to reset, recharge, and level up? Awake + Aware is a game-changing 3-day workshop where you will learn how to stay cool when the pressure’s on and lock in the mindset you need to flourish. Space is limited. 🎓 P.S. Yes, this is a CME event!Awake + Aware Bend 2025Never Lame. Never Spammy. Always Fresh.If you’d like a few minutes of career-elevating curated kickassery delivered to your inbox, sign up for our newsletter. Sign up for our Newsletter5 Free Tools To Make Medical Practice EasierScripts for your least favorite conversations. The quick and dirty guide to calling consults. A 10-minute "Driveway Debrief" to switch off from work. My favorite documentation templates. Step-by-step guide for delivering the news of death. Free Resources Link

What would you do if your job ended tomorrow? The discussion dives into tangible strategies for navigating sudden job loss in medicine. It highlights the power of networking and mentorship, essential for exploring new opportunities. The importance of planning for career disruptions is emphasized, along with dealing with the emotional aftermath of being fired. Tips on managing burnout and ensuring job satisfaction are shared, illustrating how a proactive approach can lead to fulfilling career paths even in uncertain times.

In this discussion, Dr. Jason Hine, an emergency physician and founder of SimKit, shares his journey from practicing medicine to launching a successful business. He emphasizes the need for a solid business plan and understanding the knowledge gap between clinicians and entrepreneurs. Jason explores the balance between passion and financial success, outlining the importance of involving family in entrepreneurial pursuits. He also highlights the significance of identifying customer pain points and developing effective marketing strategies tailored for healthcare.

Dan McCollum, an emergency physician and Director of Teaching and Learning at the Medical College of Georgia, dives into the transformative concept of locus of control. He discusses how focusing on what we can influence leads to greater happiness and success, especially in high-pressure medical environments. The conversation touches on the power of small bets for significant change, the role of Stoicism in handling stress, and the importance of cultivating resilience to combat burnout. McCollum shares practical strategies for personal growth and embracing a proactive mindset.

Medical debt has a strange and storied history in America. Stretching back to colonial times, physicians and patients alike have grappled with its harsh realities. In recent years, hospitals have resorted to selling medical debt to third parties, who then aggressively pursue patients. In today’s episode, medical historian Luke Messac, MD, PhD, guides us through the past and present landscape of medical debt, examining perspectives from patients, providers, hospitals, and governments. We delve into a form of indentured servitude in the name of debt clearance, the birth of nonprofit hospitals, a pivotal shift in the 1980s, feasibility of operating healthcare under free market principles, medical economics in the 1600s, hospitals suing patients, and the emergence of medical debt as its own thriving industry.💡 Check out our Free Resources specifically designed to address pain points in medical practice💡Guest Bio: Luke Messac MD, PHD emergency physician and medical historian whose research focuses on health care's history and political economy. Luke is an attending physician at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, an Instructor in Emergency Medicine at Harvard Medical School, and the author of two books, No More to Spend: Neglect and the Construction of Scarcity in Malawi's History of Health Care and most recently, Your Money or Your Life: Debt Collection in American Medicine. We Discuss:Hospitals suing patients over debtThe Service Credit Program | Indentured servitude in the name of debt clearanceNonprofit hospitals were born out of the almshouse tradition, where charity care was part of the missionThe 1980s were a turning point for medical debt in the United StatesWith cuts in government medical spending, hospitals cut costs by limiting charity care and aggressively pursuing unpaid debtsWhy healthcare cannot operate in a pure free marketHospitals used to refuse care to patients and the courts supported itPatient dumping and the rise of EMTALACollecting money from patients has been an issue for hundreds of yearsIn the 1600s, doctors could be arrested for charging too muchDebtor's prisonDoes suing patients to recover medical debt improve a hospital's bottom line?In the early 2000s, Yale New Haven Hospital put liens and foreclosing on patients' homes as part of a debt collection strategyMedical debt collection has now become a thriving industryHow third-party medical debt collectors operateRIP Medical Debt buys and forgives medical debtIs buying and forgiving medical debt better or just forgiving it upfront?Dollar For is a nonprofit focused on helping patients navigate financial assistance programsSome hospitals are making financial assistance easier to accessState legislation is starting to address medical debt collectionNational approaches to medical debtMedical debt is prevalent around the world, but the US stands apart among wealthy countriesThe consequence of copaysPaul Farmer and caring for the destitute sick. The jungle hospital that's carrying out Paul Farmer's vision in GuatemalaRudolf Virchow - Physicians are the natural attorneys for the poorMentioned in this episode:Awake + Aware Bend May 5-7, 2025 | Our in person live event Ready to reset, recharge, and level up? Awake + Aware is a game-changing 3-day workshop where you will learn how to stay cool when the pressure’s on and lock in the mindset you need to flourish. Space is limited. 🎓 P.S. Yes, this is a CME event!Awake + Aware Bend 2025Never Lame. Never Spammy. Always Fresh.If you’d like a few minutes of career-elevating curated kickassery delivered to your inbox, sign up for our newsletter. Sign up for our Newsletter5 Free Tools To Make Medical Practice EasierScripts for your least favorite conversations. The quick and dirty guide to calling consults. A 10-minute "Driveway Debrief" to switch off from work. My favorite documentation templates. Step-by-step guide for delivering the news of death. Free Resources Link

It's natural to feel guilt or shame when living in abundance while much of the world faces hardship. In this episode, Dr. Barry Kerzin, the Dalai Lama's personal physician and a Buddhist monk, shares his approach to managing these emotions with a simple yet powerful tool. He also discusses his journey to becoming a monk, life within the Dalai Lama's compound, as well as anger management, self-compassion, and impatience strategies.💡 Check out our Free Resources specifically designed to address pain points in medical practice💡Guest Bio: Barry Kerzin, MD is a US born and trained family physician who for the past several decades has resided as a monk in Dharamshala, India — home of the Tibetan community in exile. In addition to serving as H.H. the Dalai Lama’s personal physician, Dr. Kerzin is the founder of the Altruism in Medicine Institute, whose mission is to increase compassion and resilience among healthcare professionals and extended professional groups, such as police officers, first responders, teachers and leaders.Self described as “…a doctor, a monk, a teacher, a lazy man. All of these things, yet none of these things,” you can follow Dr. Kerzin on Facebook, Youtube, Instagram or learn more about his story here.He's also got a new app that you might be interested in -- AIMIcare.  This app is crafted to counteract the distressing prevalence of burnout, depression, and frustration among those facing the brunt of human suffering by instilling the virtues of compassion, mindfulness, and self-careDownload AIMIcare:  hereAIMIcare Mobile App Website: https://aimicare.altruismmedicine.org/We Discuss: How Dr. Kerzin made the trade from US-based family doctor to Buddhist monk and the Dalai Lama's personal physicianStudying Tibetan medicine for the treatment of high blood pressureA day in the life of the Dalai Lama’s doctorWhat the food is like in the Dalai Lama's compoundHow Barry feels about being referred to as 'The Dalai Lama's Doctor'Two experiences in younger life that sparked Barry's spiritual questThe guilt of living in abundanceThe importance of generositySelf-compassionAn approach to imposter syndromeAnger managementHealthy self-confidenceUsing purpose as an antidote for impatienceHaving patience in the time-compressed reality of medical practiceMentioned in this episode:Never Lame. Never Spammy. Always Fresh.If you’d like a few minutes of career-elevating curated kickassery delivered to your inbox, sign up for our newsletter. Sign up for our Newsletter1 on 1 Physician CoachingI work with physicians to help them flourish in medical practice. If you're feeling stuck, burned out, or in trouble at work because of communication or conflict, check out our FAQ page for more info. Ready for real change? Book a discovery call. It’s free, low-pressure, and will give you clarity on your next steps.Physician Coaching FAQ4 Free Resources specifically designed to address pain points in medical practiceScripting your least favorite conversations. The Driveway Debrief. My 4 favorite documentation templates. The quick and dirty guide to calling consults.Free Resources Link

Non-compete clauses have plagued contracts for decades. It’s been analogous to asymmetric warfare, with employers holding the upper hand. All of that may soon be a thing of the past.In this episode, we explore the Federal Trade Commission's recent ruling to ban these clauses and its implications for doctors and the healthcare industry. We'll also discuss the unexpected ways non-competes can protect smaller groups, the rise of independent contractor models, and the critical staffing issues in emergency medicine. A highlight of our discussion includes the lure and the trap of signing bonuses—what seems like a generous offer can sometimes come with subtle strings attached. Finally, we'll touch on the U.S. Senate's investigation into major staffing companies and the innovative emergence of empath units for mental health patients. 💡 Check out our Free Resources specifically designed to address pain points in medical practice💡Guest Bio: Leon Adelman, MD, MBA, FACEP, FAAEM is an emergency physician and co-founder of Ivy Clinicians, a software company that simplifies the emergency medicine job search through transparency. Dr. Adelman is the author and publisher of the Emergency Medicine Workforce Newsletter, which explores the business of emergency medicine.We Discuss: What is a non-compete clause?The Federal Trade Commission's ruling making non-complete clauses null and voidWhy employers and private equity are unhappy with the non-compete rulingThe emergency medicine-specific burn point of the non-compete ruling: contract retentionThe unexpected way that individual non-compete contract clauses can protect a group from being replacedWhy small groups like to use non-compete clausesHow larger groups have moved away from non-competes and favored a 1099 independent contractor modelWhy the non-compete ruling is a massive win for independent physician practicesThe lure and the trap of physician signing bonusesA signing bonus is a loan, not a check. It's a loan you are paying back with time.What is the chance of someone not paying back the time attached to a signing bonus?There's a reason that some jobs offer a signing bonus and others don't.The US Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs is investigating the staffing models of USACS, Team Health, Envision, and Life PointWhen private equity owns a hospital, it tries to lower expenses by decreasing staffing48 states and the federal government don't require a physician in the emergency departmentIndiana and Virginia are the only two states that require a physician to be on duty in emergency departmentsAre Empath Units the solution to helping emergency department mental health patients?Mentioned in this episode:1 on 1 Physician CoachingI work with physicians to help them flourish in medical practice. If you're feeling stuck, burned out, or in trouble at work because of communication or conflict, check out our FAQ page for more info. Ready for real change? Book a discovery call. It’s free, low-pressure, and will give you clarity on your next steps.Physician Coaching FAQ4 Free Resources specifically designed to address pain points in medical practiceScripting your least favorite conversations. The Driveway Debrief. My 4 favorite documentation templates. The quick and dirty guide to calling consults.Free Resources LinkNever Lame. Never Spammy. Always Fresh.If you’d like a few minutes of career-elevating curated kickassery delivered to your inbox, sign up for our newsletter. Sign up for our Newsletter

Explore the importance of cultural context in patient care and clinician well-being, including practical examples of improving interactions and strategies for making patients feel heard. Understand the distinctions between cultural competence and cultural safety, and how approaching patient care with empathy and compassion can prevent burnout. Hear insights from Dr. Raj Sundar on caring for diverse communities and creating a framework for cultural knowledge.

The podcast discusses the common behavior of 'kicking the can down the road' in medical decision-making. They explore the reasons behind on-shift procrastination and provide strategies for overcoming it. Topics include recognizing decision deferral, managing decision aversion, pre-loading accountability, and building decision-making resilience.