

Stimulus - Learn Tools to Crush It in Your Medical Career
Rob Orman, MD
Do you work in medicine and love patient care but feel like parts of the job don’t measure up? Stimulus equips you with tools, mindset shifts, and strategies they didn’t teach you in training—so you can practice medicine like a boss, flourish in your career, and not let it crush your soul. Emergency physician and executive coach Rob Orman, MD, goes in-depth with thought leaders on how to avoid burnout, improve communication, lead without drama, and stay calm amidst the storm. Don’t just suck it up, think differently.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Sep 6, 2021 • 51min
58. Lessons Learned in Blood | Mass casualty response effectiveness with Green Beret and physician Mike Shertz, MD
Mass casualty events are rare and thus the mistakes made and lessons learned are often repeated, over and over. In this episode, emergency physician and former Special Forces medic Mike Shertz, MD walks us through the steps on how to be an effective first receiver of mass casualty victims and shares the lessons written in blood from previous events. Guest Bio: Mike Shertz MD is an emergency physician who spent 13 years as a Green Beret and a Special Forces medic. He is the founder and purveyor of Crisis Medicine which teaches and trains first responders in tactical casualty care. Check out this video that we did together in 2019 on how to place and remove a tourniquet and this one on how to pack a gunshot wound with combat gauze. Awake + Aware | Our 2025 Live Event⭐ Join us at Awake and Aware 2025, a game-changing 3-day workshop from May 5-7 in Bend, Oregon. Learn how to stay cool when the pressure’s on and lock in the mindset you need to flourish. Space is limited.🖱️ Website: Awakeandawarebend.com🎓 P.S. Yes, this is a CME event!The Flameproof CourseThe hidden anti-burnout curriculum we all should have learned in training. Cohort 3 begins Sept 10, 2024. Get the deets For full show notes of this episode and all sorts of other goodies, visit our podcast websiteWe discuss:The First Receiver who is in a singularly unique position as it applies to a mass casualty [03:55];The difference between a hospital’s surge capacity and mass casualty preparedness [05:30];The mindset of the medical provider after receiving a patient from EMS [10:32];The value of a field triage score which is a simple way to stratify casualties [12:50];How the success of a mass casualty event for the first receiver has to do with organization, throughput, and saving lives [16:15];Lessons learned from the Christchurch, New Zealand mass shooter incident [29:45];How your response to a mass casualty differs if you’re unsure about the safety of your facility (as was the case in the 2020 Beirut explosion) [41:15];One of the sayings of the Special Forces: ‘All lessons are written in blood’ [43:27]; The question Shertz thinks people should ask of their hospital disaster planners [45:45];And more.

20 snips
Aug 23, 2021 • 55min
57. Cultivating the Emergency Mind | Graduated pressure, sangfroid, and acknowledging the suboptimal
Dr. Dan Dworkis, an emergency physician, discusses cultivating the emergency mind, including handling pressure, deliberate training, acknowledging suboptimal situations, and mastering sangfroid. They also explore breaking down tasks, supporting ALS research, and the discipline of the suboptimal in medicine.

Aug 9, 2021 • 33min
56. Rescue in the Jungle | Rob and Melissa meet a hiker with a medical emergency
Rob and Melissa encounter a hiker with a medical emergency in the jungle. Topics include managing acute pain without medication, breath work in high-stress situations, and the challenges of healthcare professionals.

11 snips
Jul 26, 2021 • 1h
55. Too Much On My Plate | Getting un-busy, procrastination, and pulling back from overcommitment
Emergency physician and time management coach, Dr. Christina Shenvi, discusses getting un-busy, conquering the email inbox, and overcoming overcommitment. They explore the influence of 'should' statements on overcommitment and the importance of reclaiming agency. They also delve into creating structure, finding joy, and being of service in life.

Jul 12, 2021 • 29min
54. Spanish matador Juan Belmonte practiced naked | Defining success and developing character through the medium of career
Emergency medicine physicians discuss the challenges and rewards of their field, reflecting on burnout and patient connections. They explore the trap of achievement and the importance of balancing it with fulfillment. The significance of personal satisfaction, autonomy, continuous learning, and evolving perspectives on success are emphasized. They encourage listeners to find joy in their careers and prioritize personal lives.

6 snips
Jun 28, 2021 • 52min
53. The Five Fears of Scott Weingart
Scott Weingart, influential physician, discusses his five fears in medical practice. Topics include the distinction between carrying fear and being afraid, the importance of embracing the seriousness of sick patients, fear of lawyers, fear of complications in medical procedures, and the fear of rushing decisions. The podcast explores concepts like external calibration, self-doubt, and Monday morning quarterbacking.

Jun 14, 2021 • 31min
52. Listening to Podcasts for Maximal Retention | Interstitial time, task type, hour of day, driving vs undivided attention
Most of us don’t give a lot of thought to how and when we listen to podcasts. But like most of life, an intentional approach can reap benefits. In this episode, Josh Russell walks us through: strategies for maximizing retention, listening based on brain state, new data on listening while driving, the value of silence.Guest Bio: Joshua Russell, MD is clinician, writer, and educator. Since completing residency training in Emergency Medicine, Dr. Russell has had a varied career including supervising PAs and NPs as a medical director for a regional Urgent Care network, contributing to various Hippo Education podcasts, and serving as the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Urgent Care Medicine (JUCM). Most recently, he has completed fellowship training in Hospice and Palliative Medicine at the University of Chicago Medical Center.This episode is in support of the I AM ALS. I AM ALS was founded by Brian Wallach and his wife Sandra shortly after his diagnosis at the age of 37. He was given 6 months to live, and now 4 years later he is leading a revolution to find a cure. People often refer to ALS as rare, which is not really so. The lifetime risk is around 1 in 300. Since Lou Gehrig was diagnosed 80 years ago, available treatments have been shown to extend life a mere 3 months. I AM ALS supports research, legislation to fast track therapies, and provides critical resources to patients and caregivers. ALS is relentless, and so are they. The question is no longer if we'll find a cure for ALS, but when. This is an underfunded disease and every little bit makes a difference. We will match donations to I AM ALS up to $5000 -- get started here on our Stimulus Donation Page. And for your daily dose of positivity, follow Brian on Twitter.Awake + Aware | Our 2025 Live Event⭐ Join us at Awake and Aware 2025, a game-changing 3-day workshop from May 5-7 in Bend, Oregon. Learn how to stay cool when the pressure’s on and lock in the mindset you need to flourish. Space is limited.🖱️ Website: Awakeandawarebend.com🎓 P.S. Yes, this is a CME event!The Flameproof CourseThe hidden anti-burnout curriculum we all should have learned in training. Cohort 3 begins Sept 10, 2024. Get the deets For full show notes of this episode and all sorts of other goodies, visit our podcast website We discuss: Strategies for maximizing retention of podcast content [04:20]; How your working memory is like the RAM of your brain [08:40]; Why Josh prefers to listen to podcasts in the morning as this is when he is best able to focus [10:20]; The importance of using your brain for tasks that are appropriate for the state that it’s in [12:45]; Not every interstitial moment needs to be occupied by something educational or entertaining [15:55]; How Rob consumes podcasts [17:10]; A recent study which evaluated the knowledge gained from listening to podcasts while driving compared to that gained from undistracted listening [20:40]; The value of silence [24:10]; A functional MRI study which shows that listening to a story-based podcast lights up huge areas of the brain [28:35]; A study in mice which found that 2 hours of silence per day led to neurogenesis whereas background or white noise didn't [29:00]; And more.

14 snips
May 31, 2021 • 31min
51. Excellent Presentations with Ross Fisher, MD | Detailed instructions for how to slay it on stage (or online)
UK based pediatric surgeon Ross Fisher, creator of p cubed presentations, discusses techniques for excellent presentations including ending a talk effectively, handling audience questions, using scripts in lecture preparation, presenting data, and the importance of message repetition. Fisher highlights the importance of feedback in a safe environment and positive coaching. He also emphasizes the significance of properly signaling the end of a presentation and the role of the message in a presentation compared to storytelling.

May 17, 2021 • 1h 12min
50. The Wedge | An internal shift to thrive under duress
Investigative journalist and bestselling author Scott Carney is our guest as we discuss: what it means to be human, going deep in the Wim Hof method, benefits of cold exposure, climbing Kilimanjaro without a shirt, using The Wedge to change conversations with your limbic system, kettlebell throwing, and why you might want to embrace failure.Guest Bio: Scott Carney is an anthropologist, investigative journalist, author, and a seeker of both the fringes of human experience and the core of what makes us human. Scott has written four books to date, including The Enlightenment Trap, The Red Market, and What Doesn't Kill Us. Most recently, he authored The Wedge, which dives deeply into understanding the space between stimulus and response. Scott's work has been featured in many different magazines -- Wired, Mother Jones, Playboy, Foreign Policy, Men's Journal, National Public Radio. He has won the Payne Award for Ethics in Journalism and is a multi-finalist for the Livingston Award for International Journalism.This episode is in support of the Altruism in Medicine Institute, an organization founded by Barry Kerzin, a physician, teacher, author, and Tibetan Buddhist monk. The mission is to increase compassion and resilience among health care professionals and their patients. Compassion fatigue is a very real thing, especially in health care. Building your compassion muscle is one of the most potent tools not only for avoiding burnout, but for finding joy in what you do.Awake + Aware | Our 2025 Live Event⭐ Join us at Awake and Aware 2025, a game-changing 3-day workshop from May 5-7 in Bend, Oregon. Learn how to stay cool when the pressure’s on and lock in the mindset you need to flourish. Space is limited.🖱️ Website: Awakeandawarebend.com🎓 P.S. Yes, this is a CME event!The Flameproof CourseThe hidden anti-burnout curriculum we all should have learned in training. Cohort 3 begins Sept 10, 2024. Get the deets For full show notes of this episode and all sorts of other goodies, visit our podcast websiteWe discuss: The common theme of Scott’s books -- what does it mean to be human? [05:00]; Who is “The Iceman” Wim Hof and and why might cold water immersion lead to general resilience [09:10]; The three elements of the Wim Hof method and how they relate to the wedge [15:10]; An advantage of the Wim Hof method vs. other mind-body connection practices (like Tuomo) -- it’s fast and you can learn it in about 3 days [20:00]; Scott’s weekly cold water immersion practice with benefits that last 4-5 days [22:20]; Why ‘gritting it out’ is not an effective strategy for prolonged cold exposure [27:30]; Climbing up to Gilman’s Point on Kilimanjaro shirtless and without oxygen [30:15]; Scott’s sauna routine and the value of giving his body contrasts to adapt to new environments [33:25]; His latest book, The Wedge, and how the wedge is activating something within yourself in order to thrive in a difficult moment [36:25]; Using a library as a metaphor for the limbic system [39:20]; The philosophical question -- do we experience a shared reality? [44:20]; Applying the wedge in the emergency department when your heart is racing and you’re profusely sweating because you’re having difficulty with a critical procedure[49:25]; The solution (or wedge) for the mental irritation that often comes with reading opinions on social media [58:30]; And more.

May 6, 2021 • 9min
49. Can Sex Improve Nasal Function?
Explore the physiological connection between sex and nasal function, comparing it to nasal decongestion spray. Discover the immediate improvement in nasal airflow after sex and the differences in duration and strength compared to using a nasal spray. Discuss the potential effectiveness of sexual therapy for nasal obstruction and the need for further research.