The Nocturnists

Interventional Radiologist Bobby Chiong's patient codes on the table during a procedure, prompting a frantic but successful resuscitation. Afterward, Dr. Chiong reflects on the high-stakes nature of his job and the intimidating responsibility of being entrusted with patients' care. The Nocturnists is partnering with VCU Health Continuing Education to offer FREE CME credits for healthcare professionals. Visit ce.vcuhealth.org/nocturnists to claim credit for this episode. More at thenocturnists.com. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thenocturnists.substack.com

An improv workshop transforms the way psychiatrist David Elkin approaches a patient on the psych consult service, and catalyzes a philosophical shift in his approach to patient care. The Nocturnists is partnering with VCU Health Continuing Education to offer FREE CME credits for healthcare professionals. Visit ce.vcuhealth.org/nocturnists to claim credit for this episode. More at thenocturnists.com. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thenocturnists.substack.com

Alzheimer's disease used to be a rare diagnosis. But today, more than 5.8 million Americans are living with Alzheimer's and this number is projected to triple to 14 million over the next forty years. In this episode, Emily discusses the mounting practical, moral, and ethical quandaries of caring for patients with Alzheimer’s and other dementia-causing diseases with Dr. Jason Karlawish, author of The Problem of Alzheimer’s: How Science, Culture and Politics Turned a Rare Disease into a Crisis and What We Can Do About It. The Nocturnists are partnering with VCU Health Continuing Education to offer FREE CME credits for healthcare professionals. Visit ce.vcuhealth.org/nocturnists to claim credit for this episode. More at thenocturnists.com. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thenocturnists.substack.com

The emergency room is a place of intensity—a place of noise and colors and human drama. This is the setting of Dr. Michele Harper's memoir, The Beauty in Breaking, which explores how the healing journeys of her patients intersect with her own.  Emily and Dr. Harper discuss the back stories that become salient in caring for patients who may be suffering from more than just the injuries bringing them to the ER. The Nocturnists are partnering with VCU Health Continuing Education to offer FREE CME credits for healthcare professionals. Visit ce.vcuhealth.org/nocturnists to claim credit for this episode. More at thenocturnists.com. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thenocturnists.substack.com

Do no harm. Thou shalt not kill. Life is sacred and should be protected at all costs, right? But when is life no longer worth living? Who decides? And what do we do about it? In this episode, Emily discusses the murky ethical dilemmas of medical aid in dying with award-winning journalist Katie Engelhart, the author of The Inevitable: Dispatches On The Right to Die. The Nocturnists are partnering with VCU Health Continuing Education to offer free CME credits for healthcare professionals. Visit ce.vcuhealth.org/nocturnists to claim credit for this episode. More at thenocturnists.com. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thenocturnists.substack.com

In the last few years, the medical profession has been grappling with the problem of gender bias in medicine, with how the symptoms of women are seen as atypical, or worse, are minimized, dismissed or ignored. But where did this problem come from? How far have we come and where should we go from here? In this episode, Emily discusses these questions and more with Dr. Elinor Cleghorn, author of Unwell Women: Misdiagnosis and Myth in a Man-Made World. The Nocturnists are partnering with VCU Health Continuing Education to offer free CME credits for healthcare professionals. Visit ce.vcuhealth.org/nocturnists to claim credit for this episode. More at thenocturnists.com. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thenocturnists.substack.com

It’s been over a year since the first case of COVID-19 appeared in Seattle, and it’s been a long cold lonely winter. But in our series finale, we wanted to hear about a bright spot in all the darkness: the first vaccines that found their way into the arms of healthcare workers all around the country. More at thenocturnists.com This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thenocturnists.substack.com

Where did the pandemic become real for you? This has been the most significant global public health crisis in a generation, but we each experienced it through a different set of eyes. More at thenocturnists.com This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thenocturnists.substack.com

The acute phase of the COVID-19 pandemic is over, but some things are here to stay. How have N-95s, face shields, gowns, gloves and ventilators inserted themselves into our everyday lives? More at thenocturnists.com This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thenocturnists.substack.com

The COVID-19 global health crisis shed light on the immense value of doctors, nurses, public health workers, and research scientists. At the same time, the pandemic has all but obliterated the arts: theater artists, dancers, and performers have lost their livelihoods and their purpose. But doesn't art save lives, too? More at thenocturnists.com This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thenocturnists.substack.com