Doctors and other health care professionals are too often socialized and pressured to become “efficient task completers” rather than healers, which leads... more
A recent NEJM article and accompanying podcast episode (“Tough Love”) authored and hosted by the Journal’s national correspondent sound... more
“Sonny’s Blues” is a 1956 story by the author, James Baldwin, about a “sensible” and pragmatic algebra teacher and his... more
In a 2021 episode that we reran last month, “About me being racist: a conversation that follows an apology,” Saul... more
We are re-running this episode from 2021 because we’re releasing a sequel next month in which Saul reflects on his... more
For years, when physicians order tests to assess lung function, or blood work to determine kidney function, or look up... more
The practice of urine drug testing during pregnancy and then often reporting positive results to Child Protective Services triggers a... more
Direct, covert observation of health care is a novel and underutilized tool to assess health care trainees and clinicians. In... more
In the prior episode we learned that there is no evidence that time-limited testing improves test validity and that, in... more
There is a widely held perception that being able to complete a test quickly is an indication of mastery when... more
Stefan interviews co-host Saul about his experiences becoming a doctor with a learning disability. This episode, first run in 2020,... more
A recent New York Times article, titled "When Doctors Use a Chatbot to Improve Their Bedside Manner," should raise questions... more
The narrative that getting patients with chronic pain off opioids makes them safer was reinforced by a recent paper... more
We might assume that a patient who is chained to their hospital bed must be restrained for good reason, but... more
In this second of a two-episode series on medical student mistreatment, we discuss its impact on burnout with a colleague... more
How is it that a healing profession -- medicine -- has such a deeply ingrained culture of harming its own? ... more
Simon Auster, MD, was a family physician, psychiatrist, and medical educator who had extraordinary insight about practicing medicine but absolutely... more
Medical training and practice habituates physicians to a culture that narrows the possibilities we see for finding joy and meaning... more
In October, the New York Times published the first of several articles about an eminent professor at NYU who was... more
Today, Stefan talks with Saul about his favorite topic (and life's work), contextualizing care. We're re-releasing this conversation (from January... more
Recent articles in mainstream media about "medical gaslighting" have struck a nerve with thousands of comments on social media platforms.... more
Urine drug screening (UDS) is used in the care of patients with opioid use disorder, and for patients receiving opioids for chronic pain.... more
Making it into and through medical school is tough even for those who have all the advantages: excellent schools starting... more
Medical students may be subject to professionalism review by committees, most commonly for “unreliability” such as not responding to emails,... more
Many residents are not doing well, psychologically, and sometimes physically -- and with good reason. High levels of mistreatment and... more
The opioid crisis was precipitated by physicians overprescribing opioid pain medication, egged on by the pharmaceutical industry, contributing to suffering... more
On January 1st, the New York Times ran a story about prenatal genetic tests that are "usually wrong" -- but... more
There are two qualities we may experience in others who comfort and ground us when we feel vulnerable and lost. ... more
Lately we've been hearing about bad behavior on airplanes. Here we discuss an incident in which a passenger unselfconsiously stepped... more
Our guest, a physician a few years out of residency, describes an experience from her training when an attending yelled... more
Our guest, a resident physician, describes her reaction and what followed, when she discovered a symbol of hate tattooed on... more
Making it into and through medical school is tough even for those who have all the advantages: excellent schools starting at a... more