Academic Medicine Podcast

"I can now passionately answer the age-old question of what I want to be when I grow up. A doctor." Pre-med student Matt Orringer reflects on the experiences that connected the dots between his college science courses and real-life patient care, convincing him that medicine is the right career path for him. His essay was published in the Teaching and Learning Moments column in the July 2018 issue of Academic Medicine. Read the essay at academicmedicine.org.

"Instead of dismissing Ms. S as another 'challenging patient,' we should have considered her concerns and inquired about her worries, discovered her fears..." First-year resident Trisha Paul reflects on a patient encounter that taught her about partnering with patients and their families to decide on mutual goals for healing. Her essay was published in the Teaching and Learning Moments column in the July 2018 issue of Academic Medicine. Read the essay at academicmedicine.org.

Discussing the current practice of using USMLE Step 1 scores to screen residency applicants and the effects on medical students and the medical school curriculum are Academic Medicine editor-in-chief David Sklar and senior staff editor Toni Gallo (@AcadMedJournal) and four Academic Medicine authors who have written on this topic: Charles Prober, MD, Daniel London, MD, MS (@londonda), Pamela Schaff, MD (@pbs424), and Ron Ben-Ari, MD. They also discuss alternatives to this practice, including developing new metrics or data collection processes to better capture “the full richness of students,” establishing better communications channels between medical schools and residency programs, implementing a holistic review process, and changing the content of the Step 1 exam. They advocate for creating a national working group to bring together all stakeholders including trainees to design a path forward. Read more about this topic, including the articles discussed in this episode, at: https://journals.lww.com/academicmedicine/pages/default.aspx.

"Instead of perceiving my humanity as a reason why I may fall short of my patients’ needs and expectations, I now understand that it is also a way I can meet them." First-year resident Cindy Lee reflects on a personal experience that drove home the lessons she was learning about patient-centered care. Her essay was published in the Teaching and Learning Moments column in the June 2018 issue of Academic Medicine. Read the essay at academicmedicine.org.

"I am thankful for the opportunity to have grown so much in my medical knowledge ... But what stands out most are the times I truly connected with my patients." Medical student Victor Hsiao reflects on those patients who generously shared their lives with him. His essay was published in the Teaching and Learning Moments column in the May 2018 issue of Academic Medicine. Read the essay at academicmedicine.org.

Nardin Samuel reflects on her first code status discussion with a patient and why she stopped to grieve after his death. Her essay was published in the Teaching and Learning Moments column in the May 2018 issue of Academic Medicine. Read the essay at academicmedicine.org.

Education scientist Dr. Aimee Gardner reflects on her partnership with a physician to conduct simulation research. Her poem was published in the Teaching and Learning Moments column in the April 2018 issue of Academic Medicine. Read the essay at academicmedicine.org.

Cindy Medina reflects on her time in Manabí, Ecuador, as a medical student and the lessons she learned about caring for patients beyond treating their illnesses. Her essay was published in the Teaching and Learning Moments column in the April 2018 issue of Academic Medicine. Read the essay at academicmedicine.org.

Discussing competency-based, time-variable education in the health professions are Olle ten Cate, one of the guest editors of a recent supplement to Academic Medicine on this topic and Academic Medicine editor-in-chief David Sklar and senior staff editor Toni Gallo. They cover how the argument for time variability came about and what a time-variable education model looks like as well as the concepts of entrustment and assessment in such a system. The supplement was produced with support from the Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation and is free to read and download from academicmedicine.org.

Dr. Jonathan Kersun reflects on gratitude, being a good doctor, and learning from his patients in "Still My Patient." His essay was published in the Teaching and Learning Moments column in the March 2018 issue of Academic Medicine. Read the essay at academicmedicine.org.

Editors-in-chief David Sklar, of Academic Medicine (@ AcadMedJournal), Virginia Brennan (@ VMBrennan), of the Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved, and David Vlahov, of the Journal of Urban Health, discuss caring for our most vulnerable populations and the role of health professions education and medical journals in meeting the needs of these underserved groups. This conversation complements Academic Medicine's current New Conversations feature on this topic. Read more about Academic Medicine, including the New Conversations article discussed in this episode, at: journals.lww.com/academicmedicine/pages/default.aspx. Read more about the Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved at: press.jhu.edu/journals/journal-health-care-poor-and-underserved. Read more about the Journal of Urban Health at: link.springer.com/journal/11524.

Medical student Nick Teodoro reflects on the tool kit chaplains use when caring for patients, and he considers what physicians can learn from them about listening. His essay was published in the Teaching and Learning Moments column in the February 2018 issue of Academic Medicine. Read the essay at academicmedicine.org.

Dr. Raya Kheirbek recounts a patient encounter that reminded her that we all listen at different levels and that patients need their doctor to be present in the moment. Her essay was published in the Teaching and Learning Moments column in the January 2018 issue of Academic Medicine. Read the essay at academicmedicine.org.

Medical student Zech Franks remembers a serendipitous encounter with patient continuity at a clinic in Nogales, Arizona. That day, empathy found him. His essay was published in the Teaching and Learning Moments column in the December 2017 issue of Academic Medicine. Read the essay at academicmedicine.org.

Discussing global health issues in medical education, including the social context of learning, competencies across cultures, and learning in the developing world, are editor-in-chief David Sklar, authors Esther Helmich and Quentin Eichbaum, and medical student Naomi Boyd. This conversation complements the journal's New Conversations feature on global health education. Read more at academicmedicine.org.