In this episode, I'm sharing the second part of my journey finding humanity as a medical educator, focusing on three practical workflow challenges I've been navigating. I'm getting real about the "inhuman stories" that have been surfacing - like feeling I need to be my residents' cruise director, believing teaching shouldn't take extra time, and worrying that learners mean worse patient care. Through trial and error, I'm learning that creating space in my schedule isn't laziness, it's essential for sustainable teaching and quality care. If you're in medical education or integrating any new aspect into your work, I hope my messy middle resonates.

Learn more about Hippocratic Collective: https://hippocraticcollective.org/

Connect on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joanchanmd

In this deeply nourishing conversation, I sit down with Dr. Alysha Mackenzie-Feder, a pediatrician from Kelowna, BC, to explore the critical difference between empathy and compassion in healthcare. Alysha shares how her journey through Zen Buddhism and contemplative practices transformed her understanding of physician wellbeing and patient care, revealing why "compassion fatigue" might actually be empathetic distress. We dive into emotions as physiological experiences, the hidden curriculum of medical training, and how creating community might be our path through these challenging times in healthcare. This episode offers both the language and practical tools to move from drowning in our patients' emotions to standing alongside them with an open heart and strong back.

Connect with Alysha:

Website: https://www.adeeperwell.ca/

Substack: https://adeeperwell.substack.com/

Learn more about Hippocratic Collective: https://hippocraticcollective.org/

Connect on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joanchanmd

In this solo episode, I'm sharing three major "inhuman stories" that have been haunting me as I've stepped deeper into medical education as a preceptor and co-site director. I unpack the beliefs that I need to know everything to teach, that my job is to mold students in my image, and that I'm solely responsible for their outcomes—and how these stories create unnecessary stress and anxiety. Through frameworks like the carpenter versus gardener model and the division of responsibility, I'm finding my way toward more sustainable, humane approaches to teaching. This is very much the messy middle of my journey, and I hope it resonates with anyone navigating the challenges of teaching or mentoring in healthcare.

Learn more about Hippocratic Collective: https://hippocraticcollective.org/

Connect on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joanchanmd