This family taught me that it is exactly these patients—who are rightfully frustrated and afraid—who will push us and our institutions to improve. Instead of resisting that critique, we should support our patients in expressing it.

Rebecca F.P. Long reflects on accepting that providers will not always meet patients' expectations, despite their best efforts, and what to do when it occurs.

The essay read in this episode was published in the Teaching and Learning Moments column in the June 2023 issue of Academic Medicine. Read the essay at academicmedicine.org.