In this episode of the Medical Manners Podcast, host Katie Wyatt explores the transformative power of empathy in healthcare with her guest, optometrist Taylor Linton. Listeners will learn simple phrases and actions that can be implemented to easily encorpoate empathy into their medical practice. 

We'd love to hear how you make empathy easy in your medical practice! Leave a comment on the episode and let's help eachother improve.

This episode is sponsored by the Connect Better audio course - a six week audio course that teaches healthcare providers how to improve their patient satisfaction/press ganey scores. This can be accessed at www.medicalmanners.com. Use the code PODCAST for 10% off the course. 

In this powerful episode of Medical Manners, I have the privilege of speaking with Kamille Fox, RN, about the importance of honoring patients' faith practices in healthcare. Kamille shares her experiences as a nurse caring for patients from diverse spiritual backgrounds, as well as her personal journey through a high-risk pregnancy complicated by severe spina bifida—one that required in-utero surgery.

Through her unique perspective as both a caregiver and a patient, Kamille offers profound insight into how faith can be a source of healing and strength. We discuss practical ways healthcare providers can support patients' spiritual needs while maintaining professional and compassionate care. Whether you're a medical professional or someone who values the intersection of faith and medicine, this episode is filled with wisdom, empathy, and inspiration.

Tune in to learn how we can foster a more holistic, patient-centered approach to healthcare—one that respects and incorporates faith when desired.

In this inspiring episode, I sit down with Dan Linford, former English teacher, Student Body Officer Advisor, Principal and current Superintendent of a major school district and one of the most influential mentors in my life.

Dan was my student body officer advisor when I was a senior in high school, and I’ll never forget what he used to say to us: “I try to treat you the way I think you can become, not as you are now.”

Dan lives by the powerful belief that we should refuse to see people as anything but their best selves. And when we do, something amazing happens—people often rise to meet or exceed the expectations we set for them.

This mindset isn’t just for educators—it has a place in healthcare too. In our conversation, Dan shares practical insights on how recognizing and affirming our patients’ strengths can change the trajectory of their care. When we believe in our patients, they often become more than we ever thought possible.

Tune in for wisdom, heart, and ideas you can start applying today.

The Multiplier Effect book, by Liz Wiseman, is mentioned in this podcast interview. The link to the book on Amazon is listed below:

https://www.amazon.com/Multiplier-Effect-Tapping-Genius-Schools/dp/1452271895/ref=asc_df_1452271895?mcid=ccb0b27cf77331c088989e13e6c904ed&hvocijid=5609675091466730625-1452271895-&hvexpln=73&tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=721245378154&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=5609675091466730625&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9029448&hvtargid=pla-2281435175938&psc=1

Welcome to Medical Manners. This week we engage with Dr. Charles Pilcher, a seasoned emergency physician and medical legal consultant, to delve into the secrets of not getting sued. Through enlightening stories and insights, Dr. Pilcher shares his experiences with medical malpractice cases and emphasizes the pivotal role of communication in improving patient satisfaction and reducing legal risks. 

HIs newsletter, Medical Malpractice Insights: Learning From Lawsuits is a free newsletter sent out monthly. He takes a Emergency Department Malpractice case, tells what happened, what went wrong, and how we can learn from it and avoid making the same mistakes in our own medical practices. It is an incredible resource that I believe every provider sould be reading regularly. 

Subscribe to the newsletter below:

https://gem.godaddy.com/signups/da3d5902d05c4befa1ea538ddc88a6f9/join

Join us on the Medical Manners Podcast as host Katie Wyatt sits down with Hannah Belnap-Gunn, a physician's assistant who provides unique insights into the challenges of dealing with 'frequent fliers' (patient who find themselves needing to be seen in the ED or clinic on a somewhat regular basis).  Hannah shares her personal journey from being a frequent emergency room visitor due to migraines and shares lessons we as healthcare providers can learn from her experiences. 

This episode highlights the power of empathy and effective communication in healthcare, exploring how healthcare providers can enhance patient care by better understanding their stories. Hannah teaches us simples shifts we can make to help our frequent fliers feel less shame, and feel that they are human and heard. 

In this episode Sharla Sintyl shares the terrifying experience of her 6-year-old son who accidently caught himself on fire while playing with gasoline and a lighter. As she takes us through this life-altering event, she also reveals the critical lessons healthcare professionals can learn—about the power of eye contact, the importance of physical touch, and how managing up can transform a patient’s experience. This is a conversation about more than just medicine—it’s about human connection. Stay tuned—you won’t want to miss it."

At just six years old, Peter Gibson faced a life-altering cancer diagnosis in the midst of a global pandemic, catapulting his family into a whirlwind of treatments, ER visits, and constant uncertainty. In this heartfelt episode, his mother, Megan Gibson, takes us through their journey — the fears, the triumphs, and the lessons learned along the way. She offers powerful insights on how healthcare providers can forge deeper emotional connections with patients and celebrate their victories, no matter how small. This is a conversation about resilience, compassion, and the profound impact of truly seeing and celebrating those in our care.

It can be helpful in our careers to remember what our purpose is. Why do we do what we do? What is the purpose behind all our hard work? Then we can identify the vehicles that help us achieve our purpose. Making sure we are laser focused in on our purpose and don't get side tracked by the vehicles is so important!

This can help as we are wanting to find more joy in our careers, negotiating contracts with employers, and in our personal life. This weeks episode is really for anyone who wants to find more purpose in their lives.

Dr. Scott Abramson spent 40 years helping patients as an acclaimed neurologist. The last 20 years of his career he also started working on a project to help physicians in his organization connect with their patients better. He says he would have retired in his early 60's , but he found so much joy in connecting with others, that he continued working until age 72.

Listen to this episode to learn his secrets about finding joy through connecting and loving your job again, even for someone who claims he isn't good at it naturally.

This episode with Christine was so interesting! Hearing about what she sees on her side and what the situations are that end up in lawsuit. I was surprised to learn that in Texas, because of certain laws, when people enter a medical malpractice suit, it is usually not for money. Listen to hear Christine's take on what really matters and how to avoid medical lawsuit action.