Real MD

Dr. Beth Vukin has spent the last 20 years as a pediatric hospitalist in an academic setting. Her medicine, as she puts it, is talking to people and listening to the words they use. Lately, this has translated into her own podcast called Real Talk with Kid Docs. We had such a great conversation and I was struck by her story of being undiagnosed while practicing medicine. She went from having a clear path to dealing with uncertainty and this has changed her perspectives, reprioritizing her values. Beth also reminds us how important it is to take care of ourselves and that it’s okay to notice when your batteries are low, take a break, regroup and then figure out your next steps. 

Eli Bunzel is a fourth year orthopedic resident who helped start the RealMD program. It is so great to stay connected to former students who made RealMD possible. In this episode, we reminisce about the early days and also how the program impacted his own journey. Eli talks about navigating the hurdles of medical school by remembering his strengths and nurturing deep relationships with mentors who advocated for him. His message of doing the internal work to discover his purpose is a much needed message during medical school. Our job is to find and hold on to our strengths and be willing to ask for help along the way. He also reminds each of us that no one is expecting you to have it all figured out (except maybe you) and sometimes you have to get out of your own way to pursue life’s work. 

Mike Aldred is one of our House Advisors and a long time member of the Student Affairs Team. One thing is for certain, Mike loves working with medical students. In this episode he talks about the process of finding yourself. Both in the context of his own journey into education and his work helping students find their own career path. For Mike, it always comes down to knowing and applying your strengths. I also include a recording of Mike at a recent RealMD storytelling event where he talks about finding his way.

I have been cheering on the side lines for Maci Winn ever since she started medical school (I of course cheer for all our students.) I love Maci’s story, she is an MDPhD student and competitive weightlifter. I have been inspired by her ability to pursue two things she loves and how she is willing to both try and accept failure in order to do so. In a profession like medicine, we need more of this mentality to not put your life on hold to pursue medicine but to carve out space for the things you love while becoming a physician. It doesn't mean that at certain points you can do it all, but we must not put off who we are and the things that bring us joy to a faraway future time. Maci’s story is still a work in progress and it doesn't need to have a happy anecdote or have a polished ending. Like all of us, she is a work in progress. Thanks for sharing your message that you would rather risk failure than not try. I hope this episode reaches those who need it! 

For this week’s episode, I had the pleasure of speaking with Dr. Gretchen Case. Her career is fascinating and shows us there are more opportunities and pathways than we think there are, if we can broaden our thinking. She is committed to an interdisciplinary education through her work as Director of the Center for Health Ethics, Arts, and Humanities, as a faculty member in internal medicine, and the department of theater. We talked about so many things but what comes up for me is the idea of rethinking failure. When you make a change in your life or experience a shift in your career interests, it doesn't have to be defined as failure, comparisons with peers are not helpful, you are just finding your own way. Also, so much of what we learn on our nonlinear journeys is not wasted but can be transferable if we allow it. Gretchen’s stories and life journey followed a thread that has worked well for her, not to say it has been easy but she has clearly found joy. I will bring her back again cause there is more to talk about. 

Dr. Andy Smith is a clinical care pediatrician, faculty member, and course director at the U. He is also a great, authentic human who you won’t forget after meeting. In this episode, we talk about how he built his career but I think curated is a better word. He did this through a variety of experiences as an EMT in Chicago before medical school as well as helping Aids patients in Malawi and amazing clinical experiences in rural locations to pursue his why: to take care of the sickest patients. But for Andy, his ultimate goal is to practice the kind of medicine where can be fully present. This desire carries over into his family life and all the work he does. We also talk about recently launching SCoPE (a 6 week introductory course for medical students) and being willing to make big changes that help students build a closer knit community right from the start. Bottom line: I love working with Andy and yes it was hard to stay on topic (stay on for the bloopers at the end!). Thanks in advance to Ali and the time she spent editing this episode.   

This episode of the RealMD podcast took place at the AAMC national Learn Serve Lead conference in Seattle this past November. I get to talk to one of my greatest collaborators, colleagues, and friends, Shira Kaplan who is the Director of Leadership Programs at the AAMC. We discuss why leadership development is so important during medical school and how institutions can get started. This episode is also about creating meaningful partnerships. When two passionate people connect on a shared area they care about, change can happen.

Joseph Grenny is a mentor and friend. His work as a researcher, author, and business owner has helped countless professionals level up their abilities to lead teams, navigate conflict, and influence change. In this episode, we talk about his career path, two of his books (Crucial Conversations and Influencer), and thinking at scale which means having a belief or calling that as individuals we can do large scale work that impacts the world. He has an incredible ability to translate his experiences into medicine and tell stories to illustrate. Most of all his lifelong commitment to training for the work he is doing now to help change the lives of criminals, drug addicts and unsheltered populations is inspiring.