The Interesting MD Podcast

What happens when you're a doctor, but suddenly you're the family member trying to navigate the healthcare system for someone you love?

In this emotional episode of The Interesting MD Podcast, Dr. Rob Beck welcomes back pediatric emergency physician and HUMED Podcast host Dr. David Spiro for a deeply personal conversation about losing their parents and the importance of keeping humanity at the center of medicine.

David shares the story of his mother, Elaine, and the challenges he experienced during her final hospitalization, from communication breakdowns to difficult decisions about feeding tubes, nursing care, and honoring her wishes. He also recalls a beautiful moment of clarity they shared shortly before her death.

The conversation becomes even more personal when Rob opens up about losing his father while living in Canada, the guilt of being far from family during COVID, and one of the hardest end-of-life conversations he's ever had.

Together, they reflect on grief, family, compassion, and how these experiences have changed them both as physicians and as people.

Special thanks to Physician Financing for supporting this episode.

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Would you give up your green card to find happiness in medicine again?

In Part 3, the final episode of this three-part series, Dr. Rob Beck sits down with Dr. Sarah Mauthe to talk about her move from the United States to Canada and what life has been like since starting over in British Columbia.

Sarah breaks down the Canadian medical licensing process, how she found a hospitalist job, and the resources that helped her make the transition. She also shares what surprised her most about living in Canada and why practicing medicine without the same insurance and billing frustrations has made such a difference in her career.

After years of feeling burned out in American healthcare, Sarah says she's finally enjoying being a doctor again, with more energy for her family and a better quality of life outside the hospital.

It's a conversation about taking a chance, finding the right support, and realizing that sometimes changing where you practice can change how you feel about medicine.

Special thanks to Physician Financing for supporting this episode.

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What do you do when you still love being a doctor, but you no longer love the system you're working in?

Sarah shares the emotional toll of working in an HMO, the frustrations of insurance-driven healthcare, and how the stress of her career began affecting her life outside the hospital. She also talks about exploring other medical career paths before realizing that she didn't want to stop practicing medicine. She wanted to find a way to love it again.

Together, they discuss physician burnout, the challenges of American healthcare, and why moving to Canada became an opportunity to start fresh.

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In Part 1 of this three-part conversation, Dr. Rob Beck sits down with Dr. Sarah Mauthe, a Canadian-born physician who spent roughly 15 years training and practicing medicine in the United States before returning to Canada.

Sarah talks about her experiences in Alabama, Nevada, and California, from the rewarding early years of hospital medicine to the growing pressures of understaffing, administrative demands, and physician burnout. She also shares how her employer allegedly delayed her green card paperwork, leaving her feeling trapped in a job where she once worked 24 consecutive days and saw as many as 60 patients a day.

It's a conversation about the realities of American medicine, the challenges immigrant physicians can face, and what happens when a career you love starts taking more than it gives.

In Part 2, Sarah shares more about her decision to leave the U.S. and rediscover her passion for medicine.

Special thanks to Physician Financing for supporting this episode. Learn more at https://physicianfinancing.ca/

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How much are Americans and Canadians actually paying for healthcare?

In this solo episode of The Interesting MD Podcast, Dr. Rob Beck breaks down healthcare spending on both sides of the border, looking beyond the usual argument that Canadians pay through taxes while Americans rely on private insurance.

Dr. Beck examines taxes, Medicare and Medicaid, employer-sponsored insurance, premiums, deductibles, co-pays, employer contributions, and other costs that often get left out of the conversation. He also compares what healthcare can cost a family in British Columbia versus Washington State and explores research estimating what could happen if the U.S. moved toward a single-payer system.

This isn't about pretending either system is perfect. It's about asking a more useful question: When you count every dollar going toward healthcare, what are you actually paying?

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Pay attention. Wake up. This is not the country you were born into.

In Part 2 of this two-part interview, Cassandra Marra continues her family's story of speaking out, standing firm, and searching for safety.

In this episode: This is Part 2 of a two-part interview. Dr. Rob Beck continues his conversation with Cassandra Marra, whose wife, Dr. Janelle Marra, has served for nearly two decades as a physician in the U.S. Navy. Part 1 covered what happened after Dr. Marra became the subject of a widely circulated social media post, her removal from leadership positions, and the early safety concerns that followed for their family. Part 2 picks up where that conversation left off and looks more closely at the impact these events have had on their family.

Cassandra discusses the illegal removal of promotions from service members across the military, the silence of elected officials in Massachusetts and California when contacted for support, and her fear over losing rights that were previously protected, including concerns for the future of gay marriage. She also describes what it felt like for her family to become a target after her wife's story spread online, the toll of threats made against their children, and an emotional account of feeling safe for the first time during a visit to British Columbia, Canada.

Dr. Beck shares reflections from his own visit to Dachau and the importance of speaking up rather than staying silent, and Cassandra closes with an update on her wife's promotion and her pride in her wife's decision to speak out despite the cost.

This is the final part of a two-part series with Cassandra Marra, if you haven't heard Part 1, start there for the full story.

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In Part 1 of this two-part interview, Dr. Rob Beck sits down with Cassandra Marra, whose wife, Dr. Janelle Marra, has served for nearly two decades as a physician in the U.S. Navy.

Cassandra shares her family’s account of what happened after her wife became the subject of a widely circulated social media post related to her involvement in transgender healthcare. She describes Dr. Marra’s subsequent removal from leadership positions, the threatening comments that appeared online, and the safety concerns that followed for their family.

The conversation also explores Dr. Marra’s career in military medicine and Cassandra’s perspective on what it means to speak up when doing so may carry professional and personal consequences.

This is Part 1 of a two-part interview with Cassandra Marra. Part 2 continues the story and looks more closely at the impact these events have had on their family.

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In Part 2 and the final episode of this two-part series, Dr. Rob Beck continues his conversation with Dr. Peter Shin, breaking down the process of moving from the United States to Canada as a physician.

Dr. Shin walks through the practical steps he took, including finding a job, verifying his medical credentials, applying for provincial licensing, obtaining CMPA malpractice coverage and a billing number, and navigating work permits and permanent residency.

He also shares practical advice for physicians moving with a family, including spousal work permits, schooling for children, healthcare coverage, background checks, moving household goods, importing a vehicle, and preparing financially for the transition.

If you're a U.S. physician seriously considering practicing in Canada, this episode serves as a practical checklist from someone who recently completed the process himself.

This is Part 2 and the final episode of our two-part series with Dr. Peter Shin.

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In this episode of The Interesting MD Podcast, Dr. Rob Beck speaks with Dr. Peter Shin, an internist who recently moved from Chicago to British Columbia with his wife and four children.

Dr. Shin shares his experiences practicing medicine across the United States and in New Zealand, why he had been considering leaving the U.S. for years, and how changes to Canadian physician licensing helped make the move to British Columbia possible.

They discuss the differences between the U.S., Canadian, and New Zealand healthcare systems, the tradeoffs he has experienced practicing in Canada, and the warm reception his family has received since arriving. Dr. Shin also shares how the move has affected his stress, work-life balance, and life outside of medicine.

This is Part 1 of Dr. Peter Shin’s conversation. In Part 2, he breaks down the immigration and licensing process for healthcare professionals interested in making the move to Canada.

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In the third and final part of this three-part interview, Dr. Rob Beck continues his conversation with Dr. Alona Sukhina, a pediatrician who relocated from Arizona to Vancouver, British Columbia.

Dr. Sukhina shares why she ultimately decided to leave the U.S., the emotional difficulty of making that decision, and why she has no regrets about the move. She also walks through the practical side of relocating, including finding a job, physician licensing, immigration, and resources that can help U.S.-trained doctors interested in practicing in Canada.

They also discuss what life has been like since the move, from working fewer hours and experiencing less stress to Vancouver’s public transportation, community resources, and family-friendly lifestyle.

For physicians seriously considering Canada, this final episode offers both practical guidance and an honest look at what life can be like on the other side of the transition.

This is Part 3 and the final episode featuring Dr. Alona Sukhina.

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