The Missing Curriculum: Anatomy of a Crisis

 

Episode Description:

We are trained to identify ischemia in a heart muscle, but we ignore the ischemia in our own spirits. In this inaugural case file, Dr. JB presents the “History of Present Illness” for the medical profession.

Why do we treat 40 years of burnout research as “bench science” without ever bringing it to the “bedside” of our own lives? This episode introduces the concept of Wellness as Translational Medicine.

You will learn:

  • The “Awkward Pause” diagnostic: How to tell if you are practicing what you preach.

  • Why the “Hero” narrative is actually a mechanism for exploitation.

  • The Physics of Burnout: Why everyone’s knees eventually buckle without a “pop-off valve.”

 

Show Notes:

Dr. JB opens the archives with a manifesto for a new kind of medical culture. Drawing from her experience in Emergency Medicine, she argues that the current standard of care for healthcare workers—”running on empty”—is a systemic failure. This episode defines the mission of Hope4Med: moving beyond “resilience” and creating a structural “pop-off valve” for the pressure of saving lives.

Clinical Takeaways

  • Translational Medicine: We have 40 years of data on physician burnout (“the bench”), but we have failed to apply it to our daily lives (“the bedside”). Hope4Med is the application of that data.

  • The “Knees Buckle” Threshold: Resilience is finite. Dr. JB argues that every human has a breaking point, and reaching it isn’t a sign of weakness—it’s a sign of a missing support system.

  • The Hypocrisy of Care: We tell patients, “You can’t pour from an empty cup,” yet we hook ourselves up to IVs to finish shifts. Recognizing this cognitive dissonance is the first step to treatment.

Case Chapters & Timestamps

  • (01:04) The “Awkward Silence”: Do we practice what we preach?

  • (02:00) The Badge of Honor: Working while sick and the “Hero” trap.

  • (03:00) The Missing Curriculum: Moral injury, burnout, and suicide were left out of medical school.

  • (05:07) The Protocol: Defining “Wellness as Translational Medicine.”

  • (06:14) The “Pop-Off Valve” theory.

  • (09:12) The Prognosis: Why everyone’s knees eventually buckle.

References & Literature

  • Concept: Translational Medicine (Bench to Bedside) applied to Mental Health.

  • Concept: “Moral Injury” in Healthcare.

Medical Disclaimer: The content of this podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice or a physician-patient relationship. If you are in crisis, please seek professional support immediately.

 

Transcript

00:38
Hi everyone and welcome to Hope for Meds podcast with me, Dr. JB.  I am so excited to be launching this podcast where we will be talking about wellness.  Wellness for health care professionals. Crazy concept, right?  Why is our wellness important? 

01:00
Well.  What do we tell our patients?  You can’t take care of anyone else until you take care of yourself.  Am I right?  On a whole.  Do we practice what we preach? I would wait that awkward 20 seconds. However, on a podcast. That wait becomes even more.  Awkward.  And we’d all be feeling real awkward. Myself included. So I won’t. But. That’s the fate of the caregiver. Put everyone else before you. Somehow it got ingrained. In our heads that that is what we are supposed to do. Put others. Everyone. Before us. So. When we do that. What happens? When do you have time to take care of you? 

02:04
We’ve been taught to show up when we’re sick. Some of us have even hooked ourselves up to IVs to keep working. We’re dedicated. But you know what else is happening? We’re burning out. We’re dying. This is not a new phenomenon. It’s been going on since the beginning of time. As healthcare professionals, we got amazing training on anatomy and physiology. We learned about medications. Mechanisms of actions, half lives, adverse events to be mindful of. Then we went to work and learned how to practice medicine. We all know there’s book medicine, then there’s real life. And the two of them don’t always align. When. During that training. 

03:00
Did we learn about self care. About the occupational hazards that contribute to mental anguish. About moral injury. About the truth concerning burnout? When did we learn. About how to deal with the death of a colleague? And. If we did lose a colleague to say. Suicide during our training or beyond? When did we analyze the contributing factors, if any, that a career in health care played in their suicides? And. What. Changed? So, a little about Dr. J.B. I am not a psychiatrist. I am a board certified emergency medicine physician. One can argue that as an ED physician, I deal with a lot of patients with psychiatric problems. 

04:01
And I’d say. Touche. I completed my undergraduate training at Duke University. Go Blue Devils. And. Stayed at Duke for medical school. I then went on to New York Presbyterian in New York City where I completed my residency in emergency medicine. The foundation I stand on was created by powerhouse academic institutions. For all you evidence based healthcare professionals. Don’t worry, I can provide you with enough literature to make your head spin and tickle that part of your brain that makes you smile. I got you. I personally have always been more of a doer kind of girl. I think. And I create. Those who know me personally. Know full well that it doesn’t even matter if what I’m thinking of has never existed before. I. Make it happen. Hope for Med is translational medicine. And I’m sure you are all aware of what translational medicine is, right? 

05:07
It’s taking the bench and bringing it to the bedside. Bench meaning all the research that has been conducted and bedside meaning the patient. There is a lot of research out there talking about. Burnout in medicine. 40. Years worth of literature. So the bench is there. The bedside. Well, in this context, the bedside is us. Healthcare professionals and our families and loved ones. Hope for Med aims to apply research and evidence based practices to us as healthcare professionals. To improve our wellness, to create a paradigm shift where our wellness as healthcare professionals becomes more central. What we tell our patients is not a fallacy. It’s the truth. We first have to take care of ourselves before we can effectively take care of anyone else. 

06:02
I consider Hope for Med a pop off valve for us. A place you come to to both release. And rejuvenate. Like going to a gas station to fill up your empty tank. How long have you been running on empty? I’m not even talking about COVID Guys, this is all pre Covid questions. We entered this pandemic on empty and got smacked and beat senseless by this pandemic. We are taking care of patients and being bombarded with others who refuse to have common decency for other human beings. Others who don’t believe Covid even exists. It’s a lie created by healthcare institutions. Look at those empty parking lots. It’s a lie. It’s fake news. Then we have to deal with running out of supplies in some places, lack of protective gear for ourselves. Rationing treatments. It’s a battlefield. 

07:00
We are in the front lines of this work with COVID and we are seeing its toll. Its toll on our patients and their families. Its toll on us and our colleagues. And we entered it on empty. On. E. Where. Do you go to replenish? Where did you go to replenish before COVID. For Those of you guys who have been following my social media account. Hope the Number4Med. On Facebook. Instagram or LinkedIn. You may have noticed that for a company called Hope4Med, it seems pretty depressing. Those of you who know me personally. Know I am an optimist. I try to see the glass half full. So why is this optimist uploading the most depressing images available. And providing the most depressing statistics? 

08:00
Simply. Because that’s the truth. That’s the current state of things. Why sugarcoat it? Let’s set the framework. Highlighting the current state of things brings into the forefront even more why a company like Hope for Med was needed in the first place. But. Just like the company’s name, Hope for Med. The company’s mission is to induce hope for a better tomorrow. However. We need to set the stage. So. These depressing images will continue. I’m actually googling looking for some more as we speak. The main point is not only to set the stage. But to let other healthcare professionals know. That they are not on an island all by themselves and their feelings. That in fact there are others with similar feelings. And that it’s perfectly okay. To not. Be. Okay. 

09:02
That doesn’t make you. Less than or anything remotely similar. It makes you human. Your heroes are human. As human beings, there is only so much weight you can bear before your knees start to buckle. It may vary from person to person. However. Everyone’s knees will buckle at some point. But. What if you had a pop off valve? A place to come to and release some of that weight. A community of your peers. Who understands what you are going through. Where you can share your thoughts and feelings. Would your knees still buckle? Would you still feel. All alone? Hope for Med is that place. Today we launched our weekly podcast and we’ll continue to work to develop proprietary material. Specifically designed for health healthcare professionals. From the perspective of fellow healthcare professionals. 

10:03
The weekly podcast will not always be a monologue by me. You’re not here to hear my story. You’re here to hear our stories. I have a lineup of some amazing guests that will be featured. If any listener wants to be featured on this podcast, feel free to email us at podcastopethe number4med.com. Again that’s podcast hope the number4med.com. Looking forward to our journey together. Together. Together.