The Nocturnists

On the path to medicine, we’re constantly taking tests: MCAT, shelf exams, step exams, boards, and more. What are these numbers good for? What are they not good for? What is the emotional impact of these tests, and their scores, on medical learners? Find show notes, discussion guide, transcript, and more at thenocturnists-shame.org . This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with...

We all arrive at the gateway to medicine carrying baggage from our past. We’ve had different hopes, hurts, and childhood arcs. How do these early life experiences guide us toward our careers? And once we “arrive,” how do they impact the way we experience shame in the workplace? Find show notes, discussion guide, transcript, and more at thenocturnists-shame.org . This is a public episode. If you wo...

Medical culture is filled with impossible ideals: the resident expected to work a 28-hour shift without complaint or error; the surgeon with the steel bladder; the doctor with perfect bedside manner; the student with all the answers. How should a doctor look, act, think, speak, dress, feel? What should they value? In this episode, we explore the concept of “The Ideal Doctor.” Where do these “ideal...

What is shame? And how does it manifest in medical culture? In this episode, The Nocturnists teams up with two shame experts to investigate these questions. From a pool of over 200 stories submitted to The Nocturnists from healthcare workers across the US, the UK, and beyond, we’ll explore the tension between who we are, and what the culture expects of us. Find show notes, transcript, and more at ...

A 10-part audio documentary series on The Nocturnists podcast, “Shame in Medicine: The Lost Forest” explores how shame manifests in medical culture. Shame is ubiquitous in healthcare. Shame experiences in healthcare workers contribute to burnout, depression, suicidality, impaired empathy, disengagement from learning, social isolation, diminished physical wellness, unprofessional behavior, and alte...

In this episode, Emily speaks with pediatrics resident Nina Shevzov-Zebrun about movement, medicine, and the creation of The Ten Tensions Project , which explores core dilemmas of the physician experience through photography and dance The Nocturnists is partnering with VCU Health Continuing Education to offer  FREE CME credits  for healthcare professionals. Visit  ce.vcuhealth.org/nocturnists  to...

In this episode, Emily speaks with physician-author Danielle Ofri about the science of writing, the art of medicine, and the imperative of recognizing stories as a tool for healing. The Nocturnists is partnering with VCU Health Continuing Education to offer  FREE CME credits  for healthcare professionals. Visit  ce.vcuhealth.org/nocturnists  to claim credit for this episode. Find show notes, trans...

In this episode, Emily speaks with data scientist and author Cathy O’Neil about her book The Shame Machine: Who Profits in the New Age of Humiliation,  which investigates how society exploits the powerful emotion of shame. The Nocturnists is partnering with VCU Health Continuing Education to offer  FREE CME credits  for healthcare professionals. Visit  ce.vcuhealth.org/nocturnists  to claim credit...

In this episode, Emily speaks with documentary filmmaker and journalist David France about his films How to Survive a Pandemic (2022) and How to Survive a Plague (2012), and the role of storytelling in documenting public health crises and holding institutions accountable. The Nocturnists is partnering with VCU Health Continuing Education to offer  FREE CME credits  for healthcare professionals. Vi...

In this special episode, Emily speaks with The Nocturnists’ Executive Producer, family medicine physician and abortion provider, Dr. Alison Block, who recently published an Op-Ed in The New York Times called "Why I Learned to Perform Second-Trimester Abortions for a Post-Roe America." The Nocturnists is partnering with VCU Health Continuing Education to offer  FREE CME credits  for healthcare prof...

In this episode, Emily speaks with physician Rupa Marya and political economist Raj Patel about their recent book Inflamed: Deep Medicine and the Anatomy of Injustice , which explores the impact of oppressive systems on our health, and how deep medicine can facilitate collective healing. The Nocturnists is partnering with VCU Health Continuing Education to offer  FREE CME credits  for healthcare p...

In this episode, Emily speaks with neuroscientist and author Sidarta Ribeiro about his book The Oracle of Night , which investigates the art and science of dreams and the extraordinary power dreams have in shaping our world. The Nocturnists is partnering with VCU Health Continuing Education to offer  FREE CME credits  for healthcare professionals. Visit  ce.vcuhealth.org/nocturnists  to claim cred...

In this episode, Emily speaks with poet, physician, and medical ethicist Dr. Laura Kolbe about her poetry collection, Little Pharma, the languages of poetry and medicine, and how poetry can help illuminate the various aspects of self. The Nocturnists is partnering with VCU Health Continuing Education to offer  FREE CME credits  for healthcare professionals. Visit  ce.vcuhealth.org/nocturnists  to...

In this episode, Emily speaks with Dr. Wesley Ely about the harms of deep sedation and immobilization in the ICU, and how he's transforming critical care, one patient at a time. The Nocturnists is partnering with VCU Health Continuing Education to offer FREE CME credits for healthcare professionals. Visit ce.vcuhealth.org/nocturnists to claim credit for this episode. Find show notes, transcript, a...

In this episode, Emily speaks with cancer biologist and poet Jenny Qi, about her poetry collection "Focal Point," which examines science, disease, love, and family. The Nocturnists is partnering with VCU Health Continuing Education to offer FREE CME credits for healthcare professionals. Visit ce.vcuhealth.org/nocturnists to claim credit for this episode. Find show notes, transcript, and more at th...

In today's episode, Emily speaks with Professor Cindy Weinstein and Dr. Bruce Miller, authors of the book Finding the Right Words , which explores literature, grief, and the brain. It tells the story of Cindy’s father, who lived and died with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease, and serves as a dialogue between patient and doctor, literary critic and neuroscientist. A great example of narrative medici...

In today's episode, Emily speaks with New York Times columnist Ross Douthat about his book The Deep Places , which tells the harrowing story of his experience with Lyme disease, and what it's like to navigate a chronic illness that mainstream medicine hasn’t yet fully explained. The Nocturnists is partnering with VCU Health Continuing Education to offer FREE CME credits for healthcare professional...

The American healthcare system is a tapestry of providers, insurers and chargemasters, and often leaves patients with unexpected and crippling bills. That is, if they show up to the hospital at all. In this episode, Emily speaks with Emily Maloney who has been on both sides of the health care cost equation. After being hospitalized for a suicide attempt, she began working as an emergency room tech...

Physician Tobin Greensweig makes an unannounced visit to a patient’s house to check on him after he leaves the hospital. Recalling stories from his father's community medical practice, he is struck by the constraints on the doctor-patient relationship in modern medicine. The Nocturnists is partnering with VCU Health Continuing Education to offer FREE CME credits for healthcare professionals. Visit...

Psychiatrist Shaili Jain tells the story of a pivotal experience on a road trip with her father, and how it catalyzed her career as a PTSD specialist. The Nocturnists is partnering with VCU Health Continuing Education to offer FREE CME credits for healthcare professionals. Visit ce.vcuhealth.org/nocturnists to claim credit for this episode. Find show notes, transcript, and more at thenocturnists.c...

Pediatrician Christina Lee recounts a memorable ambulance ride from residency, in which she helped transport a child from the hospital to hospice. The Nocturnists is partnering with VCU Health Continuing Education to offer FREE CME credits for healthcare professionals. Visit ce.vcuhealth.org/nocturnists to claim credit for this episode. Find show notes, transcript, and more at thenocturnists.com ....

Medical student Pablo Romano tells the story of losing his mother to complications of surgery, and how he continues her legacy as a medical student. The Nocturnists is partnering with VCU Health Continuing Education to offer FREE CME credits for healthcare professionals. Visit ce.vcuhealth.org/nocturnists to claim credit for this episode. Find show notes, transcript, and more at thenocturnists.com...

Internal medicine physician Natasha Spottiswoode reflects on her flying days from Oxford while teaching a green intern how to recognize whether patients are "sick" or "not sick." The Nocturnists is partnering with VCU Health Continuing Education to offer FREE CME credits for healthcare professionals. Visit ce.vcuhealth.org/nocturnists to claim credit for this episode. Find show notes, transcript,...

Internist Ashley McMullen decides to let her hair go natural for the first time in over a decade — a process which serves as a metaphor for self-acceptance in the rigid world of medicine. The Nocturnists is partnering with VCU Health Continuing Education to offer FREE CME credits for healthcare professionals. Visit ce.vcuhealth.org/nocturnists to claim credit for this episode. Find show notes, tra...

Interventional Radiologist Bobby Chiong's patient codes on the table during a procedure, prompting a frantic but successful resuscitation. Afterward, Dr. Chiong reflects on the high-stakes nature of his job and the intimidating responsibility of being entrusted with patients' care. The Nocturnists is partnering with VCU Health Continuing Education to offer FREE CME credits for healthcare professio...