Stimulus – Learn Tools to Crush It in Your Medical Career

Do you work in medicine and love patient care but feel like parts of the job don’t measure up? Stimulus equips you with tools, mindset shifts, and strategies they didn’t teach you in training—so you can practice medicine like a boss, flourish in your career, and not let it crush your soul. Emergency physician and executive coach Rob Orman, MD, goes in-depth with thought leaders on how to avoid burnout, improve communication, lead without drama, and stay calm amidst the storm. Don’t just suck it up, think differently.

Latest Episodes:

67. Caring for the Unapologetically Unvaccinated Nov 29, 2021

Show notes

We share two conversations about navigating the waters of interacting with unvaccinated COVID patients. Brit Long, MD and Jose Pacheco, RN are thoughtful healthcare providers with somewhat different approaches. The common thread is that both are intentional and compassionate.

Guest bios:

Brit Long is an assistant professor of emergency medicine in San Antonio, Texas and Editor-in-Chief of Clinical Content at emcdocs.net. He is one of the most published authors in the field of emergency medicine. Brit is working in a unique environment where he's running what is in effect a COVID emergency department in an underserved area with an incredibly high unvaccinated rate.

Jose Pacheco is an emergency department nurse who is a local legend for his kind personality and fully engaged approach to caring for patients. He is not just a legend among healthcare providers, but frankly, among the community.

Awake + Aware | Our 2026 Retreat

Join us at Awake and Aware, our 3-day retreat in Scottsdale, AZ. March 1-4, 2026. Space is limited.

Learn More Here

🎓 P.S. This is a CME event.

The Flameproof Course

The hidden anti-burnout curriculum we all should have learned in training. Cohort 3 begins Sept 10, 2024. Get the deets

For full show notes of this episode and all sorts of other goodies, visit our podcast website

We discuss:

Brit’s mental processes when he enters the room of a patient with COVID pneumonia who is unapologetically unvaccinated [05:15];
How Brit discusses the importance of vaccination with unvaccinated patients [05:43]
The impact of one’s belief system on vaccine decision-making [07:15];
The fact that personal stories (and not scientific evidence) are what many who aren't able to critically appraise literature rely upon to make decisions [15:25];
Framing the COVID vaccine as an anti-death vaccine [16:45];
Handling post-shift frustration [19:30];
The importance of celebrating the success when a vaccine hesitant person agrees to vaccination after you discuss its merits [22:45];
Jose’s plea to fellow healthcare providers [25:00];
What makes the COVID situation more difficult than others we encounter in the ED [27:40];
Why Jose is referred to not only as the Drunk Whisperer (see Stimulus episode 1), but also the COVID whisperer [28:30];
Many unvaccinated patients think they’ve done their due diligence [40:20];
The root and seat of compassion -- wishing that all patients are well, vaccinated or not [46:15];
And more.

66. Hell Yeah or No Nov 25, 2021

Show notes

How do you decide whether to say yes or no to something? In this 5 minute episode, we break down a simple yet incredibly effective heuristic taken from the book Hell Yeah or No by Derek Sivers.

Awake + Aware | Our 2026 Retreat

Join us at Awake and Aware, our 3-day retreat in Scottsdale, AZ. March 1-4, 2026. Space is limited.

Learn More Here

🎓 P.S. This is a CME event.

The Flameproof Course

The hidden anti-burnout curriculum we all should have learned in training. Cohort 3 begins Sept 10, 2024. Get the deets

For full show notes of this episode and all sorts of other goodies, visit our podcast website

65. Bouncing Back After a Tough Case Nov 15, 2021

Show notes

The nature of medical practice dictates that we will have tough cases. Patients will die, we will have to deliver bad news, and we will, at some point, make mistakes. We have high expectations of ourselves so when we get figuratively knocked down, how do we get back up? In this episode, performance coach Jason Brooks guides us through strategies for dealing with the emotional and intellectual fallout of a bad case as well as how to re-engage during a shift when the last thing we feel like doing is seeing the next patient.

Guest bio: Jason Brooks Ph.D. is a performance coach helping healthcare providers, athletes, and other high-level performers live better, work better, and be better. Check him out at Phenomenal Docs and connect with Jason: Facebook, Twitter, email doctorjbro@Gmail.com

Awake + Aware | Our 2026 Retreat

Join us at Awake and Aware, our 3-day retreat in Scottsdale, AZ. March 1-4, 2026. Space is limited.

Learn More Here

🎓 P.S. This is a CME event.

The Flameproof Course

The hidden anti-burnout curriculum we all should have learned in training. Cohort 3 begins Sept 10, 2024. Get the deets

For full show notes of this episode and all sorts of other goodies, visit our podcast website

We discuss:

The fact that no matter how good you are in your medical practice, you are not immune to a bad outcome [02:20];
How to manage the sense of failure and the anxiety that naturally occurs when you’re faced with the same situation again [04:00];The importance of getting prepared ahead of time and expecting bad things to happen [06:00]
Channeling the experience into something positive [08:25];
Learning to live with and honor these experiences, rather than dread them [10:00];
Drawing a lesson from a bad event and committing to apply that lesson [16:30];
The value of talking to someone who is able to receive your emotional turmoil in the immediate aftermath of a bad outcome [18:40];
Why we shouldn’t think of it as “bouncing back” from a terrible outcome [23:00];
What do you do when you’ve had a bad outcome, but you don’t have the time to process what’s happened before your next shift [29:00];
The importance of having a process that you can trust to be effective in helping you shift your attention back to where it needs to be [32:25];
And more.

64. Why Focusing on Patient Experience and Not Satisfaction Is the Right Move Nov 01, 2021

Show notes

Patient satisfaction and the patient experience are vastly different different things. In this pod we discuss: how experience is influenced by every conceivable touchpoint, and perception, how making a purposeful choice to care helps ensure that our patients have a positive experience, efficiently handling the situation when a patient has extra questions, the best way to acknowledge a patient’s long wait, and de-escalating the unhappy patient.

Guest Bio: Justin Bright MD, CPXP is an attending physician and the Assistant Medical Director for Patient Experience in the Department of Emergency Medicine at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit. He is fascinated by the intersection of patient experience, interpersonal communication, customer service, and employee engagement. Check out his ideas at www.ptexpmd.com or on The Patient Experience podcast on Spotify, Apple Music, or any other listening platform you enjoy.

Awake + Aware | Our 2026 Retreat

Join us at Awake and Aware, our 3-day retreat in Scottsdale, AZ. March 1-4, 2026. Space is limited.

Learn More Here

🎓 P.S. This is a CME event.

The Flameproof Course

The hidden anti-burnout curriculum we all should have learned in training. Cohort 3 begins Sept 10, 2024. Get the deets

For full show notes of this episode and all sorts of other goodies, visit our podcast website

We discuss:

A patient satisfaction survey rant [02:45];
The “patient experience” and how it is influenced by every conceivable touchpoint, perception, and logistical thing that may happen to a patient [11:10];
How making a purposeful choice to care helps ensure that our patients have a positive experience [16:15];
The power of the pause [19:35];
Avoiding the “doorknob complaint” by asking open-ended rather than direct questions [22:00];
Efficiently handling the situation when a patient has extra questions after you thought you had already completed the encounter [24:50];
The best way to acknowledge a patient’s long wait [26:40];
How to respond to the disgruntled patient who voices complaints about other people involved in their care or their prolonged wait [29:30];
Deescalating the unhappy patient whose expectations of care were not met [33:10];
Salvaging the situation when a patient threatens to call the nurse administrator or an attorney [39:10];
And more.

For complete shownotes: https://roborman.com/stimulus/63-the-patient-experience-with-justin-bright/

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63. The Pillars of Your Professional Life | Do you own or rent your career? Oct 21, 2021

Show notes

Job satisfaction increases when the work we do aligns with our purpose. One way of looking at it is by creating pillars that support your career and being intentional about using those pillars to help guide your decisions. In this episode, we learn that Jaime Hope’s four roles as an emergency physician are to excel as a public safety officer, a resuscitationist, a diagnostician, and a patient advocate. Rob’s pillars are to spark joy in the lives of others, to be present as much as possible, to be of service, and to facilitate awesomeness.

Awake + Aware | Our 2026 Retreat

Join us at Awake and Aware, our 3-day retreat in Scottsdale, AZ. March 1-4, 2026. Space is limited.

Learn More Here

🎓 P.S. This is a CME event.

The Flameproof Course

The hidden anti-burnout curriculum we all should have learned in training. Cohort 3 begins Sept 10, 2024. Get the deets

For full show notes of this episode and all sorts of other goodies, visit our podcast website

62. Primum Non Nocere | How 8 doctors practice 'first do no harm' Oct 18, 2021

Show notes

In this episode we hear from eight leading physician educators about a core principle of patient care: primum non nocere. We learn that limiting harm can translate into doing what’s medically right, putting the patient’s welfare first, judicious use of IV fluids, reducing opioid prescribing, making a habit of pausing when depleted, acknowledging the end of life, and allowing a natural death.

Awake + Aware | Our 2026 Retreat

Join us at Awake and Aware, our 3-day retreat in Scottsdale, AZ. March 1-4, 2026. Space is limited.

Learn More Here

🎓 P.S. This is a CME event.

The Flameproof Course

The hidden anti-burnout curriculum we all should have learned in training. Cohort 3 begins Sept 10, 2024. Get the deets

For full show notes of this episode and all sorts of other goodies, visit our podcast website

60. How to Be A Medical Expert Witness with Amal Mattu, MD and Rich Orman, JD Oct 04, 2021

Show notes

Thinking about a career as an expert witness but now quite sure how to get started? Or perhaps you already have a side gig in this line of work but you want to up your game. In this episode we chat with Amal Mattu, MD who is an expert at being an expert witness. He shares pearls of wisdom including what inspires him to do this, how he does it, and why you should remain nice even when it’s getting heated in the courtroom. Our second conversation is with Rich Orman, JD who has years of experience working with expert witnesses as a trial attorney. He gives his perspective on the mistakes expert physicians make and teaches us that preparation is the key to success.

Guest Bios:

Amal Mattu, MD is a professor of emergency medicine at the University of Maryland. He's known worldwide for his expertise in educating on emergency cardiology issues as well as his medical legal expertise and experience.

Rich Orman, JD spent nearly three decades as a trial lawyer, working across the spectrum of practice types - public defender, private practice, and most recently as Senior Chief Deputy District Attorney in Colorado's 18th judicial district.

Awake + Aware | Our 2026 Retreat

Join us at Awake and Aware, our 3-day retreat in Scottsdale, AZ. March 1-4, 2026. Space is limited.

Learn More Here

🎓 P.S. This is a CME event.

The Flameproof Course

The hidden anti-burnout curriculum we all should have learned in training. Cohort 3 begins Sept 10, 2024. Get the deets

For full show notes of this episode and all sorts of other goodies, visit our podcast website

We Discuss:

What inspires Amal to be an expert witness and why he usually works for the defense [1:59];
How to review a chart [6:20];
Reimbursement strategies and keeping track of hours [08:37];
How being involved in court cases influences what you say in a podcast or teach publicly [10:00];
The fact that medicine is not as clear cut as attorneys make it out to be [10:00];
Why you should be even-keeled and nice when you’re on the stand and things get heated [13:55];
The steps to getting started with med-mal work [18:30];
The importance of knowing clinical policies and guidelines for your specialty (because they’ll be brought up in court) [20:30];
An attorney’s perspective on the mistakes expert physicians make [29:50];
Alleviating the fear of physicians who are terrified of being on the witness stand [34:15];
Advice Rich would give to an expert physician witness who is being cross-examined in an antagonistic way and is clearly unsettled [37:35];
Rich’s advice for responding to ‘yes/no’ questions when there isn’t a ‘yes/no’ answer [41:55];
What do the best expert witnesses do that the worst ones never do: prepare [43:15];
The difference between direct testimony and cross-examination [50:15];
And more.

59. Aim to be a Zero | An astronaut's guide to life on Earth Sep 20, 2021

Show notes

What does your life have in common with that of an astronaut? A lot, it turns out. Dan Mccollum returns to Stimulus to break down the skills learned by International Space Station commander Chris Hadfield as explained in his autobiography An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth.

Guest Bio: Dan Mccollum, MD is an emergency physician, associate professor, and associate residency director at the Medical College of Georgia. Hear more of Dan on Stimulus episodes #1 Verbal Judo #14 Stoic With A Capital S and #25 Digital Minimalism.

Awake + Aware | Our 2026 Retreat

Join us at Awake and Aware, our 3-day retreat in Scottsdale, AZ. March 1-4, 2026. Space is limited.

Learn More Here

🎓 P.S. This is a CME event.

The Flameproof Course

The hidden anti-burnout curriculum we all should have learned in training. Cohort 3 begins Sept 10, 2024. Get the deets

For full show notes of this episode and all sorts of other goodies, visit our podcast website

We Discuss:

The pitfalls of thinking too highly of yourself [1:46];
The importance of being a “plus one” and the wisdom of not proclaiming your plus-oneness. “If you’re really a plus one, people will notice” [2:23];
Aim to be a zero -- having neutral impact [5:08];
What Mccollum looks for in EM residency applicants: people who treat the receptionist or program administrator well [8:00];
Why we should focus on the simple core things which are most likely to save lives, as opposed to shooting for the stars with cutting edge treatment [8:48];
How the weight and power of ego impairs our ability to learn and harms patients [11:04];
Sweat the small stuff [13:01];
The quintessential nature of EM and how they’re similar to flight rules: solving complex problems rapidly with incomplete information [13:49];
The fact that perfectionism and zero likelihood of failure is not part of the flight rules for anything [15:49];
Why early success is a terrible teacher. If you’ve always been the star and never experienced failure, this can be a barrier to learning [18:27]
The Jocko Willink video, Good. When bad things happen and you get knocked down, “get up, dust off, reload, recalibrate, re-engage, and go out on the attack” [20:13];
How to behave when you're in a position of leadership [22:00];
Expeditionary behavior, which is the willingness to endure hardships for the sake of the mission, and why whining poisons the pool [24:13];
And more.

58. Lessons Learned in Blood | Mass casualty response effectiveness with Green Beret and physician Mike Shertz, MD Sep 06, 2021

Show notes

Mass casualty events are rare and thus the mistakes made and lessons learned are often repeated, over and over. In this episode, emergency physician and former Special Forces medic Mike Shertz, MD walks us through the steps on how to be an effective first receiver of mass casualty victims and shares the lessons written in blood from previous events.

Guest Bio: Mike Shertz MD is an emergency physician who spent 13 years as a Green Beret and a Special Forces medic. He is the founder and purveyor of Crisis Medicine which teaches and trains first responders in tactical casualty care. Check out this video that we did together in 2019 on how to place and remove a tourniquet and this one on how to pack a gunshot wound with combat gauze.

Awake + Aware | Our 2026 Retreat

Join us at Awake and Aware, our 3-day retreat in Scottsdale, AZ. March 1-4, 2026. Space is limited.

Learn More Here

🎓 P.S. This is a CME event.

The Flameproof Course

The hidden anti-burnout curriculum we all should have learned in training. Cohort 3 begins Sept 10, 2024. Get the deets

For full show notes of this episode and all sorts of other goodies, visit our podcast website

We discuss:

The First Receiver who is in a singularly unique position as it applies to a mass casualty [03:55];
The difference between a hospital’s surge capacity and mass casualty preparedness [05:30];
The mindset of the medical provider after receiving a patient from EMS [10:32];
The value of a field triage score which is a simple way to stratify casualties [12:50];
How the success of a mass casualty event for the first receiver has to do with organization, throughput, and saving lives [16:15];
Lessons learned from the Christchurch, New Zealand mass shooter incident [29:45];
How your response to a mass casualty differs if you’re unsure about the safety of your facility (as was the case in the 2020 Beirut explosion) [41:15];
One of the sayings of the Special Forces: ‘All lessons are written in blood’ [43:27];
The question Shertz thinks people should ask of their hospital disaster planners [45:45];
And more.

57. Cultivating the Emergency Mind | Graduated pressure, sangfroid, and acknowledging the suboptimal Aug 23, 2021

Show notes

The emergency mind is cool under pressure. But how do you get there? For most us, it’s not an innate skill. Dan Dworkis MD, PhD lays out the path: graduated pressure, deliberate training, tired moves, and acknowledging the suboptimal.

Guest Bio: Dan Dworkis MD, PhD is an emergency physician who is a clinical professor of emergency medicine at USC Keck School of Medicine. He's also host of the Emergency Mind podcast that focuses on helping individuals and teams perform better under pressure and the author of The Emergency Mind: Wiring Your Brain for Performance Under Pressure.

Awake + Aware | Our 2026 Retreat

Join us at Awake and Aware, our 3-day retreat in Scottsdale, AZ. March 1-4, 2026. Space is limited.

Learn More Here

🎓 P.S. This is a CME event.

The Flameproof Course

The hidden anti-burnout curriculum we all should have learned in training. Cohort 3 begins Sept 10, 2024. Get the deets

For full show notes of this episode and all sorts of other goodies, visit our podcast website

We discuss:

Deploying psychological countermeasures when you’re under stress and dealing with uncertainty [05:40];
Whether the approach to managing pressure is universal for all stressful situations [11:15];
Different modes of thought: system 1, system 2, and the recognition-primed decision-making model [15:50];
The deliberate path to becoming an expert (beyond just repetition) [20:00];
The value of training with an idea of graduated pressure [21:45];
What it means to borrow pressure from other events to succeed in something that's unrelated [25:50];
The Yerkes–Dodson law [28:45];
Why sangfroid is a good thing and how you do it [35:20];
The path to excellence which goes far beyond mastery of a specific skill [38:30];
How acknowledging the suboptimal nature of a situation when something goes wrong can help you “regroup, recover, and evolve out of any crisis” [41:50];
What does it mean to train your “tired moves” [42:55];
Dan’s challenge for the Stimulus audience [52:44];
And more.