Spiritual Validation Amidst Medical Crises

St. Luke's Hospital Chaplain and Spiritual Care Manager Norm Shrumm shares why it's important for physicians to validate a patient's spirituality in the middle of their medical crisis.

Spirituality - Keeping the End in Mind

Last week, we talked about spirituality not just as a set of beliefs or religious framework, but rather as the fundamental transcendent human values we hold. In this episode, let's consider how these values will affect the way you live, looking backwards from the perspective of your funeral.

Spirituality and Transcendent Values

Steven Reames makes a distinction between spirituality as "religion" or "faith" and then talks about transcendent values we hold closest to our hearts and how they affect patient care.

Spirituality and Medical Care

Boise Emergency Medicine Physician Amy Baruch tells a personal story of connecting with a patient spiritually even though they didn't share the same convictions.

Talking about Faith with Patients

Dr. Timothy Johans of Boise shares how he approaches the subject of faith with his patients.

Using Video to Educate Patients

Dr. Timothy Johans, a Boise neurosurgeon, is among a handful of local physicians who use videos about their specialty to educate and prepare patients for what they can expect from treatment, before and after surgery.

A Physician's Journey into Integrative Medicine

Dr. Amy Baruch - ER physician at St. Luke's Regional Medical Center in Boise - talks about her personal journey into an Integrative Medicine fellowship and how it has helped her and her patients.

Goals and Creativity in Medicine

Introducing Peter Abraham, D.O.

Dr. Abraham rotated through Boise during his 3rd year of medical school in Boise, performed his residency at Genesys Regional Medical Center, and returned to Idaho to start practicing. In this clip, he talks about his goals in medicine and how he stays creative in his approach.

Ada County's Direct Primary Care Pioneers

Jumping into a private medical practice these days may seem like a scary proposition for employed doctors. But Julie Gunther, MD talks about why she took a leap of faith when she heard about the Direct Primary Care model and why she thinks it can help reshape patient care.

a few Ada County Direct Primary Care Providers

• Alliance Concierge Care
• Initial Point Medical
• Keystone Idaho (House Calls)
• Spark MD
• Treasure Valley Family Medicine

Idaho Business Insider Article on DPC

Increasing Stickiness and Decreasing Friction

Michael Boerner is a serial entrepreneur in Boise Idaho with over 27 years of experience founding and leading media and technology companies. He is responsible for raising over $24M in capital and is the architect of a number of enterprise video technologies enabling the intelligent organization and delivery of personalized and sequenced video engagement.


In this episode, he encourages physicians to think about how to make the important information they convey to patients memorable and how to reduce friction in behavior change.

Neuroplasticity and Stress

In this episode, Boise physician Deb Roman, D.O. discusses the latest research into neuroplasticity - the finding that our brains are constantly being reshaped adaptively or maladaptively from stimuli - and how it relates to dealing with stress and burnout.

Further Resources:
Center for Healthy Minds
Center for Greater Good
Dr. Roman's Finding Health Blog: A Snapshot in Time

Finding Your Sense of Self Again

Chris Peine, D.O. from Eagle Idaho talks about his own personal journal through burnout and what he did to create a medical practice he enjoys coming back to from vacation.

Have You Lost Your Sense of Creativity?

It may do you well to ask yourself if have lost your sense of creativity (and humor) thanks to your perpetual steeping in logical problem solving, evidenced based medicine, and science. As Albert Einstein has famously said, "We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them." 

Reconnecting with Your Emotions - Part IV

Writing and journaling for resiliency is a great tool for processing your emotions, expressing gratitude, and recovering your humanity. Here's a technique you might consider if you don't have a process already.

Check out the Feelings Wheel and the IOS app they've created to track your emotions.

Reconnecting With your Emotions - Part III

If you are in medicine, your training has taught you how to ignore your emotions in the middle of a crisis. Good thing - we need you to do that. But how do you unearth those emotions and let them out at the appropriate time? Executive coaches Marla and Jamie Keller talk about just that.

Check out the Feelings Wheel and the IOS app they've created to track your emotions.

Reconnecting with Your Emotions Part II

Marla and Jamie Keller, executive relationship coaches with PassionProvokers.com, talk about how emotions get bottled up and need to be released by high functioning medical providers.

Check out the Feelings Wheel and the IOS app they've created to track your emotions.

Reconnecting with Your Emotions - Part I

Marla and Jamie Keller, executive relationship coaches with PassionProvokers.com, talk about the importance of medical professionals reconnecting with their emotions everyday.

Check out the Feelings Wheel and the IOS app they've created to track your emotions.

Patching the Holes in Your Emotional Gas Tank

Everybody has a different emotional reserve that feeds energy levels. Those who have a higher capacity for output need to think seriously about how to maintain their energy level. In this episode, let's talk about the areas of worklife and how they affect your energy level and burnout.

Three More Worklife Factors Related to Burnout: Part II

Michael Leitner profiles six areas of organizational life that contribute to burnout. In the second of this two part episode, I will explain fairness, community and values.

3 Work Life Factors Related to Burnout: Part I

Michael Leitner profiles six areas of organizational life that contribute to burnout. In the first of this two part episode, I will explain workload, control and rewards.

Maslach Burnout Inventory vs. Areas of Worklife Survey

Most doctors have heard of the (Christina) Maslach Burnout Inventory. But what about Michael Leitner's Areas of Worklife Survey. Together, these two researchers have spent their careers studying the affects of organizational life on individual employee's relating to burnout.

The Link Between Workplace Environment and Burnout

It's not just physicians that need to change to decrease burnout. There has to be a revolution of thought by employers that prioritizes employee mental health. In "The Truth about Burnout," Christina Maslach and Michael Leitner draw the connection between the environment of the workplace and burnout saying organizations are primarily responsible for making changes, not individuals.