E1: Fail-Safe Learning with Dr. Jennifer Klasen

What happens when supervisors intentionally allow trainees to fail? And when does that kind of failure become a powerful learning experience, versus something harmful?In this debut episode of The Backstory Podcast, Drs. Ben Kinnear, Hannah Kakara Anderson, and Justin Bullock explore the Medical Education paper “Trainees’ perceptions of being allowed to fail in clinical training: A sense-making model” by Dr. Jennifer Klasen and colleagues.Together, they unpack the complicated emotional and educational terrain of failure in clinical training — from growth and resilience, to shame, interpretation, and trust.They then welcome on the lead author Dr. Jennifer Klasen, surgeon and medical education researcher at the University of Basel, to explore the deeper story behind the study. Dr. Klasen shares how personal experiences shaped the research, how her thinking has evolved since publication, and what educators often misunderstand about failure in clinical training.Whether you’re a learner, supervisor, or educator, this episode invites you to reconsider how we think about mistakes, supervision, and growth in medicine.Citation:Klasen JM, Teunissen PW, Driessen E, Lingard LA. Trainees' perceptions of being allowed to fail in clinical training: A sense-making model. Med Educ. 2023;57(5):430-439. doi:10.1111/medu.14966Time Stamps:00:00 - Introductions03:32 - An introduction to the paper05:48 - Personal experiences with failure09:24 - Methods and results17:06 - Hot takes18:46 - Dr. Klasen joins The Backstory PodcastVisit Our Website for show notes, transcripts, and to become a subscriber!