HuMed with David Spiro, MD

What happens when a high-risk OB can't diagnose her own son? Dr. Sarah Pachtman-Shetty is a double board-certified maternal-fetal medicine specialist — a doctor trained to manage the most critical pregnancies imaginable. But when her two-year-old son Orion spiked a fever on a Caribbean vacation and his O2 sat dropped into the 70s, all that training couldn't stop her from feeling like a helpless mom. In this raw and unforgettable episode of HuMed, Sarah shares the terrifying night she called 911 on a St. Martin island, fought for a chest X-ray in a foreign ER at 2am, and watched a jack-of-all-trades surgeon prepare to place a chest tube in her toddler — with no pediatric ventilator in sight. This is the human side of medicine no one talks about.  Dr. Sarah Pachtman-Shetty | Maternal-Fetal Medicine | @HealthyMamaDoc   Virtual consultations: Uma Health In this episode: The vacation that became a medical nightmare Why even expert physicians miss signs in their own children Practicing medicine in maternity care deserts How a near-tragedy reordered her entire life  Subscribe for more stories from the human side of medicine   Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts #HuMed #MaternalFetalMedicine #HighRiskPregnancy #PhysicianLife #DoctorStories #MomLife #MedicalPodcast #WomensHealth Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of HuMed, Dr. David Spiro is joined by Dr. Jenna Taglienti, a psychiatrist, residency program director, and assistant professor at the Zucker School of Medicine. Dr. Taglienti's recent JAMA essay, Time Is Finite, sparked widespread reflection across the medical field. Dr. Taglienti shares her deeply personal story of receiving an unexpected lung cancer diagnosis as a lifelong nonsmoker, which forced her to take a medical leave and step back from her roles. The experience provided time to reflect on the immense mental load she was carrying, and the true cost of continually postponing life. She discusses the profound realization that "institutions are designed to endure beyond individuals. On the other hand, families are not". This is a crucial conversation for any physician wrestling with the balance between a demanding career and their irreplaceable role at home. We discuss: The "invisible load" of mental energy physicians spend trying to control things that are out of their hands.3 The high divorce rate among doctors and how constant accessibility to work can distract from relationships.3 How the priority of medicine is ingrained from the first day of medical school, and the struggle to shift that focus when relationships and children arrive.3 The importance of being "present" with family and recognizing that small moments with children add up.3 Modeling self-care and good boundaries for residents, demonstrating that it's okay to prioritize health and return stronger.3 The therapeutic value of vulnerable writing, such as essays submitted to JAMA's A Piece of My Mind. Subscribe to HuMed with David Spiro, MD for more conversations about the human side of medicine. #PhysicianBurnout #WorkLifeBalance #TimeIsFinite #PhysicianWellness #Psychiatry #ResidencyLife #JAMA #HuMed Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices