How To Deal With Difficult People In Medicine: Doctor Explains

Medical school teaches you the Krebs cycle, but it never teaches you how to handle the difficult patients, family members, colleagues, and attendings who will define your worst days on the job. In this episode I break down the people skills that actually keep you sane and functional in medicine, from staying calm under fire to setting boundaries that protect you and your staff.
Whether you are a premed, med student, resident, or early attending, this is the skill that will carry you farther than any textbook. We cover how to reframe difficult interactions, get on the same team as an angry family member, deal with lazy co-residents, and the nuclear option I reserve for the truly brutal days.

0:00 Doctors Are People Too
0:55 Why People Skills Matter Most
2:42 Reframe and Don't Assume Malice
4:35 Staying Calm With Difficult Patients
6:18 Getting on the Same Team
8:27 Boundaries and Knowing Your Options
11:04 Handling Difficult Colleagues
14:24 Never Chase Approval
15:11 The Nuclear Option

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About Me
I am a physician (M.D.) practicing a mix of hospitalist medicine, and urgent care. I learned a lot in my journey to becoming a physician and about more than just medicine. Follow along as I reflect and teach what I wish I knew, which for the most part, is the stuff you don’t learn in school.

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