The Junior Doctor Series Podcast - The Unspoken Truth

Koushi (preferred name)
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Welcome to The Junior Doctor Series Podcast - The Unspoken Truth, hosted by Dr Kirtee Koushi Conhyedoss. Within this online space, we will be diving into topics that we do not talk about at the dinner table - well-being, death of a patient, relationship, loss, bullying and things that are taboo such as spirituality and everything else in between. We will be diving deeper into topics by shifting shame and normalising conversations that we feel ashamed and create a safe space to talk. Subscribe to the podcast to tune into all of the episodes. Send me your feedback on juniordoctorseriespodcast@gmail.com & follow me on instagram: the juniordoctorseriespodcast.

  1. 1d ago

    Episode 50: Medicine and Motherhood - The Guilt, the Support and Making It Work

    Hosted by Dr. Kirtee Koushi Conhyedoss How do you complete medical residency while raising three young children? In Part 2 of my conversation with Dr Mette Strand, we talk about what it genuinely took to make that possible. Mette began residency with a two-year-old and a seven-month-old. She later had her third baby during training and returned to work when he was nine weeks old. Some weeks involved 60–80 hours at work, night shifts and very little sleep. She needed help—and she is very clear about that. In this episode, we talk about: • Using a nanny, daycare and family support • Returning to residency after having a baby • Mum guilt and missing time with young children • Letting go of the pressure to do everything • Keeping meals and family routines simple • Finding small moments of rest during the working day • Sleep deprivation and getting through difficult shifts • Support from other doctors who were also parents • Whether Mette experienced burnout • What she would tell another doctor who wants both medicine and motherhood This isn't a story about effortlessly "having it all." It is about knowing what matters during a particular season, asking for help and accepting that some things will need to wait. Send your feedback: juniordoctorseriespodcast@gmail.com Follow on instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thejuniordoctorseriespodcast/

  2. Jul 23

    Episode 49: Medicine Across Two Worlds - From Norway to Montana and Starting Over

    Hosted by Dr Kirtee Koushi Conhyedoss Dr Mette Strand trained in Norway, moved to rural Montana and then had to find her way back into medicine in a completely different country. In Part 1 of our conversation, Mette tells me how her love of travel, horses and the mountain lifestyle first brought her to Montana and how meeting her now-husband changed the direction of her life. We talk about the process of getting her Norwegian medical degree recognised in the United States, completing an Internal Medicine residency, and adjusting to a medical system that felt very different from the one she had known in Norway. We also talk about: • The cultural differences between Norway and America • Why Mette chose rural life and primary care • Working 60–80 hours a week during residency • Differences between the Norwegian and American healthcare systems • Starting residency with two very young children • Having another baby during medical training • Missing time with her children and dealing with mum guilt Mette doesn't pretend that balancing motherhood and residency was easy. She talks openly about the choices she had to make, what she had to let go of and why she hopes her children will one day understand what she was working towards. Part 2 continues with the practical support that helped her get through residency, how she looked after herself and what she would tell other doctors who are also mothers. Send your feedback: juniordoctorseriespodcast@gmail.com Follow on instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thejuniordoctorseriespodcast/

  3. Jun 11

    Episode 48: The Weight We Carry After A Code - Feeling What We're Taught to Bury (Solo Episode)

    What happens after the resuscitation ends? In this deeply personal solo episode, I share my experience of leading an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest for the first time as an Emergency Medicine Registrar and the emotional impact that followed. As healthcare professionals, we're trained to stay calm under pressure, make critical decisions, and keep moving forward. But what happens when the adrenaline fades and the reality of what we've witnessed catches up with us? Drawing on insights from emergency physician Dan Dworkis and his concept of the "emergency brain," I explore why many clinicians can function during a crisis, only to feel the weight of it afterwards. In this episode, I reflect on: • Leading my first cardiac arrest as team leader • The emotional aftermath of calling a time of death • Disenfranchised grief in healthcare • Why feeling deeply does not make us weak • The hidden emotional burden doctors carry • Compassion, vulnerability, and humanity in medicine This conversation is for doctors, nurses, paramedics, healthcare workers, and anyone who has ever carried the weight of caring for others. Because perhaps the strongest people in medicine aren't the ones who don't feel. Perhaps they're the ones who continue to care despite everything they carry.   Let us connect: Instagram: @thejuniordoctorseriespodcast Host: Dr Kirtee Koushi Conhyedoss Send your feedback: juniordoctorseriespodcast@gmail.com

  4. Jun 4

    Episode 47: Burnout, Career Change & Reclaiming Yourself in Healthcare

    Burnout doesn't just affect how we feel — it can also reshape how we see our work, our purpose, and ourselves. In this final episode, Vy reflects on how burnout affected her professional life, influenced her career path, and changed the way she approached her work in healthcare. She shares her transition from ICU and emergency nursing into advanced practice and family medicine, as well as the renewed sense of purpose she found along the way. We also explore the impact of the pandemic, the pressure healthcare professionals face to keep giving at the expense of themselves, and the cultural and societal forces that can contribute to burnout. In this episode we discuss: • How burnout can influence career direction • The impact of burnout on professional identity • Working in healthcare during the pandemic • Cultural and societal contributors to burnout • Why boundaries are essential for protecting wellbeing Vy closes the conversation with a powerful reminder: setting boundaries is not selfish — it is one of the most important tools we have for preventing burnout and reconnecting with ourselves. Send your feedback: juniordoctorseriespodcast@gmail.com Follow on instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thejuniordoctorseriespodcast/

  5. May 28

    Episode 46: Motherhood, Medicine & Making It Work

    Balancing motherhood, education, and a career in healthcare is no easy task. In this episode, Vy shares her experience of becoming pregnant during graduate school, breastfeeding while studying and working clinical shifts, and navigating the realities of family life while pursuing a demanding healthcare career. She reflects on the support she received from her husband, colleagues, and workplace, as well as the importance of knowing her rights and advocating for what she and her family needed during that season. In this episode we discuss: • Pregnancy during graduate training • Breastfeeding while studying and working in healthcare • Balancing motherhood, education, and professional life • Workplace support and lactation rights • The importance of advocacy, flexibility, and support systems This episode is an honest and inspiring reflection on motherhood in medicine and what it takes to make it work. Send your feedback: juniordoctorseriespodcast@gmail.com Follow on instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thejuniordoctorseriespodcast/

  6. May 21

    Episode 45: Coping with Burnout - Support Systems, Mindfulness & Emotional Resilience

    Burnout recovery is not just about rest — it is also about support, self-awareness, and learning how to reconnect with yourself. In this episode, Vy shares the coping strategies and support systems that helped her navigate burnout and difficult seasons in her life. We explore the role of counselling, cognitive reframing, brain dumping, mindfulness, and learning how to set healthier boundaries. Vy also reflects on the importance of support systems, including her husband, colleagues, movement, nature, creativity, and making space for joy outside of work. In this episode we discuss: • Coping strategies for burnout • Counselling, emotional awareness, and cognitive distortions • Brain dumping, mindfulness, and boundaries • The role of support systems in healthcare • Why healing often involves both people and places This episode is a thoughtful reflection on what it takes to stay grounded while working in emotionally demanding spaces. Send your feedback: juniordoctorseriespodcast@gmail.com Follow on instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thejuniordoctorseriespodcast/

  7. May 14

    Episode 44: Grief in Healthcare: Losing a Parent While Training

    Behind every healthcare professional is a human story. In this deeply personal episode, Vy shares the experience of losing her father suddenly just three weeks before starting graduate school. While preparing to begin the next chapter of her healthcare career, she was also faced with an unexpected and profound loss. Vy reflects on receiving the news, navigating the practical and emotional responsibilities that followed, and what it meant to continue moving forward while carrying grief. In honour of her father and the story she shares, we also take a moment of silence together during this episode. In this episode we discuss: • Navigating grief while preparing for graduate training • The hidden emotional burdens healthcare professionals carry • Delayed grief and continuing professional responsibilities • The humanity behind those who work in healthcare This episode is a reminder that healthcare professionals are not only caregivers, but also human beings navigating their own life experiences. Send your feedback: juniordoctorseriespodcast@gmail.com Follow on instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thejuniordoctorseriespodcast/

  8. May 7

    Episode 43: Recognising Burnout - The Subtle Signs Healthcare Workers Miss

    Burnout in healthcare doesn't always look the way we expect. In this episode, I'm joined by Venita Lê Schandorf, also known as Vy, a board-certified family nurse practitioner based in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. Before moving into advanced practice, Vy spent ten years working as a registered nurse and has now been practicing in family medicine for the past six years. In this first part of our conversation, we explore Vy's journey into healthcare, her multicultural background, and the early signs of burnout that many healthcare professionals quietly experience. Vy reflects on how counselling during her college years helped her begin to recognise and name emotions that many clinicians carry while continuing to care for others. In this episode we discuss: • The subtle signs of burnout in healthcare • High-functioning depression and emotional numbness • The pressure to push through stress in medicine • Why many healthcare professionals struggle to recognise burnout in themselves This episode opens an honest conversation about the emotional realities of working in healthcare and the importance of recognising burnout early. Send your feedback: juniordoctorseriespodcast@gmail.com Follow on instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thejuniordoctorseriespodcast/

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Welcome to The Junior Doctor Series Podcast - The Unspoken Truth, hosted by Dr Kirtee Koushi Conhyedoss. Within this online space, we will be diving into topics that we do not talk about at the dinner table - well-being, death of a patient, relationship, loss, bullying and things that are taboo such as spirituality and everything else in between. We will be diving deeper into topics by shifting shame and normalising conversations that we feel ashamed and create a safe space to talk. Subscribe to the podcast to tune into all of the episodes. Send me your feedback on juniordoctorseriespodcast@gmail.com & follow me on instagram: the juniordoctorseriespodcast.

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