Stop Saying Yes to Homework Inside the Consultation | Episode 190

This episode was originally published on Vital Signs: Thriving as a Woman in Medicine, hosted by Dr. Diane Shannon. We are grateful to Dr. Shannon for the conversation and for permission to share it here.

Episode Summary

Every time a doctor opens their mouth in a consultation, they are either shortening or lengthening their day. That is the lens Dr. Sarah Smith brings to clinical communication, and in this episode, originally recorded for Vital Signs: Thriving as a Woman in Medicine with Dr. Diane Shannon, she applies it to everything from how you greet a patient to how you handle the person who walks in with 17 problems. The conversation is practical, honest, and built around a single idea: you are the captain of the ship, and there are more choices available to you than you may have realized.

What This Episode Covers

• Why the way you communicate inside the consultation is one of the biggest drivers of after-hours work

• The real cost of not having efficient patient communication, including financial costs most doctors do not track

• Why saying yes to everything in the room means saying yes to homework

• How to handle the patient with 17 problems without abandoning good care

• Practical strategies for reducing interruptions, batching staff questions, and protecting thinking time

• Why noticing without judgment is the first and most important step toward change

• How small, incremental pivots compound into a very different clinical day

Key Moment Worth Hearing

Dr. Smith describes what happens when a patient walks in and fills the silence while you are still mid-thought about their diabetes management. Her response to that moment, warm, direct, and completely unapologetic, is one of the most useful things in this episode.

Would you like to view a transcript of this episode? Click Here

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