#49 - Dr Heidi Baker - Empathy in the Midst of Turmoil

As doctors, we carry an enormous amount of risk; sometimes, we quite literally hold people's lives in our hands.

Under these extraordinary circumstances, with increasing expectations and limited health resources, it's no wonder the pressures on our health workforce are sky-high, making hospitals an even less welcoming place for both patients and healthcare workers. It makes you question whether empathy training is truly effective when the system itself isn't designed to enable empathy.

If we want a sustainable healthcare service, perhaps it's time we have some uncomfortable conversations about how we're going to get there. Just because we can do something, does it mean we should? Is it time to collectively re-prioritise our attention and focus given the limited resources we have?

In this episode, I bring you Dr Heidi Baker. When I first started in paediatrics, I wanted to be just like Heidi when I grew up. In this conversation, we discuss the changing landscape of healthcare provision, training, and the responsibility we have to future generations. Heidi has been a role model and mentor for me over the years, and I'm so grateful to now call her my friend.