This week on Social Rounds, we’re joined by returning fan favorite Dr. Kate Buhrke—rogue agent of chaos and resident philosopher—to answer a deceptively simple question: can philosophy actually make the pain of medicine make sense?

What starts as required reading quickly spirals into a full-blown debate on utilitarianism, Kantian ethics, and whether the system of medical training is justified simply because it “works” for most people. Along the way, we try (and struggle) to define what a hedon unit is, question whether residency is ethically defensible, and confront the uncomfortable reality that medicine may be built on competing moral frameworks with no clear answer.

We also get into:

• Why philosophy feels both clarifying and completely useless
• The ethics behind the Match and graduate medical education
• Whether outcomes alone justify suffering in training
• Aristotle’s “middle path” and what it means for modern physicians
• The Ship of Theseus and what it says about identity, change, and who we become in medicine

Equal parts thoughtful and unhinged, this episode lives in the tension between wanting answers and realizing there might not be any.

Subscribe, rate, and follow Social Rounds for more conversations at the intersection of medicine, culture, and everything we weren’t taught—but should’ve been.

Hosted by:

Tony Chin-Quee: @wheyouat

Frances Mei Hardin: @francesmeimd

Guest: Kate Burhke, DO

Connect with Kate:

https://www.hippocratic-collective.com/members/kate-buhrke-do

Produced by: The Hippocratic Collective

No Frances Mei this week, so Tony brought in reinforcements.

Dr. Janet McMordie (now appearing on network medical drama Doc) and Friend-of-the-Pod, Dr. Ryan Montoya join Social Rounds for a wild, behind-the-scenes look at where medicine and entertainment collide.

This episode starts chaotic and somehow escalates:

Tony casually reveals he won $25,000 on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire… Janet breaks down what it’s actually like being a real physician on a TV set… and Ryan brings stories from the edges of Hollywood that prove actors are, in fact, just as unhinged as the rest of us.

Janet shares how she transitioned from medicine into acting and what it’s actually like working on a major TV production. Along the way, the group unpacks the reality of medical storytelling, the limits of authenticity, and why even the most experienced actors still struggle with the basics of medicine.

In this episode:

– The truth about acting on medical shows (from an actual doctor)

– Why even veteran actors still struggle with medical jargon

– Tony’s game show past and the question that cost him more money

– Behind-the-scenes stories from TV sets (including when things go very wrong)

– Fame, ego, and the weird overlap between medicine and Hollywood

Hosted by:

Tony Chin-Quee: @wheyouat

Ryan Montoya: @ryan_montoya_art

Janet McMordie: @janetmcmordie

Produced by: The Hippocratic Collective

This week on Social Rounds, we’re asking a question every trainee eventually faces:

Is it okay to be the bad guy?

After a chaotic start (April Fool’s, pranks, and moral debates on roasting vs. psychological warfare), we get into something deeper—leadership in medicine.

Inspired by a satirical Hippocratic Collective piece, Bad Guy’s Corner, we unpack:

• The difference between being tough vs. being cruel
• Why medicine still rewards “villain” leadership styles
• Whether fear actually makes people better or just more traumatized
• How to set high standards without losing your humanity
• What real leadership looks like when no one teaches you how to lead

We share stories from residency, the chiefs who got it right (and very wrong), and the subtle line between pushing people to grow… and breaking them.

Because the goal isn’t to be liked.

But it also isn’t to be feared.

Hosted by:

Tony Chin-Quee: @wheyouat

Frances Mei Hardin: @francesmeimd

Guest: Kate Burhke, DO

Connect with Kate:

https://www.hippocratic-collective.com/members/kate-buhrke-do

Produced by: The Hippocratic Collective

This week on Social Rounds, we take on one of medicine’s favorite lies: that you’re supposed to know exactly who you are, and what you want, before you even become a fully formed adult.

Inspired by a Doximity op-ed telling students to “choose specialties based on their future selves,” we ask a more honest question:

What if that’s impossible?

We break down:

• Why “know yourself in your 20s” is fundamentally flawed advice
• The problem with choosing a specialty like it’s a lifelong identity contract
• How medicine traps people into decisions they’re not developmentally ready to make
• Why values change—and what that means for your career
• The real solution: mobility, not perfect foresight

And yes—what it actually feels like when your dreams do come true… and you’re still not satisfied.

This is not about leaving medicine.

It’s about having the freedom to evolve inside it.

Because the goal isn’t to choose perfectly.

It’s to stop building a life you’re not allowed to change.

Hosted by:

Tony Chin-Quee: @wheyouat

Frances Mei Hardin: @francesmeimd

Produced by: The Hippocratic Collective

Match Week is over—and now real life begins.

This week on Social Rounds, we’re talking about what actually matters after the envelope opens: moving, money, and the mistakes nobody teaches you to avoid. From renters insurance (non-negotiable) to the reality of the “30% rule,” we break down the practical advice we wish someone had given us before residency.

We also get into:

• Why financial literacy hits way too late in medicine
• The difference between salary vs. take-home (and why it matters)
• Starting over—geographically, financially, emotionally
• Why we don’t believe in shame (and why you shouldn’t either)

And in Outside Baseball: a real-life case from France involving a WWII-era artillery shell, a hospital evacuation, and a spokesperson who said… too much.

Plus:

Are you Team Tony (skydiving, speed, chaos) or Team Frances Mei (cozy gaming, weighted blankets, controlled environments)?

Because how you chase thrill might say more about you than anything else.

Hosted by:

Tony Chin-Quee: @wheyouat

Frances Mei Hardin: @francesmeimd

Produced by: The Hippocratic Collective

In this episode of Social Rounds, Frances Mei, Tony, and Ryan Montoya tackle one of the most uncomfortable—but universal—realities in medicine: disrespect from patients.

From inappropriate comments to outright racism, they share real stories from training and practice, including moments that stayed with them for years—and how they learned to respond.

This episode covers:

1. What to do when a patient crosses the line
2. How power dynamics change from student → resident → attending
3. When to walk away vs. when to engage
4. The emotional calculus of “is this fight worth it?”
5. Racism in medicine—and how it actually shows up in real life
6. Building your personal “toolkit” before you need it

Plus, the return of Majority Minority—where the hosts unpack identity, race, and lived experience in and outside of medicine.

This is the hidden curriculum, out loud.

Hosted by:

Tony Chin-Quee: @wheyouat

Frances Mei Hardin: @francesmeimd

Ryan Montoya: @ryan_montoya_art

Produced by: The Hippocratic Collective

In this episode of Social Rounds, Tony Chin-Quee, Frances Mei Hardin, and friend-of-the-pod Ryan Montoya dive into one of the wildest stories we’ve ever heard: a month-long artist residency in a French chateau that slowly descended into chaos.

Ryan shares what it was like living with 27 artists from around the world—waking up to croissants and champagne in the French countryside while creating art all day. But what started as a dreamlike creative retreat quickly turned into something closer to a reality TV show, complete with personality clashes, generational conflicts, Instagram arguments, and a dramatic early exit.

The group unpacks what happens when big personalities, creative egos, and a little too much wine collide in a tiny town of 79 people.

Along the way, they explore bigger questions about identity, creativity, and why physicians should never abandon the parts of themselves that exist outside medicine.

Topics include:

• Life at an artist residency in rural France

• When creative retreats become interpersonal drama

• The generational divide between Gen Z, Millennials, and Gen X artists

• Why creative identity matters—even for physicians

• The importance of keeping your artistic side alive

If you’ve ever wondered what happens when doctors, artists, and big personalities collide in a castle in the French countryside… this episode delivers.

Subscribe for new episodes of Social Rounds, where we give our unsolicited opinions on medicine, culture, and whatever else we find interesting.

Hosted by:

Tony Chin-Quee: @wheyouat

Frances Mei Hardin: @francesmeimd

Ryan Montoya: @ryan_montoya_art

Produced by: The Hippocratic Collective

In Part 2 of our conversation with Kate Buhrke, DO, we pick up where her story left off — inside the realities of surgical residency.

Kate shares what happened after transferring programs, the culture shock of moving from a county hospital to a private practice environment, and how speaking up about resident conditions quickly labeled her a “problem resident.” What started as advocacy for fairness — from educational funding to work hours — eventually escalated into probation, retaliation, and a system increasingly determined to push her out.

This episode dives into the hidden curriculum of medical training:

1. the politics of residency programs
2. what “not a good fit” often really means
3. how institutions protect themselves
4. and why speaking up can come at a steep personal cost.

Kate reflects on the moment her residency ended, the emotional aftermath, and how she’s now rebuilding her career in medicine in a different way — while helping other trainees navigate similar experiences.

This is a candid conversation about power, culture, and survival in medicine — and why losing your position doesn’t mean losing your purpose.

Hosted by:

Tony Chin-Quee: @wheyouat

Frances Mei Hardin: @francesmeimd

Guest: Kate Burhke, DO

Connect with Kate:

https://www.hippocratic-collective.com/members/kate-buhrke-do

Produced by: The Hippocratic Collective