Addressing the Elephant in the Room: Shame and Sentinel Emotional Events in Health Care

April 12, 2023

In this webinar, Will Bynum, MD, PhD of Duke University School of Medicine uses personal narrative, audience response, and visually stimulating PowerPoint slides to provide an exploration of the psychology of shame and an overview of his research on shame in medical learners. He discusses strategies that institutional leaders can use to advance shame resilience, shame competence, and shame sensitive practice in health care, with the ultimate goals of transforming health care culture, optimizing patient safety, and supporting clinician well-being and self-concept development.

Learning Objectives:

• Define and differentiate shame and guilt and describe why this distinction matters
• Outline potential triggers, contributing factors, and effects of shame in health care trainees and professionals
• Describe specific identity processes implicated in shame experiences
• List specific strategies for advancing shame resilience, competence, and sensitive practice in health professions education