Academic Medicine Podcast

"Setbacks and failures are inherent to play, yet there is little space for setbacks and failures as adults, making play risky. In a competitive work environment, play feels dangerous." Ashwini Bapat is a palliative care physician, founder of EpioneMD, and cofounder of Hippocratic Adventures. In a letter to a former mentor, she reflects upon the isolation experienced when the ability to play is usurped by the drive to succeed. This essay was published in the Teaching and Learning Moments column in the June 2021 issue of Academic Medicine. Read the essay at academicmedicine.org.