The Pitt and the importance of protecting care team safety and humanity | Mel Herbert, MD, FACEP

Episode 115 | Duration: 47:29

Physicians, nurses and other care team members working in hospitals and health systems are often asked to move through trying and traumatic moments that put their emotional, psychological and physical safety at risk without having time or resources to fully process what they’ve experienced. In the course of 30 minutes, they may witness the death of a child and deliver devastating news to a family. Within the same hour they may encounter a patient who lashes out with verbal threats or physical violence. Being a healthcare professional requires enormous skill and humanity, and the weight of it all can take a toll. Mel Herbert, MD, FACEP, describes the cumulative stress and cognitive burden as something clinicians can carry with them over the course of an entire career with the load getting heavier and heavier with each experience.

Mel is an emergency physician, educator, entrepreneur and founder of EM:RAP. He is also a medical consultant and writer on The Pitt, an Emmy award winning medical drama. Mel’s decades of experience help put the spotlight on human-centered stories in healthcare, bringing more awareness to the difficult and diverse realities that healthcare professionals face every hour of their shift.

In this episode of Caring Greatly, Liz Boehm talks with Mel about what it takes to protect healthcare professionals across the three pillars of care team safety: psychological and emotional safety, dignity and inclusion, and physical safety. Mel doesn’t shy away from addressing the need to normalize meaningful mental health support for clinicians, the stigma surrounding substance use disorder, and the importance of creating pathways to treatment and recovery. He also talks about the importance of courage and grace when a team member learns that a colleague may need help. They also explore the persistent realities of workplace violence in healthcare and the limits of asking individuals or single departments to solve problems that are fundamentally systemic.

At the center of the conversation is a reminder of why this work matters: humanity. Mel shares personal stories from decades in emergency medicine about patients who challenged him, changed him and reminded him that every person has a story. He reflects on leadership, grief, caring without judgment and the importance of preserving human connection even in the most difficult circumstances. As he explains, holding on to that humanity can make the work even more meaningful, but clinicians also need systems and support that help them carry its emotional, psychological and physical weight.

Dr. Mel Herbert is a leader who cares greatly.

Related link:

• 100th episode of Caring Greatly: The Pitt and the truth about care team member safety and wellbeing – Mel Herbert, MD, FACEP