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"Judgment is an emotion. Every time you articulate a clinical judgment to a colleague, you are delivering an emotional message, whether you like it or not."
In this episode of Better Every Shift, Naomi and Tubi dive into a rich and provocative article by Margaret Bearman et al. titled "Feedback with feelings: the human complexity of expressing judgements about performance." We dismantle the myth that emotions in healthcare are merely "internal psychological states" to be managed in private; instead, we recognize them as the literal "elephant in the room" in every clinical learning environment.
We explore why claiming to give feedback "without judgment" is actually a form of professional dishonesty that can make a situation worse. From the physiological impact of adrenaline and cortisol on our ability to hear properly to the "story" we create in our heads about our peers, this episode provides a roadmap for "naming the edge". Stick around to learn how to move beyond sterile clinical checklists and start having the pragmatic, transparent conversations that actually move the needle on performance.
Key Discussion Points
The Myth of the "Internal State": Why the literature is misleading when it suggests emotions are only the individual's problem to manage.
Judgment as an Emotional Act: Understanding that expressing a judgment is an emotional event for both the supervisor and the trainee.
The Honest Debrief: Why admitting you are upset about a poor outcome can actually lead to a more useful conversation than pretending there is no problem.
Physiological Barriers: How high-stress triggers (like a pager going off) flood the body with chemicals that make it impossible to process complex conversations.
The Pre-Mortem Strategy: How to forecast "icky" feelings on day one to normalize struggle and keep the lines of communication open.
Gendered Judgments: Addressing harmful social hierarchies, such as the "angry mum" feedback trap, and how to keep feedback factual rather than personal.
Pastoral Conversations: Why understanding the context of a student's life is often more powerful than any clinical performance checklist.
Timestamps
[00:00:00] Intro: The Bold Statement—"Judgment is an Emotion".
[00:01:46] The Elephant in the Room: Why we ignore emotions in debrief.
[00:03:00] The Dishonesty of "Feedback Without Judgment".
[00:05:00] Adrenaline and Cortisol: Why you can’t think straight when the pager goes off.
[00:07:00] The Pre-Mortem: Forecasting the "year of disaster" for students.
[00:09:00] Why we value some feedback more than others: Impressing the "right" people.
[00:12:00] Scenario 1: The "Long, Audible Sigh" and naming non-verbal cues.
[00:15:00] Scenario 2: Dismantling gendered judgments and the "Angry Mum" comment.
[00:18:00] Scenario 3: Legitimizing pastoral conversations over checklists.
[00:21:00] The "Desk Fairy" Analogy: The power of intentional positive feedback.
[00:25:00] Special Offer: Coaching and e-learning for your clinical team.
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