Why Medical Education Is Broken, And How We Can Fix It with Dr. Paul Tran
Episode Description
Dr. Paul Tran is a pediatric gastroenterologist, award-winning medical educator, and the creator behind Alimentary School — an online platform using storytelling, mentorship, and dad jokes to make medicine more human. He’s on a mission to break down outdated hierarchies and rebuild medical education around trust, real-time feedback, and genuine connection.
In this episode of How I Doctor, Dr. Graham Walker talks with Paul about what’s broken in medical training and how we can actually fix it. With warmth and wit, Paul explains why seeing students as “just students” undermines patient care, how virtual interviews and pass/fail boards have reshaped the residency match, and why the way we give feedback needs to change yesterday. He also shares the killer interview question every applicant should ask, and how social media can help bridge gaps traditional training leaves wide open. If you’ve ever wondered what it would look like to blow up med ed and start fresh, this is the conversation for you.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
- Why medical training still relies on outdated hierarchies — and how that hurts future doctors and patients alike.
- How the move to pass/fail Step 1 and virtual interviews is reshaping residency applications (and adding new pressures).
- The big flaws with “Feedback Fridays” — and Paul’s practical advice for giving and getting better feedback every day.
- The exact two-part question every med student should ask to uncover a residency program’s real culture.
- How Paul uses humor and short-form videos to make medical education more accessible, honest, and fun.
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📝 For a full transcript of this episode click HERE
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