Two psychiatrists conduct an adversarial review of Adam Kay's 'This Is Going To Hurt,' debating whether his NHS memoir represents institutional failure causing PTSD or a self-inflicted martyr complex, while examining the book's comedy, structure, and impact on healthcare discourse.

Scott Alexander examines why skills plateau, proposing decay and interference hypotheses to explain the phenomenon across various fields.

Scott Alexander examines whether psychiatrists should test for lead more often, concluding that while it could be relevant in some cases, there's not enough evidence to justify universal testing.

Scott Alexander explores why medical residency test scores plateau after the first few years, proposing theories related to knowledge retention and individual differences in learning.

Scott Alexander reviews 'House of God', a satirical novel about medical internship that exposed systemic issues in healthcare and influenced real-world changes.

Scott Alexander shares his experiences and reflections as a final-year psychiatric resident, discussing communication techniques, challenges in psychotherapy, and the anxiety of managing patient risks.

Scott Alexander discusses the British junior doctors' strike, detailing the harsh working conditions and systemic issues that likely led to it, based on his experience in a similar system.

Scott reflects on his psychiatry residency experiences, discussing the realities of psychiatric hospitals, patient care challenges, and his transition to outpatient work.

The post criticizes unnecessary college degree requirements in various professions and proposes an alternative to Bernie Sanders' free college tuition plan.

Scott Alexander reflects on his first year of medical residency, contrasting reality with TV dramas and describing the complexities of hospital care.

Scott explores the fascinating etymology of 'placebo' from medieval funerals to medicine, then discusses the controversial placebo effect in depression treatment.

A collection of interesting links from April 2014 covering science, culture, and quirky news, with Scott's brief commentary on each.

Scott Alexander discusses a study suggesting communication skills training for doctors may be ineffective, and shares personal observations on the nuances of doctor-patient communication.

Scott Alexander examines the limitations of empathy training in medical education and shares his experiences learning to express empathy effectively as a doctor.

Scott Alexander analyzes a study revealing poor statistical literacy among doctors, critiquing both the study and its implications for medical decision-making.

Scott proposes creating fictional stories isomorphic to complex scientific concepts as a memory aid, inspired by the ease of remembering Game of Thrones details compared to biochemistry facts.

Scott Alexander provides a satirical account of a hospital orientation, highlighting its various absurdities and contradictions.

Scott Alexander announces his acceptance into a psychiatry residency in Michigan, reflecting on the competitive nature of medical residencies and his unexpected positive experiences following a previous rejection.

Scott Alexander discusses his brain's arbitrary division of sleep into 'sleep mode' and 'nap mode', which interferes with establishing a normal sleep schedule, and asks for others' experiences and solutions.

Scott Alexander discusses his anxiety about potentially not getting a US medical residency and explores various backup career options and plans.