What does it take to run toward chaos and know you will like the result? We sit down with Dr. Josh McConkey, an emergency physician, Air Force Reserve commander, and combat veteran, for a candid tour of the ER and the deeper forces that sustain a life in medicine. From managing codes to navigating the “bread and butter” of primary care concerns that flood emergency departments, Dr. McConkey explains how humility, teamwork, and a calm mind matter most.
We dig into his “Weight Behind the Spear” philosophy. It's an ethos born from years with special operations teams and grounded in a simple truth: great performers are built by great communities. Teachers, coaches, mentors, neighbors are the people who shape the leaders we count on when it matters most. Josh shares how volunteering, coaching youth sports, and serving face-to-face are not résumé fluff but the fastest route to real resilience, communication skills, and interview-ready stories that stand out beyond grades. He offers practical advice for pre-health students and clinicians on building confidence under pressure, seeking discomfort on purpose, and finding purpose that lasts.
To connect with Dr. Josh McConkey, find him at any of the following:
Instagram: @JoshMcConkeyMD
LinkedIn: Josh McConkey, MD
Websites: joshmcconkeyforamerica.com and joshmcconkey.com
Book: Be The Weight Behind the Spear
Virtual shadowing is an important tool to use when planning your medical career. At Shadow Me Next! we want to provide you with the resources you need to find your role in healthcare and secure your place in medicine.
Check out our pre-health resources. Great for pre-med, pre-PA, pre-nursing, pre-therapy students or anyone else with an upcoming interview!
Mock Interviews: shadowmenext.com/mock-interviews
Personal Statement Review: shadowmenext.com/personal-statement
Free Downloads: shadowmenext.com/free-downloads
Want to be a guest on Shadow Me Next!? Send Ashley Love a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/175073392605879105bc831fc
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Ashley (00:00):
Hello and welcome to Shadow Me Next, a podcast where
I take you into and behind thescenes of the medical world to
provide you with a deeperunderstanding of the human side
of medicine.
I'm Ashley, a physicianassistant, medical editor,
clinical preceptor, and thecreator of Shadow Me Next.
It is my pleasure to introduceyou to incredible members of the
(00:22):
healthcare field and uncovertheir unique stories, the joys
and challenges they face, andwhat drives them in their
careers.
It's access you want andstories you need.
Whether you're a pre-healthstudent or simply curious about
the healthcare field, I inviteyou to join me as we take a
conversational and personal lookinto the lives and minds of
(00:43):
leaders in medicine.
I don't want you to miss asingle one of these
conversations.
So make sure that you subscribeto this podcast, which will
automatically notify you whennew episodes are dropped, and
follow us on Instagram andFacebook at Shadow Me Next,
where we will review highlightsfrom this conversation and where
I'll give you sneak previews ofour upcoming guests.
(01:03):
There's a certain kind ofperson who runs toward the
chaos.
Today's guest, Dr.
Josh McConkie, is one of them.
He's an emergency physician, anAir Force Reserve commander,
and a combat veteran who servedwith special operations teams in
Iraq and beyond.
He's also a husband, a father,and the founder of the Weight
(01:24):
Behind the Spear Foundation, amovement built around the idea
that teachers, coaches, mentors,and everyday people are the
force that make great leadershippossible.
In our conversation, Dr.
McConkie opens up about therealities of emergency medicine,
the pressure, the privilege,and the toll.
He shares how combat shaped hisview of service, why leadership
(01:48):
begins with community, and whatit really means to live with
purpose in a generation facingboth a mental health crisis and
a crisis of meaning.
This is a conversation aboutresilience, humility, and
remembering why you started.
Please keep in mind that thecontent of this podcast is
intended for informational andentertainment purposes only and
(02:11):
should not be considered asprofessional medical advice.
The views and opinionsexpressed in this podcast are
those of the host and guests anddo not necessarily reflect the
official policy or position ofany other agency, organization,
employer, or company.
This is Shadow Me Next with Dr.
Josh McConkie.
Dr.
McConkey, thank you so much forjoining us on Shadow Me Next
(02:34):
today.
You have a wealth ofinformation that you are going
to share with us because you'vehad a wealth of experience
across the board.
So thanks for being here andthanks for being willing.
Dr. McConkey (02:43):
Thank you very much.
It's it's been a wild 20-someyears, I tell you.
Ashley (02:46):
I bet.
I bet.
How would you, when you aredescribing yourself in front of
a group of people, perhaps evenjust medical people, what what
titles do you use?
How do you uh how do you fityourself into a box?
Dr. McConkey (02:59):
You know, some of the unique experience I've had
overseas, like in Australia andNew Zealand, they don't really
use the titles, right?
Everyone's on a first namebasis.
And especially in the emergencydepartment, what I've found is,
you know, when you start to getthose hierarchies, there's very
good studies.
I know in aviation, I'm an AirForce flight surgeon as well.
In aviation, there's lots ofstudies that show increased
(03:21):
error rates and things, thehigher that the hierarchy gets.
But, you know, you know,physician, military commander,
you know, Pilot Surprisenominated author, I've got all
kinds of crazy titles.
But for me, the the mostimportant ones are, you know,
father, husband.
You know, those are probablythe most important to me.
Ashley (03:39):
I think that's fantastic.
I think that's a really goodreminder for all of us that just
because we have a title or justbecause we've done some things
doesn't necessarily make us anexpert, doesn't necessarily make
us the person that we want togo to.
But in your case, it absolutelydoes.
I am so impressed by whatyou've done and not just what
you've accomplished, but whatyou are passing on to future
generations, to specificallyyoung people, things that we
(04:02):
absolutely desperately need tobe developing.
So thanks for doing that.
Let's talk about a day in yourlife as an ER physician.
I think that would be afantastic place to start to
really get a good idea of whatyour life, at least in emergency
medicine, looks like as an ERdoc and um and some of the
challenges perhaps that youmight have experienced and your
successes, the wins that youfound.
Dr. McConkey (04:23):
Yeah.
So emergency medicine is a veryunique specialty in that
there's a lot to know.
You can't possibly knoweverything, of course, but
you're a jack of all trades.
You've got ENT andcardiothoracic surgery and a
little uh little in internalmedicine, family medicine, OB.
I mean, it's just a anythingcould walk through the door.
(04:43):
You have no control over it.
And I'm uh I'm an adrenalinejunkie.
I always have been.
You know, I'm a militaryphysician.
I've served with combat searchand rescue, special operations,
aerospace medicine and the AirForce and the Army.
I flew Medevac in Iraq.
So I like to stay busy.
I like to kind of be on thatedge a little bit and get that.
You know, the adrenaline rushisn't as good as it used to be,
(05:05):
right?
Once you've been in combat andbeen shot at and all kinds of
crazy things, like the ER ispretty low-key.
But yeah, you anything couldwalk through the door, which is
very, very challenging.
Um, you have to think quicklyon your feet.
You have to thrive underpressure.
So when you have those codesituations and the true
emergencies, I mean, I wishthere was more of that, but
(05:26):
really it's it's it's the breadand butter, coughs, colds,
urinary tract infections, a lotof primary care, you know, in
the emergency department, a lotof social health and mental
health issues, ton of that.
So uh sometimes more than Iwould like.
But you really have to be umready for anything at all times.
So that's very challenging toreally stay focused because
(05:48):
you're pulled in 20 differentdirections.
As corporate medicine gets moreinvolved with emergency
departments and hospitals ingeneral, you know, you tend to
see some understaffing andyou're really task saturated
more than is safe a lot oftimes.
So the probably the biggestchallenge is just balancing your
own personal health and patientsafety with the business side
(06:12):
of medicine and whatadministrators and and and some
of these hospital administratorsare asking you to do.
So that definitely is achallenge.
The big wins is I've saved alot of lives.
And when you see a trueemergency and you you step in
and you do what needs to bedone, it's it's never just me.
(06:32):
You see some of thesephysicians with the God complex.
It's it's insane.
You know, God is workingthrough my hands, right?
I study my tail off, I work mytail off, I put myself in
situations where I can besuccessful, you know, and and uh
the Lord's gonna use me as ashe needs to, and I can't save
everybody.
So that's always difficult whenyou when you when you see
people die and you want to saveeveryone, but that's just not
(06:55):
reality.
But the big wins, when you savea life, that that feels pretty
amazing.
And you get to walk into thatfamily and just let them know
everything's gonna be okay andput them at ease.
That's uh it's pretty special.
Ashley (07:06):
Absolutely.
You've touched on a couple ofthings that I would really like
to develop a little bit more.
You described what a personmight need to find success in
the ER as a clinician, right?
Have you experienced asituation where somebody was in
the ER as a clinician andrealized they just unfortunately
(07:26):
they just don't have what ittakes?
What does that what I'm surethat happens, right?
And we've never really talkedabout this all the time.
Break that down for us.
What does that look like?
How do you um have you ever hadto go in and step in and
counsel this person and say,maybe, you know, let's consider
something different?
Dr. McConkey (07:44):
Yeah.
So I I've I've been a professorat Duke University, taught in
the emergency medicine program.
I've taught overseas in severalprograms in Australia and New
Zealand.
And you've got a wide range ofstudents, medical students,
physician students, physicianassistant students, you know,
from all different walks oflife.
And then we have residents fromall the different specialties
that rotate through theemergency department as well.
(08:05):
And, you know, there's there'slots of bright individuals, but
a lot of times that doesn't meanthat you are clinically, you
know, uh skilled as well.
So I've met several physicians.
I I remember one code ingeneral where I was just giving,
I was actually teaching inChicago for uh was it a national
(08:28):
youth leadership forum?
I was a second-year medicalstudent.
I was in the emergencydepartment at University of
Chicago.
So I'm giving a bunch of highschool kids that want to go into
medicine some tours.
And there was a code being run,and there was a Harvard
graduate, all right, big, bigfancy Harvard, ooh, super
smarty.
And I just watched them fumble,uh, missed an airway.
(08:51):
I were doing chest compressionson the stomach, and it was it
was kind of one of those surrealmoments where I just looked at
the attending, I had a like asuit coat on, took off my suit
jacket and just kind of gavethem a nod and jumped in,
started doing chestcompressions.
Yeah, it's just just hilarious.
I mean, I just thrive in thosesituations.
Some people can handle pressureand crazy codes, and some
(09:11):
people can't.
That's all right.
There's tremendous physiciansthat are dermatologists and
immunologists, and good for you.
Like I would be bored out of mymind.
Exactly.
Some people, some people justcan't handle those code
situations.
I I found when things getcrazy, when it's super
stressful, I'm just I'm justsmarter.
That's when my mind clicks,that's when things work for me.
(09:35):
Uh, I'm just getting I getbored very easy.
So I've always enjoyed the uhthe chaos in the emergency
department.
Ashley (09:42):
You know, this is this is a great segue into a question
that actually I'm laughingbecause it's a question I was
going to ask, and now I know theanswer.
You won the North Carolinalottery, right?
And many people would haveretired or just celebrated and
sat back and enjoyed theirlittle my ties on the beach.
But I now I know the answer towhy you didn't do that, right?
You would have just gone crazy.
Dr. McConkey (10:01):
No, there's there's so much more you can do.
I I I've actually used thatmoney, it's helped me get the
messaging out for my book.
I started a nonprofitorganization raising money for
Western North Carolina andpromoting community engagement.
You know, I just once you'veserved in combat and I've
carried body bags of Americanheroes and you see people that
have sacrificed everything.
(10:22):
I wake up every single day.
That's what I think about.
I'm very blessed.
I'm very fortunate.
I've got a wife and three kids.
And I just wake up motivatedevery single day.
I have to make this world abetter place.
I have to make their sacrificeworth it.
And so those are the thingsthat motivate me.
Ashley (10:39):
It's absolutely incredible.
And thank you so much for doingthat.
You mentioned your platform,you mentioned your foundation in
your book, Be the Weight Behindthe Spear.
This is also your leadershipphilosophy.
It's so powerful.
Tell us a little bit about whatthis phrase means to you.
Dr. McConkey (10:55):
So that personal leadership ethos, I've been very
fortunate.
I've worked with specialoperations.
So I was a medical director forPJs, Combat Search to Rescue.
And these individuals areamazing.
Like jumping out ofhelicopters, taking down bin
Laden, rescuing the children ofthe Thai caves in 2018.
If you remember a few yearsback, that soccer team that was
trapped.
(11:15):
Crazy stories from the team.
I mean, just unbelievablestories.
They all have someone in theirlife that gave them the amazing
confidence to do what they do.
So teachers, coaches,volunteers, like family and
mentors.
Like that's what makes them sospecial.
That's what sets America apart.
You know, that's that's theweight behind that tip of the
(11:37):
spear.
And so the book and the ethosis just getting people involved.
You know, that's my call toaction to get into your
community, go coach, volunteer,you know, volunteer in medical
schools and or churches orschools or go to the animal
shelters, right?
Those animals can be emotionalsupport animals for somebody.
(11:57):
So everybody has something togive.
And I think a lot of peoplediscount their role in our
society, but you know, they havetremendous skills.
Like everyone has a differentset of skills.
So use your skills and get outthere and just pay it forward to
the next generation becausethey really need the help.
Ashley (12:15):
Absolutely.
And I think that's a wonderful,and I'm sure you have stories
where perhaps you met somebodywho was either was struggling in
some way, shape, or form,whether it was mental health or
met maybe it was justconfidence.
And and you saw leadershipcapabilities in them, but they
just needed that push.
And I think sometimes that pushis actually them diving into
(12:36):
these situations where they giveback first, right?
Dr. McConkey (12:38):
And for you know, a lot out there, I know a lot of
students and people wanting tolook into health professions are
familiar with the pit, that TVshow.
Yes, yes, uh, you know, Ihaven't got to watch it myself,
but I did see a bunch ofarticles when it was nominated
and won several Emmy Awards.
And there's they they showedsome clips from an episode where
uh Noah Wiley just, you know,just kind of had this just
(13:00):
breakdown and talking justbecause we see horrible things
all the time, just death anddestruction, and people are at
their worst.
And and and there was actuallyone of the characters on the
show was you know had suicidalthoughts and and he kind of
casually made some comments to,you know, like don't do it on my
shift, man.
Like, come on.
Like you know, like and it justit kind of tried to make light
(13:21):
of it, but really pulled themback into the fold.
And man, there's a lot ofmental health issues in
healthcare in general.
There's higher rates ofdepression and suicide.
You know, they they tell youthat when you start school, and
and and and you do see that withcolleagues.
Yeah, I I've and I'm trying to,I know I've lost some friends
from high school and college tosuicide.
I don't know if any of mymedical school classmates yet.
(13:42):
Hopefully not, my goodness.
But you know, those are thingsthat uh everyone has a breaking
point.
And and really, if you'relooking at some good take-home
messages, so working withspecial operations, these people
are the toughest mentally andphysically, I mean, on planet
earth.
And they still have suicides inthat population.
Wow.
So everybody has a breakingpoint, you know.
(14:04):
Bad things happen, lifehappens, and don't be afraid to
reach out to friends andcolleagues or mental health
practitioners.
Like the emergency departmentis always wide open for you.
And I've I've seen physiciansand healthcare people come to
the emergency department and Isit down with them, and you
always have I sit down, sitdown, cry with them, like, hey,
it's okay, man.
Like you came to the rightplace.
(14:25):
We're always here for you.
We can always get you mentalhealth.
So, you know, I'm really proudof being that safety net for
America.
Ashley (14:31):
Absolutely.
And you know, I think it bringsup an interesting point.
Uh I was just speaking with apatient about this yesterday.
Medicine has become veryspecialized, right?
It's not the once upon a timeGP, family GP, where you and
your mom and her mom and yourbaby all went and you got all of
the care that you need.
We're very, very specialized.
And yet, we still are capableof and enjoy talking about a
(14:53):
wide variety of these healthconcerns.
Um, uh, weight management isone, right?
Either obesity, beingunderweight, relationship with
food, um, uh anything to do withmental health, right?
We all need to be able to andwilling to have these
conversations with people.
Um, I think that is what that'swhat medicine's all about,
(15:14):
right?
Not just to not just say, well,it's mental health.
I mean, could you imagine beinghere?
Oh, it's mental health, it'snot really my thing.
Dr. McConkey (15:19):
So um, and don't be afraid to talk about it, you
know, because people are like,oh, well, if I bring it up, now
they're gonna think about it.
Like, no, I promise they werealready thinking about it.
Okay.
Like you have to talk about itand get it out there because
like just it's uh the the thetaboo or oh man, we shouldn't
talk about that.
No, it's completely incorrect.
Ashley (15:37):
You know, the it they're hard conversations, but you are
used to having hardconversations.
I mean, speaking to youngpeople generally, period, is
difficult these days, butespecially speaking to young
people about leadership andabout mental health.
Um, the here's a question foryou.
In a world where social mediaoften rewards popularity over
(15:59):
principle, how can young peoplebuild just authentic integrity?
And how can they just be sotrue to themselves?
Dr. McConkey (16:07):
So critically important.
So, my episode on Teen KidsNews on mental health and the
COVID generation just justaired.
So it just came out.
So if you go on YouTube, justGoogle Teen Kid News, I think
it's episode 2304, or you justprobably Google my name with it,
it'll pop up.
It's a great episode.
But you have to get out thereand get engaged in person.
So, you know, social media,it's it's a blessing and a
(16:30):
curse.
I I know it's part of everydaylife now, but we are still
social creatures.
Like human beings have beensocial creatures for thousands
and thousands of years.
It didn't just magically stopbecause of COVID and YouTube
videos and TikTok.
Okay.
So you have to get involved,like face to face.
And the best way you can dothat is get out in your
(16:52):
community.
You know, when I say volunteer,yep, coach, teach, you know,
get out there and coach a T-ballteam.
I mean, it's crazy.
They just run around and throwdirt at each other.
They're wild.
You know, the more you getinvolved or go to those animal
shelters, there's so manycommunity organizations that
need your help.
I mean, the local soup kitchensand there's lots of uh
(17:13):
faith-based organizations.
You know, during Christmas, youknow, this time of year, uh
Samaritan's Purse does does awonderful um volunteer activity
where everyone they have theseshoe boxes, they just fill up
with all kinds of great thingsfor kids and send them all over
the world.
You know, there's so manythings that you can do to help
contribute, try to make theworld a better place.
That is helping your mentalhealth as well, because you're
(17:36):
engaged, you're part ofsomething that matters.
You know, it's you're not justsitting there watching the video
screen all day.
Ashley (17:42):
Exactly.
Dr.
McConkey, I'm imagining these,specifically these high school
and college students hearing ustalk about, you know, get
involved and make sure thatyou're studying hard.
And what what would you tellthem if they said, but but
Ashley, but Dr.
McConkey, I don't have time.
I don't have time to do all ofthis.
Where do I make time?
I mean, you are the perfectperson to speak to making time.
Dr. McConkey (18:00):
This this is what makes that's what sets you
apart, you know.
Because you know, because guesswhat?
Everybody applying toprofessional school, PA,
medicine, nursing, everyone'sgot pretty good grades.
Okay.
You don't see the the theflunkies applying to make it
into school.
You have to set yourself apartsomehow.
So you put those things on yourCV, you get out there, you
(18:21):
volunteer, you're part of thisorganization, you coached a
little a youth soccer team.
That gives you amazing thingsto talk about in your interview.
Because, okay, there's a gate,all right?
Everybody that makes it throughthe gate, everybody that gets
an interview, guess what?
You're on the same levelplaying field now.
You know, like, oh, this personhad straight A's 4.0.
Well, okay, whatever, great.
(18:42):
Just because they're superbright doesn't mean anything.
So you so you have to, once youget that interview, what makes
you different?
What sets you apart?
What makes you unique?
If you can talk about thosetypes of things, your church,
your the the teams that you'vecoached, or you've volunteered
in some health organizations,you know, there's there's so
many things that you can use toset you apart.
(19:02):
That's gonna stand out in aninterview.
They're gonna recognize,they're gonna see those
leadership skills because that'swhat they're looking for.
They're looking for the futureof your profession.
Who's gonna be a leader, who'sgonna make a difference?
And like, you know, your gradesmay not be all straight A's,
but they see what you bring tothe table on the leadership and
the volunteer side of things,that makes a huge difference.
(19:23):
That is going to set you apart.
So, you know, those thingsmatter just as much as the
grades.
Ashley (19:28):
You're absolutely right.
And and Dr.
McConkie, I would love to hearyou speak to this because I
think you could really paint usa picture.
We tell these students thesethings.
We say, you know, developresilience by by volunteering
and by putting yourself inuncomfortable positions, hone in
those leadership skills.
Does that does it actuallywork?
Have you seen it actually drivethese students to success in
(19:51):
their careers?
Dr. McConkey (19:52):
Yeah, 100%.
And the people that pushthemselves to just you can't be
afraid of failure, right?
So get out there.
I mean, maybe join a theatergroup, right?
I mean, do something crazy.
I mean, just those things thatput you in a very uncomfortable
zone.
I did West Side Story in highschool, and that was exhausting.
I mean, I was a wrestler, Iplayed baseball, and the
(20:15):
craziest thing I did was WestSide Story.
And it was it was fantastic.
I learned a lot about myself.
Um, I generally did not enjoylike performing in front of
people or public speaking, anyof those things.
And those types of thingsgetting you out of your comfort
zone make you a better person.
It's gonna make you a betterphysician or physician assistant
or whatever healthcareprofession you go into because
(20:37):
you're you're gonna be put intosome very, very uncomfortable
situations.
I've seen some crazy mentalhealth issues or like family
members that just go absolutelyberserk when they get bad news.
I mean, just there's there'sthings you just can't
anticipate.
And the more comfortable youget with being uncomfortable,
you're gonna just you're gonnastay cool.
(20:58):
It's cool as the other side ofthe pillow, right?
You're gonna take care of whatneeds to take care of.
You're gonna be a professionaland just experience as much as
you can.
Travel, like healthcare aroundthe world is is very, very
different.
I worked in Australia, NewZealand.
I have an Irish medical licenseas well.
I haven't worked there yet.
But you know, when I retire, Ihope to chill out in Europe for
a little bit.
(21:18):
But, you know, just all ofthose different unique things.
Medicine is medicine, right?
Is it all the same textbooksand the science, but the
healthcare is very differentbecause the resources are
different.
You know, I've been to Rwanda,like Central Africa.
Wow.
They have fantastic physicians,but just not a lot of
resources.
So, you know, things aredifferent.
So just, you know, get outthere, travel, volunteer.
(21:39):
There's lots of things you cando.
Ashley (21:41):
It's so interesting.
And you never know.
You know, we all had hopes ofgoing to medicine when we were
going into medicine when we wereyounger, but you never know
where that's going to lead you.
And it's so funny now that youmentioned um performing in West
Side story and putting yourselfin these positions that are
uncomfortable, you are runningto be lieutenant governor of
North Carolina.
And I mean, would you have everconsidered doing that back when
you were trying to develop someresilience as you know, a high
(22:04):
school student, maybe?
Dr. McConkey (22:05):
Well, never never in a million years.
And just what I've seen in 22,23 years in healthcare and the
military, and and just there'sbeen you have to realize that
most of these politicians knowabsolutely nothing about
healthcare.
And so we need more leadershipand healthcare leaders in
politics.
You know, the decisions thatyou see made, wow, you know, if
(22:29):
they even had the basicunderstanding, they probably
would have made some differentdecisions.
So, you know, just having somepurpose-driven leadership, or
we're gonna start right here inNorth Carolina.
Ashley (22:37):
How can we support our healthcare professionals who are
looking at a role in politics?
Dr. McConkey (22:43):
You know, physicians in general.
So I what I learned, uh I ran acongressional race uh a year
and a half ago.
Physicians live in a bubble.
Healthcare providers live in abubble.
They're very, very smart, theylove medicine, and they just do
that.
But what they don't realize iseveryone around them, like your
politicians, and because a lotof them are attorneys, right?
(23:05):
And we all love attorneys inhealthcare, right?
So, you know, with all thesedecisions and the policy is
being made by people that don'tknow what they're doing.
You have to get involvedpolitically because it affects
your patients, it affects theiraccess to care.
Right here in North Carolina,they've patched, they've passed
a bill, HB67.
And so, you know, a lot ofphysicians aren't even aware of
(23:27):
it.
But what they did is theybasically removed the USMLE
requirement and residencyrequirements for rural
physicians.
Anybody from overseas, foreignphysicians, can go practice in
rural North Carolina.
They don't even have to passthe USMLE now, which is crazy.
So, what you've really toldrural healthcare providers,
(23:48):
right?
Rural healthcare, your ruralpatients is uh, you know, your
physicians don't have to bequite as qualified.
You know, like we know it'shard.
So, and we won't get into thewhole politics of it, but just
at the end of the day, it was abad decision.
And I think if we had some morehealthcare providers in
politics, we probably could havecome up with some different
ideas there, like what we'vedone in Nebraska.
There's a rural healthopportunities program for, you
(24:09):
know, people from rural areasare more likely to go back to
rural areas to practice.
So you give them slots inmedical schools.
It was called RHOP, RuralHealth Opportunities Program.
I was a part of that programand I I still work in rural
Nebraska.
I fly out there and work aboutevery every month or every other
month just to help out.
So, you know, there's um weneed more providers in
(24:29):
healthcare.
So, like for me, if you guys goto strongernc.com, you can
learn about kind of me and myplatform.
And uh, I would love to haveyou on the team.
I need the help.
Ashley (24:39):
Absolutely.
Strongernc.com.
I'll tag that in the show notesbelow.
Before I get to our finalquestion, Dr.
McConkey, this is something onthe show called Quality
Questions.
And it's where you and I talkabout uh an interview question
that either you've heard oryou've asked in the past that
has been um memorable for onereason or the other.
It's to help these pre-healthstudents really develop a cache
(24:59):
of interview questions toprepare for.
Do you have a quality questionfor us?
Before we hear Dr.
McConkey's quality question,keep in mind that there's more
interview prep, such as mockinterviews and personal
statement review, over onshadowmext.com.
There you'll find amazingresources to help you as you
prepare to answer your ownquality questions.
Dr. McConkey (25:20):
Yes.
So this question I was asked inKalamazoo, Michigan for
residency.
And I'll never forget itbecause it was the stupidest
thing I've ever heard.
So they sat down and you cankind of get the feel for a
program because you're going tomeet the other the other
residents when they're doinginterviews.
They sat down and always beprepared for bizarre questions.
They just kind of see how youreact.
(25:41):
So they asked, if you could bean animal, what animal would you
be?
And this is after you'vealready done like eight or nine
interviews, you've been asked amillion questions.
It was just so utterlyridiculous.
I was like a shark.
Like, like why would you?
Ashley (25:56):
I like it.
Dr. McConkey (25:57):
Like, oh my gosh.
It's my I I love sharks growingup.
Okay.
Like I I read all the books,Jaws, you know, like Shark Week
is fantastic.
You know, but just you know, soyou just be prepared for
everyone asked the samequestions, you know, you know,
as far as like leadership orwhat things have you done for
volunteer.
I I used to do uh the the mockinterviews for uh other kids in
(26:19):
rural Nebraska.
I was at uh Botsby GeneralHospital, it's a very small
rural hospital, and they had ahealth professions club.
And so these kids were alltrying to get into colleges and
professional schools, and Iwould sit them down and just
grill them and ask some of thosequestions.
But you know, what things setyou apart?
And I said before thoseinterviews, like once you get
that interview, like you, yourfoot's in the door.
(26:40):
Like you're on the same playingfield as everybody else.
And maybe they went to Harvardor Yale, like doesn't matter.
Like you're at the sameinterview.
And so what makes youdifferent?
And so that's where you get toshine.
Talk about yourself, uh, youknow, leadership activities that
you've partaken in, you know,your family.
Um, just they want to knowabout you.
(27:00):
I mean, everyone gets goodgrades, right?
That's what it's about.
That's important.
But the interview is where youget to talk about the rest of
you, and that matters just asmuch.
Ashley (27:08):
And forming that personal connection, which we've
already talked about, is soimportant.
And if you haven't practicedthat by volunteering in
difficult situations or umgiving your time back as a coach
for a T-ball tea, you know, ifyou haven't practiced that in
your life, faking that during aninterview becomes something.
Oh, they can tell.
Dr. McConkey (27:26):
They can tell.
Ashley (27:28):
Absolutely, absolutely.
Let me ask you a final questionbefore we wrap up.
You have said that we arefacing two converging crises
here, at least in the UnitedStates of America, a mental
health epidemic, which we'vetalked about a little bit, and a
decline in purpose, which is soimportant to me in medicine to
talk about purpose.
Why tell us why these twothings are connected?
unknown (27:50):
Yeah.
Dr. McConkey (27:50):
So you talk about like that purpose, that why,
like what drives you.
If you are in healthcarebecause your mommy and daddy
want you to be in healthcare,it's it's not going to be a fun
ride for you.
Okay.
Because it is brutal, it'semotionally taxing.
If you go into healthcarebecause you generally want to
help people, or maybe you'rejust the math and science nerd
(28:13):
and you you just you just lovethe curiosity and like solving
problems, and then great,because the world needs you,
needs you desperately.
And there's it'll open doorsfor you that you never knew
existed for me with themilitary, with special
operations, you know, workingoverseas, Australia, New
Zealand, Rwanda.
I've been all kinds of crazyplaces and have loved every
second of it.
Healthcare was opened thatdoorway for me.
(28:34):
I grew up in a rural town,Alliance, Nebraska.
My dad's a railroader, mygrandfather was a railroader,
and my great-grandfather.
So I literally was the firstmacaque to go to college.
So for me, my future wasjoining the railroad and living
Alliance, Nebraska the rest ofmy life, you know, which is it's
a great town, but I just couldnot be contained.
(28:55):
And for me, healthcare was thatdoorway to all kinds of amazing
things in the world.
So, what is your why?
Why are you wanting to do that?
And then as an emergencyphysician, as a military
commander as well, you just seethe younger generation that
really struggles with resiliencyand the mental health issues, a
lot of anxiety, depression, andsuicide.
You know, and there's somepolicy decisions, you know, a
(29:17):
few years ago that reallybrought that to a head when you
shut out an entire generationfrom school and church and their
communities.
Boy, just they already lived onscreens and iPads and iPhones,
anyway.
So there was already somecommunication barriers there.
But we've got a lot of work todo.
So the more people get involvedwith this younger generation
now, it's got to beface-to-face, not screens.
(29:39):
Okay.
Absolutely.
And that that that's how we getthrough this crisis because we
need everybody to be successful.
Like that's the future of thecountry.
I've been in medicine for 20some years.
I need to retire here in 10, 15years.
I gotta hand the keys to you,you out there, all right.
And and I need you to be readyand and have those leadership
skills.
So, you know.
That's what we're all about.
Ashley (30:01):
And that is why we do what we do, Dr.
Munkonki.
Thank you so much for takingthe time with us, for sharing
your story, for really justgiving an incredible
motivational talk today.
I really appreciate it.
Dr. McConkey (30:13):
A lot of fun.
Ashley (30:14):
Thank you so very much for listening to this episode of
Shadow Me Next.
If you liked this episode, orif you think it could be useful
for a friend, please subscribeand invite them to join us next
Monday.
As always, if you have anyquestions, let me know on
Facebook or Instagram.
Access you want, stories youneed, you're always invited to
Shadow Me Next.
Hello and welcome to Shadow Me Next, a podcast where
I take you into and behind thescenes of the medical world to
provide you with a deeperunderstanding of the human side
of medicine.
I'm Ashley, a physicianassistant, medical editor,
clinical preceptor, and thecreator of Shadow Me Next.
It is my pleasure to introduceyou to incredible members of the
(00:22):
healthcare field and uncovertheir unique stories, the joys
and challenges they face, andwhat drives them in their
careers.
It's access you want andstories you need.
Whether you're a pre-healthstudent or simply curious about
the healthcare field, I inviteyou to join me as we take a
conversational and personal lookinto the lives and minds of
(00:43):
leaders in medicine.
I don't want you to miss asingle one of these
conversations.
So make sure that you subscribeto this podcast, which will
automatically notify you whennew episodes are dropped, and
follow us on Instagram andFacebook at Shadow Me Next,
where we will review highlightsfrom this conversation and where
I'll give you sneak previews ofour upcoming guests.
(01:03):
There's a certain kind ofperson who runs toward the
chaos.
Today's guest, Dr.
Josh McConkie, is one of them.
He's an emergency physician, anAir Force Reserve commander,
and a combat veteran who servedwith special operations teams in
Iraq and beyond.
He's also a husband, a father,and the founder of the Weight
(01:24):
Behind the Spear Foundation, amovement built around the idea
that teachers, coaches, mentors,and everyday people are the
force that make great leadershippossible.
In our conversation, Dr.
McConkie opens up about therealities of emergency medicine,
the pressure, the privilege,and the toll.
He shares how combat shaped hisview of service, why leadership
(01:48):
begins with community, and whatit really means to live with
purpose in a generation facingboth a mental health crisis and
a crisis of meaning.
This is a conversation aboutresilience, humility, and
remembering why you started.
Please keep in mind that thecontent of this podcast is
intended for informational andentertainment purposes only and
(02:11):
should not be considered asprofessional medical advice.
The views and opinionsexpressed in this podcast are
those of the host and guests anddo not necessarily reflect the
official policy or position ofany other agency, organization,
employer, or company.
This is Shadow Me Next with Dr.
Josh McConkie.
Dr.
McConkey, thank you so much forjoining us on Shadow Me Next
(02:34):
today.
You have a wealth ofinformation that you are going
to share with us because you'vehad a wealth of experience
across the board.
So thanks for being here andthanks for being willing.
Dr. McConkey (02:43):
Thank you very much.
It's it's been a wild 20-someyears, I tell you.
Ashley (02:46):
I bet.
I bet.
How would you, when you aredescribing yourself in front of
a group of people, perhaps evenjust medical people, what what
titles do you use?
How do you uh how do you fityourself into a box?
Dr. McConkey (02:59):
You know, some of the unique experience I've had
overseas, like in Australia andNew Zealand, they don't really
use the titles, right?
Everyone's on a first namebasis.
And especially in the emergencydepartment, what I've found is,
you know, when you start to getthose hierarchies, there's very
good studies.
I know in aviation, I'm an AirForce flight surgeon as well.
In aviation, there's lots ofstudies that show increased
(03:21):
error rates and things, thehigher that the hierarchy gets.
But, you know, you know,physician, military commander,
you know, Pilot Surprisenominated author, I've got all
kinds of crazy titles.
But for me, the the mostimportant ones are, you know,
father, husband.
You know, those are probablythe most important to me.
Ashley (03:39):
I think that's fantastic.
I think that's a really goodreminder for all of us that just
because we have a title or justbecause we've done some things
doesn't necessarily make us anexpert, doesn't necessarily make
us the person that we want togo to.
But in your case, it absolutelydoes.
I am so impressed by whatyou've done and not just what
you've accomplished, but whatyou are passing on to future
generations, to specificallyyoung people, things that we
(04:02):
absolutely desperately need tobe developing.
So thanks for doing that.
Let's talk about a day in yourlife as an ER physician.
I think that would be afantastic place to start to
really get a good idea of whatyour life, at least in emergency
medicine, looks like as an ERdoc and um and some of the
challenges perhaps that youmight have experienced and your
successes, the wins that youfound.
Dr. McConkey (04:23):
Yeah.
So emergency medicine is a veryunique specialty in that
there's a lot to know.
You can't possibly knoweverything, of course, but
you're a jack of all trades.
You've got ENT andcardiothoracic surgery and a
little uh little in internalmedicine, family medicine, OB.
I mean, it's just a anythingcould walk through the door.
(04:43):
You have no control over it.
And I'm uh I'm an adrenalinejunkie.
I always have been.
You know, I'm a militaryphysician.
I've served with combat searchand rescue, special operations,
aerospace medicine and the AirForce and the Army.
I flew Medevac in Iraq.
So I like to stay busy.
I like to kind of be on thatedge a little bit and get that.
You know, the adrenaline rushisn't as good as it used to be,
(05:05):
right?
Once you've been in combat andbeen shot at and all kinds of
crazy things, like the ER ispretty low-key.
But yeah, you anything couldwalk through the door, which is
very, very challenging.
Um, you have to think quicklyon your feet.
You have to thrive underpressure.
So when you have those codesituations and the true
emergencies, I mean, I wishthere was more of that, but
(05:26):
really it's it's it's the breadand butter, coughs, colds,
urinary tract infections, a lotof primary care, you know, in
the emergency department, a lotof social health and mental
health issues, ton of that.
So uh sometimes more than Iwould like.
But you really have to be umready for anything at all times.
So that's very challenging toreally stay focused because
(05:48):
you're pulled in 20 differentdirections.
As corporate medicine gets moreinvolved with emergency
departments and hospitals ingeneral, you know, you tend to
see some understaffing andyou're really task saturated
more than is safe a lot oftimes.
So the probably the biggestchallenge is just balancing your
own personal health and patientsafety with the business side
(06:12):
of medicine and whatadministrators and and and some
of these hospital administratorsare asking you to do.
So that definitely is achallenge.
The big wins is I've saved alot of lives.
And when you see a trueemergency and you you step in
and you do what needs to bedone, it's it's never just me.
(06:32):
You see some of thesephysicians with the God complex.
It's it's insane.
You know, God is workingthrough my hands, right?
I study my tail off, I work mytail off, I put myself in
situations where I can besuccessful, you know, and and uh
the Lord's gonna use me as ashe needs to, and I can't save
everybody.
So that's always difficult whenyou when you when you see
people die and you want to saveeveryone, but that's just not
(06:55):
reality.
But the big wins, when you savea life, that that feels pretty
amazing.
And you get to walk into thatfamily and just let them know
everything's gonna be okay andput them at ease.
That's uh it's pretty special.
Ashley (07:06):
Absolutely.
You've touched on a couple ofthings that I would really like
to develop a little bit more.
You described what a personmight need to find success in
the ER as a clinician, right?
Have you experienced asituation where somebody was in
the ER as a clinician andrealized they just unfortunately
(07:26):
they just don't have what ittakes?
What does that what I'm surethat happens, right?
And we've never really talkedabout this all the time.
Break that down for us.
What does that look like?
How do you um have you ever hadto go in and step in and
counsel this person and say,maybe, you know, let's consider
something different?
Dr. McConkey (07:44):
Yeah.
So I I've I've been a professorat Duke University, taught in
the emergency medicine program.
I've taught overseas in severalprograms in Australia and New
Zealand.
And you've got a wide range ofstudents, medical students,
physician students, physicianassistant students, you know,
from all different walks oflife.
And then we have residents fromall the different specialties
that rotate through theemergency department as well.
(08:05):
And, you know, there's there'slots of bright individuals, but
a lot of times that doesn't meanthat you are clinically, you
know, uh skilled as well.
So I've met several physicians.
I I remember one code ingeneral where I was just giving,
I was actually teaching inChicago for uh was it a national
(08:28):
youth leadership forum?
I was a second-year medicalstudent.
I was in the emergencydepartment at University of
Chicago.
So I'm giving a bunch of highschool kids that want to go into
medicine some tours.
And there was a code being run,and there was a Harvard
graduate, all right, big, bigfancy Harvard, ooh, super
smarty.
And I just watched them fumble,uh, missed an airway.
(08:51):
I were doing chest compressionson the stomach, and it was it
was kind of one of those surrealmoments where I just looked at
the attending, I had a like asuit coat on, took off my suit
jacket and just kind of gavethem a nod and jumped in,
started doing chestcompressions.
Yeah, it's just just hilarious.
I mean, I just thrive in thosesituations.
Some people can handle pressureand crazy codes, and some
(09:11):
people can't.
That's all right.
There's tremendous physiciansthat are dermatologists and
immunologists, and good for you.
Like I would be bored out of mymind.
Exactly.
Some people, some people justcan't handle those code
situations.
I I found when things getcrazy, when it's super
stressful, I'm just I'm justsmarter.
That's when my mind clicks,that's when things work for me.
(09:35):
Uh, I'm just getting I getbored very easy.
So I've always enjoyed the uhthe chaos in the emergency
department.
Ashley (09:42):
You know, this is this is a great segue into a question
that actually I'm laughingbecause it's a question I was
going to ask, and now I know theanswer.
You won the North Carolinalottery, right?
And many people would haveretired or just celebrated and
sat back and enjoyed theirlittle my ties on the beach.
But I now I know the answer towhy you didn't do that, right?
You would have just gone crazy.
Dr. McConkey (10:01):
No, there's there's so much more you can do.
I I I've actually used thatmoney, it's helped me get the
messaging out for my book.
I started a nonprofitorganization raising money for
Western North Carolina andpromoting community engagement.
You know, I just once you'veserved in combat and I've
carried body bags of Americanheroes and you see people that
have sacrificed everything.
(10:22):
I wake up every single day.
That's what I think about.
I'm very blessed.
I'm very fortunate.
I've got a wife and three kids.
And I just wake up motivatedevery single day.
I have to make this world abetter place.
I have to make their sacrificeworth it.
And so those are the thingsthat motivate me.
Ashley (10:39):
It's absolutely incredible.
And thank you so much for doingthat.
You mentioned your platform,you mentioned your foundation in
your book, Be the Weight Behindthe Spear.
This is also your leadershipphilosophy.
It's so powerful.
Tell us a little bit about whatthis phrase means to you.
Dr. McConkey (10:55):
So that personal leadership ethos, I've been very
fortunate.
I've worked with specialoperations.
So I was a medical director forPJs, Combat Search to Rescue.
And these individuals areamazing.
Like jumping out ofhelicopters, taking down bin
Laden, rescuing the children ofthe Thai caves in 2018.
If you remember a few yearsback, that soccer team that was
trapped.
(11:15):
Crazy stories from the team.
I mean, just unbelievablestories.
They all have someone in theirlife that gave them the amazing
confidence to do what they do.
So teachers, coaches,volunteers, like family and
mentors.
Like that's what makes them sospecial.
That's what sets America apart.
You know, that's that's theweight behind that tip of the
(11:37):
spear.
And so the book and the ethosis just getting people involved.
You know, that's my call toaction to get into your
community, go coach, volunteer,you know, volunteer in medical
schools and or churches orschools or go to the animal
shelters, right?
Those animals can be emotionalsupport animals for somebody.
(11:57):
So everybody has something togive.
And I think a lot of peoplediscount their role in our
society, but you know, they havetremendous skills.
Like everyone has a differentset of skills.
So use your skills and get outthere and just pay it forward to
the next generation becausethey really need the help.
Ashley (12:15):
Absolutely.
And I think that's a wonderful,and I'm sure you have stories
where perhaps you met somebodywho was either was struggling in
some way, shape, or form,whether it was mental health or
met maybe it was justconfidence.
And and you saw leadershipcapabilities in them, but they
just needed that push.
And I think sometimes that pushis actually them diving into
(12:36):
these situations where they giveback first, right?
Dr. McConkey (12:38):
And for you know, a lot out there, I know a lot of
students and people wanting tolook into health professions are
familiar with the pit, that TVshow.
Yes, yes, uh, you know, Ihaven't got to watch it myself,
but I did see a bunch ofarticles when it was nominated
and won several Emmy Awards.
And there's they they showedsome clips from an episode where
uh Noah Wiley just, you know,just kind of had this just
(13:00):
breakdown and talking justbecause we see horrible things
all the time, just death anddestruction, and people are at
their worst.
And and and there was actuallyone of the characters on the
show was you know had suicidalthoughts and and he kind of
casually made some comments to,you know, like don't do it on my
shift, man.
Like, come on.
Like you know, like and it justit kind of tried to make light
(13:21):
of it, but really pulled themback into the fold.
And man, there's a lot ofmental health issues in
healthcare in general.
There's higher rates ofdepression and suicide.
You know, they they tell youthat when you start school, and
and and and you do see that withcolleagues.
Yeah, I I've and I'm trying to,I know I've lost some friends
from high school and college tosuicide.
I don't know if any of mymedical school classmates yet.
(13:42):
Hopefully not, my goodness.
But you know, those are thingsthat uh everyone has a breaking
point.
And and really, if you'relooking at some good take-home
messages, so working withspecial operations, these people
are the toughest mentally andphysically, I mean, on planet
earth.
And they still have suicides inthat population.
Wow.
So everybody has a breakingpoint, you know.
(14:04):
Bad things happen, lifehappens, and don't be afraid to
reach out to friends andcolleagues or mental health
practitioners.
Like the emergency departmentis always wide open for you.
And I've I've seen physiciansand healthcare people come to
the emergency department and Isit down with them, and you
always have I sit down, sitdown, cry with them, like, hey,
it's okay, man.
Like you came to the rightplace.
(14:25):
We're always here for you.
We can always get you mentalhealth.
So, you know, I'm really proudof being that safety net for
America.
Ashley (14:31):
Absolutely.
And you know, I think it bringsup an interesting point.
Uh I was just speaking with apatient about this yesterday.
Medicine has become veryspecialized, right?
It's not the once upon a timeGP, family GP, where you and
your mom and her mom and yourbaby all went and you got all of
the care that you need.
We're very, very specialized.
And yet, we still are capableof and enjoy talking about a
(14:53):
wide variety of these healthconcerns.
Um, uh, weight management isone, right?
Either obesity, beingunderweight, relationship with
food, um, uh anything to do withmental health, right?
We all need to be able to andwilling to have these
conversations with people.
Um, I think that is what that'swhat medicine's all about,
(15:14):
right?
Not just to not just say, well,it's mental health.
I mean, could you imagine beinghere?
Oh, it's mental health, it'snot really my thing.
Dr. McConkey (15:19):
So um, and don't be afraid to talk about it, you
know, because people are like,oh, well, if I bring it up, now
they're gonna think about it.
Like, no, I promise they werealready thinking about it.
Okay.
Like you have to talk about itand get it out there because
like just it's uh the the thetaboo or oh man, we shouldn't
talk about that.
No, it's completely incorrect.
Ashley (15:37):
You know, the it they're hard conversations, but you are
used to having hardconversations.
I mean, speaking to youngpeople generally, period, is
difficult these days, butespecially speaking to young
people about leadership andabout mental health.
Um, the here's a question foryou.
In a world where social mediaoften rewards popularity over
(15:59):
principle, how can young peoplebuild just authentic integrity?
And how can they just be sotrue to themselves?
Dr. McConkey (16:07):
So critically important.
So, my episode on Teen KidsNews on mental health and the
COVID generation just justaired.
So it just came out.
So if you go on YouTube, justGoogle Teen Kid News, I think
it's episode 2304, or you justprobably Google my name with it,
it'll pop up.
It's a great episode.
But you have to get out thereand get engaged in person.
So, you know, social media,it's it's a blessing and a
(16:30):
curse.
I I know it's part of everydaylife now, but we are still
social creatures.
Like human beings have beensocial creatures for thousands
and thousands of years.
It didn't just magically stopbecause of COVID and YouTube
videos and TikTok.
Okay.
So you have to get involved,like face to face.
And the best way you can dothat is get out in your
(16:52):
community.
You know, when I say volunteer,yep, coach, teach, you know,
get out there and coach a T-ballteam.
I mean, it's crazy.
They just run around and throwdirt at each other.
They're wild.
You know, the more you getinvolved or go to those animal
shelters, there's so manycommunity organizations that
need your help.
I mean, the local soup kitchensand there's lots of uh
(17:13):
faith-based organizations.
You know, during Christmas, youknow, this time of year, uh
Samaritan's Purse does does awonderful um volunteer activity
where everyone they have theseshoe boxes, they just fill up
with all kinds of great thingsfor kids and send them all over
the world.
You know, there's so manythings that you can do to help
contribute, try to make theworld a better place.
That is helping your mentalhealth as well, because you're
(17:36):
engaged, you're part ofsomething that matters.
You know, it's you're not justsitting there watching the video
screen all day.
Ashley (17:42):
Exactly.
Dr.
McConkey, I'm imagining these,specifically these high school
and college students hearing ustalk about, you know, get
involved and make sure thatyou're studying hard.
And what what would you tellthem if they said, but but
Ashley, but Dr.
McConkey, I don't have time.
I don't have time to do all ofthis.
Where do I make time?
I mean, you are the perfectperson to speak to making time.
Dr. McConkey (18:00):
This this is what makes that's what sets you
apart, you know.
Because you know, because guesswhat?
Everybody applying toprofessional school, PA,
medicine, nursing, everyone'sgot pretty good grades.
Okay.
You don't see the the theflunkies applying to make it
into school.
You have to set yourself apartsomehow.
So you put those things on yourCV, you get out there, you
(18:21):
volunteer, you're part of thisorganization, you coached a
little a youth soccer team.
That gives you amazing thingsto talk about in your interview.
Because, okay, there's a gate,all right?
Everybody that makes it throughthe gate, everybody that gets
an interview, guess what?
You're on the same levelplaying field now.
You know, like, oh, this personhad straight A's 4.0.
Well, okay, whatever, great.
(18:42):
Just because they're superbright doesn't mean anything.
So you so you have to, once youget that interview, what makes
you different?
What sets you apart?
What makes you unique?
If you can talk about thosetypes of things, your church,
your the the teams that you'vecoached, or you've volunteered
in some health organizations,you know, there's there's so
many things that you can use toset you apart.
(19:02):
That's gonna stand out in aninterview.
They're gonna recognize,they're gonna see those
leadership skills because that'swhat they're looking for.
They're looking for the futureof your profession.
Who's gonna be a leader, who'sgonna make a difference?
And like, you know, your gradesmay not be all straight A's,
but they see what you bring tothe table on the leadership and
the volunteer side of things,that makes a huge difference.
(19:23):
That is going to set you apart.
So, you know, those thingsmatter just as much as the
grades.
Ashley (19:28):
You're absolutely right.
And and Dr.
McConkie, I would love to hearyou speak to this because I
think you could really paint usa picture.
We tell these students thesethings.
We say, you know, developresilience by by volunteering
and by putting yourself inuncomfortable positions, hone in
those leadership skills.
Does that does it actuallywork?
Have you seen it actually drivethese students to success in
(19:51):
their careers?
Dr. McConkey (19:52):
Yeah, 100%.
And the people that pushthemselves to just you can't be
afraid of failure, right?
So get out there.
I mean, maybe join a theatergroup, right?
I mean, do something crazy.
I mean, just those things thatput you in a very uncomfortable
zone.
I did West Side Story in highschool, and that was exhausting.
I mean, I was a wrestler, Iplayed baseball, and the
(20:15):
craziest thing I did was WestSide Story.
And it was it was fantastic.
I learned a lot about myself.
Um, I generally did not enjoylike performing in front of
people or public speaking, anyof those things.
And those types of thingsgetting you out of your comfort
zone make you a better person.
It's gonna make you a betterphysician or physician assistant
or whatever healthcareprofession you go into because
(20:37):
you're you're gonna be put intosome very, very uncomfortable
situations.
I've seen some crazy mentalhealth issues or like family
members that just go absolutelyberserk when they get bad news.
I mean, just there's there'sthings you just can't
anticipate.
And the more comfortable youget with being uncomfortable,
you're gonna just you're gonnastay cool.
(20:58):
It's cool as the other side ofthe pillow, right?
You're gonna take care of whatneeds to take care of.
You're gonna be a professionaland just experience as much as
you can.
Travel, like healthcare aroundthe world is is very, very
different.
I worked in Australia, NewZealand.
I have an Irish medical licenseas well.
I haven't worked there yet.
But you know, when I retire, Ihope to chill out in Europe for
a little bit.
(21:18):
But, you know, just all ofthose different unique things.
Medicine is medicine, right?
Is it all the same textbooksand the science, but the
healthcare is very differentbecause the resources are
different.
You know, I've been to Rwanda,like Central Africa.
Wow.
They have fantastic physicians,but just not a lot of
resources.
So, you know, things aredifferent.
So just, you know, get outthere, travel, volunteer.
(21:39):
There's lots of things you cando.
Ashley (21:41):
It's so interesting.
And you never know.
You know, we all had hopes ofgoing to medicine when we were
going into medicine when we wereyounger, but you never know
where that's going to lead you.
And it's so funny now that youmentioned um performing in West
Side story and putting yourselfin these positions that are
uncomfortable, you are runningto be lieutenant governor of
North Carolina.
And I mean, would you have everconsidered doing that back when
you were trying to develop someresilience as you know, a high
(22:04):
school student, maybe?
Dr. McConkey (22:05):
Well, never never in a million years.
And just what I've seen in 22,23 years in healthcare and the
military, and and just there'sbeen you have to realize that
most of these politicians knowabsolutely nothing about
healthcare.
And so we need more leadershipand healthcare leaders in
politics.
You know, the decisions thatyou see made, wow, you know, if
(22:29):
they even had the basicunderstanding, they probably
would have made some differentdecisions.
So, you know, just having somepurpose-driven leadership, or
we're gonna start right here inNorth Carolina.
Ashley (22:37):
How can we support our healthcare professionals who are
looking at a role in politics?
Dr. McConkey (22:43):
You know, physicians in general.
So I what I learned, uh I ran acongressional race uh a year
and a half ago.
Physicians live in a bubble.
Healthcare providers live in abubble.
They're very, very smart, theylove medicine, and they just do
that.
But what they don't realize iseveryone around them, like your
politicians, and because a lotof them are attorneys, right?
(23:05):
And we all love attorneys inhealthcare, right?
So, you know, with all thesedecisions and the policy is
being made by people that don'tknow what they're doing.
You have to get involvedpolitically because it affects
your patients, it affects theiraccess to care.
Right here in North Carolina,they've patched, they've passed
a bill, HB67.
And so, you know, a lot ofphysicians aren't even aware of
(23:27):
it.
But what they did is theybasically removed the USMLE
requirement and residencyrequirements for rural
physicians.
Anybody from overseas, foreignphysicians, can go practice in
rural North Carolina.
They don't even have to passthe USMLE now, which is crazy.
So, what you've really toldrural healthcare providers,
(23:48):
right?
Rural healthcare, your ruralpatients is uh, you know, your
physicians don't have to bequite as qualified.
You know, like we know it'shard.
So, and we won't get into thewhole politics of it, but just
at the end of the day, it was abad decision.
And I think if we had some morehealthcare providers in
politics, we probably could havecome up with some different
ideas there, like what we'vedone in Nebraska.
There's a rural healthopportunities program for, you
(24:09):
know, people from rural areasare more likely to go back to
rural areas to practice.
So you give them slots inmedical schools.
It was called RHOP, RuralHealth Opportunities Program.
I was a part of that programand I I still work in rural
Nebraska.
I fly out there and work aboutevery every month or every other
month just to help out.
So, you know, there's um weneed more providers in
(24:29):
healthcare.
So, like for me, if you guys goto strongernc.com, you can
learn about kind of me and myplatform.
And uh, I would love to haveyou on the team.
I need the help.
Ashley (24:39):
Absolutely.
Strongernc.com.
I'll tag that in the show notesbelow.
Before I get to our finalquestion, Dr.
McConkey, this is something onthe show called Quality
Questions.
And it's where you and I talkabout uh an interview question
that either you've heard oryou've asked in the past that
has been um memorable for onereason or the other.
It's to help these pre-healthstudents really develop a cache
(24:59):
of interview questions toprepare for.
Do you have a quality questionfor us?
Before we hear Dr.
McConkey's quality question,keep in mind that there's more
interview prep, such as mockinterviews and personal
statement review, over onshadowmext.com.
There you'll find amazingresources to help you as you
prepare to answer your ownquality questions.
Dr. McConkey (25:20):
Yes.
So this question I was asked inKalamazoo, Michigan for
residency.
And I'll never forget itbecause it was the stupidest
thing I've ever heard.
So they sat down and you cankind of get the feel for a
program because you're going tomeet the other the other
residents when they're doinginterviews.
They sat down and always beprepared for bizarre questions.
They just kind of see how youreact.
(25:41):
So they asked, if you could bean animal, what animal would you
be?
And this is after you'vealready done like eight or nine
interviews, you've been asked amillion questions.
It was just so utterlyridiculous.
I was like a shark.
Like, like why would you?
Ashley (25:56):
I like it.
Dr. McConkey (25:57):
Like, oh my gosh.
It's my I I love sharks growingup.
Okay.
Like I I read all the books,Jaws, you know, like Shark Week
is fantastic.
You know, but just you know, soyou just be prepared for
everyone asked the samequestions, you know, you know,
as far as like leadership orwhat things have you done for
volunteer.
I I used to do uh the the mockinterviews for uh other kids in
(26:19):
rural Nebraska.
I was at uh Botsby GeneralHospital, it's a very small
rural hospital, and they had ahealth professions club.
And so these kids were alltrying to get into colleges and
professional schools, and Iwould sit them down and just
grill them and ask some of thosequestions.
But you know, what things setyou apart?
And I said before thoseinterviews, like once you get
that interview, like you, yourfoot's in the door.
(26:40):
Like you're on the same playingfield as everybody else.
And maybe they went to Harvardor Yale, like doesn't matter.
Like you're at the sameinterview.
And so what makes youdifferent?
And so that's where you get toshine.
Talk about yourself, uh, youknow, leadership activities that
you've partaken in, you know,your family.
Um, just they want to knowabout you.
(27:00):
I mean, everyone gets goodgrades, right?
That's what it's about.
That's important.
But the interview is where youget to talk about the rest of
you, and that matters just asmuch.
Ashley (27:08):
And forming that personal connection, which we've
already talked about, is soimportant.
And if you haven't practicedthat by volunteering in
difficult situations or umgiving your time back as a coach
for a T-ball tea, you know, ifyou haven't practiced that in
your life, faking that during aninterview becomes something.
Oh, they can tell.
Dr. McConkey (27:26):
They can tell.
Ashley (27:28):
Absolutely, absolutely.
Let me ask you a final questionbefore we wrap up.
You have said that we arefacing two converging crises
here, at least in the UnitedStates of America, a mental
health epidemic, which we'vetalked about a little bit, and a
decline in purpose, which is soimportant to me in medicine to
talk about purpose.
Why tell us why these twothings are connected?
unknown (27:50):
Yeah.
Dr. McConkey (27:50):
So you talk about like that purpose, that why,
like what drives you.
If you are in healthcarebecause your mommy and daddy
want you to be in healthcare,it's it's not going to be a fun
ride for you.
Okay.
Because it is brutal, it'semotionally taxing.
If you go into healthcarebecause you generally want to
help people, or maybe you'rejust the math and science nerd
(28:13):
and you you just you just lovethe curiosity and like solving
problems, and then great,because the world needs you,
needs you desperately.
And there's it'll open doorsfor you that you never knew
existed for me with themilitary, with special
operations, you know, workingoverseas, Australia, New
Zealand, Rwanda.
I've been all kinds of crazyplaces and have loved every
second of it.
Healthcare was opened thatdoorway for me.
(28:34):
I grew up in a rural town,Alliance, Nebraska.
My dad's a railroader, mygrandfather was a railroader,
and my great-grandfather.
So I literally was the firstmacaque to go to college.
So for me, my future wasjoining the railroad and living
Alliance, Nebraska the rest ofmy life, you know, which is it's
a great town, but I just couldnot be contained.
(28:55):
And for me, healthcare was thatdoorway to all kinds of amazing
things in the world.
So, what is your why?
Why are you wanting to do that?
And then as an emergencyphysician, as a military
commander as well, you just seethe younger generation that
really struggles with resiliencyand the mental health issues, a
lot of anxiety, depression, andsuicide.
You know, and there's somepolicy decisions, you know, a
(29:17):
few years ago that reallybrought that to a head when you
shut out an entire generationfrom school and church and their
communities.
Boy, just they already lived onscreens and iPads and iPhones,
anyway.
So there was already somecommunication barriers there.
But we've got a lot of work todo.
So the more people get involvedwith this younger generation
now, it's got to beface-to-face, not screens.
(29:39):
Okay.
Absolutely.
And that that that's how we getthrough this crisis because we
need everybody to be successful.
Like that's the future of thecountry.
I've been in medicine for 20some years.
I need to retire here in 10, 15years.
I gotta hand the keys to you,you out there, all right.
And and I need you to be readyand and have those leadership
skills.
So, you know.
That's what we're all about.
Ashley (30:01):
And that is why we do what we do, Dr.
Munkonki.
Thank you so much for takingthe time with us, for sharing
your story, for really justgiving an incredible
motivational talk today.
I really appreciate it.
Dr. McConkey (30:13):
A lot of fun.
Ashley (30:14):
Thank you so very much for listening to this episode of
Shadow Me Next.
If you liked this episode, orif you think it could be useful
for a friend, please subscribeand invite them to join us next
Monday.
As always, if you have anyquestions, let me know on
Facebook or Instagram.
Access you want, stories youneed, you're always invited to
Shadow Me Next.
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