ER Physician Dr. Mark Pappadakis: "Medical School Rejected Me Three Times"

Rejected from medical school. Failed anatomy. Failed his emergency medicine boards by two points, then by one. Today Dr. Mark Pappadakis teaches at the medical school that turned him down three times.Emergency physician Dr. Mark Pappadakis joins Dr. David Spiro, MD for an honest conversation about failure, resilience, and the human side of medicine. He shares:- Why he applied to only three medical schools, and what failing a post-bacc year taught him- How five years as an ER tech made him fall in love with emergency medicine- Getting off a waitlist three weeks before classes started- Failing his boards twice by a total of three points, and passing on the third try- Why he tells patients "I don't know," and why a bounce-back can be a success- A mentor's line that stayed with him: "All of us carry a graveyard"- Imposter syndrome, self-doubt, and being the doctor to his own parents during COVID- Why he started his own podcast to fight medical misinformationDr. Pappadakis trained at Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine and completed his emergency medicine residency at Metropolitan Hospital in New York City, where he served as chief resident. He is a clinical assistant professor of emergency medicine, serves on the board of the Bucks County Medical Society, and hosts the JAFERD Cast podcast.Chapters0:00 The school that rejected him three times1:47 A story about failure3:55 The post-bacc year and failing anatomy5:50 Five years as an ER tech10:15 Off the waitlist three weeks before classes16:21 Failing the boards by two points, then one18:28 Passing the boards and going full circle20:09 MD vs DO and the Caribbean option24:16 How failure made him a better doctor29:06 Telling patients "I don't know"33:54 "All of us carry a graveyard"42:40 Failure, marriage, and family46:04 Imposter syndrome and self-doubt47:15 Why he started the JAFERD CastIf this episode meant something to you, follow HuMed here on Spotify or Apple Podcasts and leave a rating. It helps other clinicians find the show.