Dr Tisdall Unfiltered

Episodes

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  How to Study Organ Systems: From Medical School Overwhelm to Clinical Reasoning 25.10.2026 17m

  Interested in joining my community for FREE? I’m now offering a free week trial for Medical School Companion. Inside the community, you’ll find weekly live teaching sessions with me as well as practice questions, video courses, and more: https://www.drphiliptisdall.com/?utm_medium=social&utm_source=spotify&utm_campaign=spotify_descriptionHow do you start learning a new organ system when you already feel overwhelmed? In this episode of Dr Tisdall Unfiltered, I explain how I approach teaching medical students to connect the basic medical sciences with clinical reasoning and patient care.I’m Dr. Philip Tisdall, a physician who practiced general pathology for decades before moving into medical education. My experience working through patient problems with clinicians shapes how I teach: every concept needs a purpose, and that purpose is helping you understand, diagnose, and treat your patients.I walk through the framework I use in my textbook, Clinical Pathophysiology: begin with the patient’s clinical presentation, build an understanding of normal structure and function, explore what happens when the organ fails, and then move into specific disease groups. Using examples from heart disease, I explain how symptoms such as shortness of breath and edema give anatomy and physiology a meaningful clinical context.We also explore why being an expert doesn’t automatically make someone an effective teacher, how unfamiliar medical vocabulary can interrupt understanding, and why preparing students for patient care requires more than delivering information. I explain how I judge my own teaching by whether students can apply what they’ve learned.From there, I discuss why neurology and endocrinology require different approaches. I share how I want to connect neuroanatomy more closely with the physical examination and imaging, and how looking at an organ’s evolutionary history helps me frame questions about its function. Thyroid physiology provides an example of connecting development, metabolism, temperature regulation, and clinical symptoms.If you’re a medical student trying to organize a new system, connect concepts across courses, or move beyond memorizing isolated facts, this episode offers a practical starting point. My goal is to help you build a foundation you can use when a patient walks through the door.Follow Dr Tisdall Unfiltered on Spotify or Apple Podcasts for more expert interviews and candid conversations about medical education, clinical reasoning, and patient care.Get my free 6 week clinical reasoning series (12 high-yield multiple choice questions with MD-written answers): https://www.drphiliptisdall.com/mcq-email-series?utm_medium=social&utm_source=spotify&utm_campaign=spotify_descriptionClinical Pathophysiology (Edition 2) is now available for purchase! https://www.drphiliptisdall.com/textbook?utm_medium=social&utm_source=spotify&utm_campaign=spotify_descriptionWatch the full video episode on YouTube:https://youtu.be/1hUaEFXQDPY
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  Why Passing Medical School Exams Isn’t Enough: Building Clinical Reasoning 18.10.2026 15m

  Interested in joining my community for FREE? I’m now offering a free week trial for Medical School Companion. Inside the community, you’ll find weekly live teaching sessions with me as well as practice questions, video courses, and more: https://www.drphiliptisdall.com/?utm_medium=social&utm_source=spotify&utm_campaign=spotify_descriptionWhat separates passing a medical school exam from understanding the patient in front of you? As a pathologist and medical educator, I’ve spent decades learning how much more there is to medicine than knowing the right answer. In this episode of Dr. Tisdall Unfiltered, I explore how clinical mentorship, thoughtful questioning, and a structured understanding of pathophysiology help turn memorized facts into clinical reasoning.I begin with a conversation I had with a former student during his clinical clerkship about an ovarian cystic teratoma, also called a dermoid cyst. What started as a discussion about one diagnosis became an opportunity to explore medical terminology, tissue origins, and the Rokitansky nodule. I explain how a tutor can help you make connections that reading alone may leave unexplored—and why arriving with questions is part of learning medicine.I also share my experience with oral examinations and why being questioned about what you don’t know can feel uncomfortable even when you’re doing well. Learning to work with people who know more than you is an essential part of medical training, and embarrassment shouldn’t keep you from seeking guidance.Then I walk through diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), connecting insulin deficiency and counterregulatory hormones to changes in the liver, muscle, and fat cells. I trace how impaired glucose uptake, glycogenolysis, gluconeogenesis, and ketone production fit together to explain hyperglycemia, dehydration, and acidosis. My goal is to give you a structure for understanding disease mechanisms and connecting them to a patient’s symptoms, signs, and laboratory findings.Whether you’re studying for medical school exams, entering clinical rotations, or strengthening your approach to patient care, I want you to ask more than “Do I know this fact?” Ask yourself, “Can I explain how it all fits together?”Follow Dr. Tisdall Unfiltered on Spotify or Apple Podcasts for more expert interviews and conversations about medical education, clinical reasoning, and the practice of medicine.Get my free 6 week clinical reasoning series (12 high-yield multiple choice questions with MD-written answers): https://www.drphiliptisdall.com/mcq-email-series?utm_medium=social&utm_source=spotify&utm_campaign=spotify_descriptionClinical Pathophysiology (Edition 2) is now available for purchase! https://www.drphiliptisdall.com/textbook?utm_medium=social&utm_source=spotify&utm_campaign=spotify_descriptionWatch the full video episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/hH33awW0TeE
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  Why Studying Isn’t the Same as Learning Medicine | Dr. Philip Tisdall 11.10.2026 19m

  Are you learning medicine—or becoming comfortable with material you still can’t explain? In this episode of Dr. Tisdall Unfiltered, I draw on my experience as a pathologist and medical educator to explain why hours of lectures, highlighting, and strong exam scores don’t necessarily translate into clinical understanding. Learning hurts. Knowing is fun. The challenge is making your study time build knowledge you can actually use.I explain how active learning connects anatomy, physiology, and pathology to clinical reasoning. My approach starts with a patient’s chief complaint and builds toward an explanation of disease: what changed, why it changed, and how those changes produce symptoms, signs, and test findings. Drawing the relevant structures and explaining their function helps reveal gaps that passive review can leave hidden.Using diabetic kidney disease as a worked example, I explore renal anatomy, kidney blood supply, nephron function, sodium-glucose transport, and diabetic hyperfiltration. I connect these mechanisms to the kidney-protective effects of SGLT2 inhibitors, showing how understanding pathophysiology makes pharmacology more logical and memorable.I also share how to put this approach into practice: study with pencil and paper, redraw foundational diagrams until you can reproduce and explain them, get expert feedback on conceptual errors, and reinforce your understanding by teaching someone else. For medical students preparing for USMLE Step 1 or struggling to connect the basic sciences to patient care, this episode offers a practical way to build a stronger foundation for thinking like a doctor.Follow Dr. Tisdall Unfiltered on Spotify or Apple Podcasts for more conversations about learning medicine, clinical reasoning, and expert interviews.Get my free 6 week clinical reasoning series (12 high-yield multiple choice questions with MD-written answers): https://www.drphiliptisdall.com/mcq-email-series?utm_medium=social&utm_source=spotify&utm_campaign=spotify_descriptionClinical Pathophysiology (Edition 2) is now available for purchase! https://www.drphiliptisdall.com/textbook?utm_medium=social&utm_source=spotify&utm_campaign=spotify_descriptionIf you want to learn how to think like a doctor, join me and students from all around the world inside Medical School Companion: https://www.drphiliptisdall.com/?utm_medium=social&utm_source=spotify&utm_campaign=spotify_descriptionWatch the full video episode on YouTube:https://youtu.be/fQHsFeiGU18
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  Medical School Admissions: What Makes a Good Doctor? 04.10.2026 22m

  Can a medical school interview really predict who will become a good doctor? In this episode of Dr Tisdall Unfiltered, I draw on my decades as a physician, medical educator, and former admissions committee chair to question what medical schools are selecting students for—and why applicants feel pressured to pretend they’re perfect.I discuss medical school admissions, standardized interviews, and what teaching at Caribbean medical schools taught me about academic readiness and second chances. I also examine compassion, competence, professionalism, and confidence: qualities that sound straightforward until we try to define what they mean in patient care.Through stories from my training and pathology practice, I explore how medicine tests our ability to handle stress, recognize our limits, and make decisions under uncertainty. I share the three questions I would ask when selecting medical students: Would I want you as my student, my doctor, and my partner?If you’re a premed student preparing applications or interviews, this conversation offers an experienced physician’s perspective on the admissions process and finding your place in medicine.Follow Dr Tisdall Unfiltered for more expert interviews and candid conversations about medical education, clinical reasoning, and life as a physician.Get my free 6 week clinical reasoning series (12 high-yield multiple choice questions with MD-written answers): https://www.drphiliptisdall.com/mcq-email-series?utm_medium=social&utm_source=spotify&utm_campaign=spotify_descriptionClinical Pathophysiology (Edition 2) is now available for purchase! https://www.drphiliptisdall.com/textbook?utm_medium=social&utm_source=spotify&utm_campaign=spotify_descriptionIf you want to learn how to think like a doctor, join me and students from all around the world inside Medical School Companion: https://www.drphiliptisdall.com/?utm_medium=social&utm_source=spotify&utm_campaign=spotify_descriptionWatch the full video episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/HzKy3Rhz9VM
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  Stop Memorizing Everything: How Medical Students Should Actually Learn 20.09.2026 15m

  Medical students are asked to learn an extraordinary amount of information—but how much of it actually matters when you are standing in front of a patient?In this episode of Dr. Tisdall Unfiltered, I take on one of the biggest problems in medical education: the “data dump.” Too often, students are handed enormous volumes of basic science information and expected to memorize it without ever being shown why it matters clinically. The result is predictable: anxiety, information overload, short-term memorization, and knowledge that disappears before students ever have the chance to use it.I explain why I believe medical students need to distinguish between what is testable and what is important for understanding patients. Those are not always the same thing.Using examples from biochemistry, gluconeogenesis, diabetes, alcohol metabolism, pharmacology, pathology, and clinical cases, I show how seemingly abstract basic science becomes valuable when it is connected directly to diagnosis, treatment, and patient care. This is the basis of what I call “Make Me Care”: if I am teaching you something, I should be able to explain why a future doctor needs to know it.I also discuss one of the most difficult skills in medical education—knowing how much to teach. My approach is “just enough, just in time.” Teaching more information does not necessarily produce more understanding. If students are overwhelmed with material before they have a clinical framework for it, they may memorize it temporarily, but much of it will be gone by the time they actually need it.That is one reason I increasingly teach medicine through clinical cases. Starting with the patient gives students a reason to care about respiratory rate, oxygen saturation, enzymes, molecular pathways, pharmacology, and pathology. Instead of learning disconnected facts and hoping they eventually fit together, we can start with the clinical problem and work backward—from patient to organ, cell, ultrastructure, protein, and molecular mechanism.I also address an uncomfortable reality for medical students: sometimes you really do have to study in two different ways. You may need to learn the material your individual school expects for a local exam while simultaneously developing the patient-centered clinical reasoning you will need for national exams, clerkships, and ultimately clinical practice. Understanding that distinction can make an overwhelming curriculum much easier to navigate.If you are a medical student trying to figure out what actually deserves your limited time and attention, this episode is about learning medicine with a purpose: not simply remembering more information, but understanding enough of the right information to take care of patients.Follow Dr. Tisdall Unfiltered for more conversations about medical education, clinical reasoning, pathophysiology, patient-centered learning, and expert perspectives on how we can train better doctors.Get my free 6 week clinical reasoning series (12 high-yield multiple choice questions with MD-written answers): https://www.drphiliptisdall.com/mcq-email-series?utm_medium=social&utm_source=spotify&utm_campaign=spotify_descriptionClinical Pathophysiology (Edition 2) is now available for purchase! https://www.drphiliptisdall.com/textbook?utm_medium=social&utm_source=spotify&utm_campaign=spotify_descriptionIf you want to learn how to think like a doctor, join me and students from all around the world inside Medical School Companion: https://www.drphiliptisdall.com/?utm_medium=social&utm_source=spotify&utm_campaign=spotify_descriptionWatch the full video episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/ugkgfz194sI
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  How to Study Medicine Without Memorizing Everything: Clinical Reasoning, Exams & Anki 13.09.2026 1h 18m

  In this episode of Dr Tisdall Unfiltered, I’m sharing a crossover conversation with the Do It Right Podcast, where I sit down with Joshua Leake, co-president of the podcast, along with his classmates Elena and Patricia from William Carey College of Osteopathic Medicine. They bring me the questions medical students are actually wrestling with: how to manage the sheer volume of information in medical school, how to know what matters, and how to move beyond studying for the next exam toward learning medicine in a way that will ultimately help you take care of patients. One of the biggest mistakes I see in medical education is treating the problem as though students simply need to memorize more. I don’t think the issue is how much information you have; it’s how well that information is organized. In this conversation, I explain why I start with patient care and clinical-pathological correlation, and why medical knowledge becomes far easier to understand and retrieve when you have a clinical framework in which to put it. We talk about the major transition that happens as medical students move deeper into their training: the study methods that got you this far may no longer be enough. At some point, every piece of information needs to be challenged with a much more important question: Where do I need this in patient care? You still have local medical school exams to pass, but learning for an exam and learning to practice medicine are not always the same thing. We also get into clinical knowledge versus test-taking ability, how to approach medical school exams and national board preparation, what students really need from microbiology and pharmacology, and how to decide which details deserve your limited time and attention. We discuss the difference between knowing isolated facts and being able to reason through a patient, why understanding pathophysiology gives medical knowledge structure, and what it actually means to begin thinking like a doctor.And yes, we tackle Anki. I discuss where spaced-repetition tools can be useful, where I think they can become limiting, and what happens when a student can recognize information on a flashcard but cannot reconstruct the underlying physiology or anatomy without it. The question is not whether Anki is “good” or “bad.” The more important question is what role memorization should play in a medical education built around understanding, clinical reasoning, and patient care. If you’re a medical student trying to figure out how to study more effectively, prepare for exams without drowning in low-yield detail, retain what you learn, improve your clinical reasoning, or make the transition from memorizing medicine to actually understanding it, this episode is for you.Follow Dr Tisdall Unfiltered on Spotify or Apple Podcasts for more conversations on medical education, clinical reasoning, pathophysiology, and expert interviews with the people teaching, learning, and practicing medicine.Follow the Do It Right Podcast on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/do-it-right/id1708052848 Get my free 6 week clinical reasoning series (12 high-yield multiple choice questions with MD-written answers):https://www.drphiliptisdall.com/mcq-email-series?utm_medium=social&utm_source=spotify&utm_campaign=spotify_descriptionClinical Pathophysiology (Edition 2) is now available for purchase!https://www.drphiliptisdall.com/textbook?utm_medium=social&utm_source=spotify&utm_campaign=spotify_descriptionIf you want to learn how to think like a doctor, join me and students from all around the world inside Medical School Companion:https://www.drphiliptisdall.com/?utm_medium=social&utm_source=spotify&utm_campaign=spotify_descriptionWatch the full video episode on YouTube:https://youtu.be/OJrFoFy9LOE
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  She Went Blind During the MCAT | Shrena Punj on Vasculitis, Medical School & Learning Medicine 06.09.2026 59m

  In this episode of Dr. Tisdall Unfiltered, I sit down with first-year MD student Shrena Punj to talk about medical school, clinical reasoning, and what it means to study medicine while living with serious chronic illness. Shrena has been diagnosed with both GPA vasculitis and Takayasu arteritis, giving her an unusual perspective as both a patient and a future physician. We discuss the overwhelming volume of first-year medical education, Anki, learning by drawing, why understanding pathophysiology matters more than memorizing facts, and how her own disease has shaped the way she thinks about medicine. Shrena also shares the extraordinary story of losing vision in one eye during the MCAT and continuing the exam. If you’re a medical student, pre-med, physician, or interested in vasculitis, autoimmune disease, clinical reasoning, or medical education, this episode offers a candid look at learning medicine from both sides of the exam room.Follow Dr. Tisdall Unfiltered for more expert interviews, medical education conversations, and candid discussions about how doctors learn to think.Get my free 6 week clinical reasoning series (12 high-yield multiple choice questions with MD-written answers):https://www.drphiliptisdall.com/mcq-email-series?utm_medium=social&utm_source=spotify&utm_campaign=spotify_descriptionClinical Pathophysiology (Edition 2) is now available for purchase!https://www.drphiliptisdall.com/textbook?utm_medium=social&utm_source=spotify&utm_campaign=spotify_descriptionIf you want to learn how to think like a doctor, join me and students from all around the world inside Medical School Companion:https://www.drphiliptisdall.com/?utm_medium=social&utm_source=spotify&utm_campaign=spotify_descriptionWatch the full video episode on YouTube:https://youtu.be/tgBV-Ia1GUE
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  Testing Teaches Pathophysiology: Why Medical Tests Matter 19.08.2026 16m

  If you understand why a medical test works, you understand something fundamental about the disease you’re testing for.In this episode of Dr. Tisdall Unfiltered, I explore one of the most useful ways I know to learn medicine: using diagnostic testing to teach pathophysiology. Rather than memorizing that a particular test “goes with” a particular disease, I want you to ask: What is this test actually measuring, and why does the disease make it change?I start with myocardial ischemia and troponins. Every medical student knows troponin matters in chest pain, but understanding why requires following the process from myocardial cell injury and membrane disruption to the release of intracellular contents and their appearance in the bloodstream. Once you can explain that sequence, the test becomes part of the disease story rather than an isolated fact.From there, I trace the evolution of heart failure testing—from the physical exam and chest X-ray through ECGs, catheterization, echocardiography, Doppler echo, BNP, strain imaging, and cardiac MRI. The disease did not keep changing; our ability to see and measure it did. We moved from thinking primarily about congestion, to pump function and ejection fraction, to myocyte stress, fibrosis, and infiltrative disease.That evolution matters because better tests do more than confirm a diagnosis. They can actually change how we understand pathophysiology.I also discuss the difference between structure and function. Structural and functional tests can examine the same disease from different directions and sometimes disagree. I use examples from coronary disease, renal artery disease, and COPD to show why understanding what a test measures is often more important than simply knowing when to order it.This is the kind of clinical reasoning I want medical students to develop: don’t just memorize the test. Ask what part of the disease process it reveals, whether that is structure, function, flow, pressure, cellular injury, or stress.Follow Dr. Tisdall Unfiltered on Spotify or Apple Podcasts for more discussions on medical education, clinical reasoning, pathophysiology, and expert interviews.Get my free 6 week clinical reasoning series (12 high-yield multiple choice questions with MD-written answers):https://www.drphiliptisdall.com/mcq-email-seriesClinical Pathophysiology (Edition 2) is now available for purchase!http://drphiliptisdall.com/textbookIf you want to learn how to think like a doctor, join me and students from all around the world inside Medical School Companion:http://drphiliptisdall.comWatch the full video episode on YouTube:https://youtu.be/obAIldeY6_o
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  Why Learning Medicine Feels So Hard and How to Study the Right Way 02.08.2026 10m

  Why does learning medicine feel so hard, even when you are intelligent, motivated, and putting in hours of work? In this episode of Dr Tisdall Unfiltered, I explain why there are no tricks, shortcuts, or “high-yield” gimmicks that can replace a strong foundation in the basic medical sciences—and why the discomfort of learning is often evidence that real learning is taking place. I break down my formula that performance equals talent × effort × directed effort² and explore the difference between working hard and directing that work toward the knowledge and reasoning skills that truly matter. Using HPV as an example, I show how understanding the organism, histology, neoplasia, immunology, natural history, screening, and vaccination creates a connected model that can be applied to clinical reasoning, patient care, and medical school exams. I also share the story of a capable student who had read an assigned chapter but could not explain its first foundational image, illustrating why passive exposure is not the same as mastery. Medical students do not simply need more information; they need meaningful feedback, guided questioning, and opportunities to demonstrate what they actually understand. My goal is not merely to teach you facts about medicine, but to help you develop a repeatable method for learning medicine throughout your education and career. Follow Dr Tisdall Unfiltered on Spotify or Apple Podcasts for more candid discussions and expert interviews on medical education, clinical pathophysiology, clinical reasoning, medical school, and how physicians learn to think.Get my free 6 week clinical reasoning series (12 high-yield multiple choice questions with MD-written answers): https://www.drphiliptisdall.com/mcq-email-seriesClinical Pathophysiology (Edition 2) is now available for purchase! http://drphiliptisdall.com/textbookI’m teaching medicine live every week inside Medical School Companion. If you want to learn medicine by understanding it and not memorizing it, I’d love to have you join us. Learn more at http://drphiliptisdall.com.Watch the full video episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/gzSSH2rn1Rw
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  How to Learn Medicine: A Framework for Medical School and Clinical Reasoning | Dr. Tisdall Unfiltered 26.07.2026 19m

  The way you learned before medical school may not be the way you need to learn medicine.In this episode of Dr. Tisdall Unfiltered, I break down what I believe medical students need to change when they enter medical school—and why the goal can no longer simply be passing the next exam. You are training to care for patients, which means you need a way of learning that builds understanding, recall, clinical reasoning, and knowledge you can actually use.I explain why I encourage students to move away from summaries and recognition-based learning and instead start asking questions that prove they understand the material. Multiple-choice questions have their place, but clinical medicine ultimately requires you to recall information, organize it, and reason through a patient presentation without five possible answers sitting in front of you.We also explore one of the central ideas behind the way I teach pathophysiology: build models rather than disconnected lists. I use edema and Starling forces as an example of how a visual, mechanistic model can give you a much more durable way of thinking about disease. From there, I discuss how to “reverse bioengineer” an organ system by asking why the organ exists, what problem it solves, and how its structure supports its function.That approach becomes especially powerful when you begin connecting physiology to pathophysiology. I discuss how recurring principles such as homeostasis, gradients, energy, regulation, injury, adaptation, inflammation, hemodynamics, and neoplasia can help you organize an enormous medical curriculum into a smaller number of ideas that repeat throughout the body.I also talk about the practical side of studying medicine. Learn your own biorhythm. Know when you do your best cognitive work. Create a study environment that minimizes distraction. Understand when learning should happen individually and when a group can help you test, explain, and apply what you know.And finally: ask for help early. Do not wait until you have failed multiple exams or are facing a major academic crisis. Your librarians, academic success teams, faculty, and tutors can be enormously valuable resources. Learning how to use them is part of learning how to become a physician.The central message of this episode is simple: what worked before medical school may not work now. Use medical school itself as an opportunity to learn how to learn. Build your understanding around structure and function, use pathology to understand what happens when normal physiology breaks, and study in a way that prepares you for patients rather than just the next test.Follow Dr. Tisdall Unfiltered on Spotify and Apple Podcasts for more discussions on medical education, pathophysiology, clinical reasoning, how to think like a doctor, and expert interviews with people shaping the way medicine is taught and practiced.Get my free 6 week clinical reasoning series (12 high-yield multiple choice questions with MD-written answers): https://www.drphiliptisdall.com/mcq-email-seriesClinical Pathophysiology (Edition 2) is now available for purchase! http://drphiliptisdall.com/textbookI’m teaching medicine live every week inside Medical School Companion. If you want to learn medicine by understanding it and not memorizing it, I’d love to have you join us. Learn more at http://drphiliptisdall.com.Watch the full video episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/SWiPhJGt9_U
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  Why Medical Students Struggle (And How I'd Redesign Medical School) | Dr. Tisdall Unfiltered 27.06.2026 27m

  One of the most common questions I'm asked is why so many capable medical students struggle despite studying harder than ever. In this episode of Dr. Tisdall Unfiltered, I share my perspective after decades of teaching pathophysiology and clinical reasoning. We explore why memorization alone isn't enough, how to build an understanding of disease from first principles, and what I believe is missing from modern medical education. I also discuss the role of clinical pathophysiology, how to think like a clinician instead of simply collecting facts, whether flashcards and spaced repetition are helping or hurting your learning, and how I would structure the first year of medical school if I were designing the curriculum today. Whether you're preparing for medical school, currently studying medicine, or looking to improve your diagnostic reasoning, this conversation will help you build a stronger foundation for lifelong clinical thinking.If you enjoy conversations like this, be sure to follow Dr. Tisdall Unfiltered on Spotify or Apple Podcasts so you never miss future discussions on medicine, pathophysiology, clinical reasoning, medical education, and the art of thinking like a doctor.Get my free 6 week clinical reasoning series (12 high-yield multiple choice questions with MD-written answers):https://www.drphiliptisdall.com/mcq-email-seriesClinical Pathophysiology (Edition 2) is now available for purchase!http://drphiliptisdall.com/textbookI'm building out our community where I will be teaching live online. For more information, head over tohttp://drphiliptisdall.comWatch the full video episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/2AkiGI32rDw
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  Can AI Replace Medical Educators? Clinical Reasoning, Medical School, and the Future of Learning Medicine 13.06.2026 31m

  In this episode of Dr. Tisdall Unfiltered, I discuss one of the biggest questions facing medical education today: can artificial intelligence actually help medical students learn medicine, or does it risk making superficial learning even easier? I’m Dr. Philip Tisdall, a physician, pathologist, textbook author, and medical educator with decades of experience teaching students how to understand disease, think clinically, and reason through patient problems. In this interview-style conversation, I talk through AI in medicine, the limits of AI-generated medical content, whether AI can replace medical educators, how medical students might use AI as a tutor, and why clinical reasoning still requires language, judgment, structure, and experience. We also discuss the difference between information access and true understanding, why multiple choice questions are harder to write well than most people realize, and what students need to develop if they want to think like doctors rather than simply memorize facts. If you are a medical student, physician educator, or anyone interested in pathophysiology, clinical reasoning, medical school learning, and the future of AI in medical education, this episode is a practical and candid look at where AI may help—and where it cannot replace the hard work of learning medicine properly. Follow Dr. Tisdall Unfiltered for more expert interviews and conversations on medical education, clinical reasoning, pathophysiology, and how to think more clearly like a doctor.Get my free 6 week clinical reasoning series (12 high-yield multiple choice questions with MD-written answers): https://www.drphiliptisdall.com/mcq-email-seriesClinical Pathophysiology (Edition 2) is now available for purchase! http://drphiliptisdall.com/textbookI’m building out our community where I will be teaching live online. For more information, head over to http://drphiliptisdall.comWatch the full video episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/6fkQyH2kw7A
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  Why Smart Medical Students Struggle (And How Doctors Actually Think) 06.06.2026 27m

  In this episode of Dr. Tisdall Unfiltered, I sit down to discuss one of the biggest problems in modern medical education: why so many intelligent, hardworking medical students continue to struggle despite putting in enormous amounts of time and effort. As a pathologist, medical educator, and author of Clinical Pathophysiology, I've spent decades teaching students, residents, and physicians how to think through clinical problems rather than simply memorize facts. In this conversation, I explain why memorization often fails, how experienced clinicians approach diagnosis, why pathophysiology should serve as the foundation of medical education, and what students can do to develop stronger clinical reasoning skills.We also discuss the most common mistakes I see medical students make, why traditional textbooks often fall short, how doctors build differential diagnoses, and why understanding disease mechanisms is more valuable than memorizing isolated facts. Whether you're preparing for medical school exams, the USMLE, clinical rotations, residency, or simply want to become a more effective learner, this episode provides a framework for understanding medicine the way practicing physicians do.If you're a medical student, resident, healthcare professional, or educator looking to improve your understanding of clinical reasoning, pathophysiology, diagnostic thinking, and medical education, this episode is for you.Be sure to follow Dr. Tisdall Unfiltered for more conversations on medical education, clinical reasoning, pathophysiology, physician training, and expert insights into how medicine is actually practiced and taught.Get my free 6 week clinical reasoning series (12 high-yield multiple choice questions with MD-written answers):https://www.drphiliptisdall.com/mcq-email-seriesClinical Pathophysiology (Edition 2) is now available for purchase!http://drphiliptisdall.com/textbookI’m building out our community where I will be teaching live online. For more information, head over to http://drphiliptisdall.com Watch the full video episode on YouTube:https://youtu.be/dJMSCfV71m4
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  Why Medical Students Feel Lost | Dr. Tisdall Unfiltered 23.05.2026 31m

  I’m building out our community where I will be teaching live online. For more information, head over to ⁠drphiliptisdall.com⁠ In this episode of Dr. Tisdall Unfiltered, I sit down to discuss one of the biggest problems in modern medical education: why so many intelligent, hardworking medical students still struggle to truly understand medicine. We dive into the growing disconnect between learning objectives, compliance-driven testing, and real clinical reasoning — and why memorization alone is failing students. I explain why patient-centered learning matters, why students forget material even after studying for hours, and how fragmented teaching methods prevent learners from building a complete understanding of disease from patient presentation all the way down to molecular mechanisms.We also discuss the difference between apprenticeship and observership in medicine, why cadaver-based anatomy often fails to create clinically usable understanding, and how anxiety and poor learning systems contribute to medical school burnout. Throughout the conversation, I share stories from teaching medical students directly, including helping struggling students rebuild their approach to learning after failing major exams. If you are a medical student, premed, resident, educator, or healthcare professional trying to understand how doctors actually think through disease, this episode will challenge the way you think about medical education.We unpack many of the frustrations students expressed after one of our viral short-form clips discussing why medical school feels harder today than it did for previous generations.Topics include:Why medical education feels overwhelmingLearning objectives vs clinical masteryWhy students struggle with retentionThe problem with compliance-driven testingClinical reasoning and patient-centered learningCadavers vs clinical anatomyAnxiety and performance in medical schoolHow to build a real learning systemWhy medicine must be learned as a connected storyBe sure to follow Dr. Tisdall Unfiltered for more in-depth conversations on clinical reasoning, pathophysiology, medical education, and how to think like a doctor.Get my free 6 week clinical reasoning series (12 high-yield multiple choice questions with MD-written answers): https://www.drphiliptisdall.com/mcq-email-seriesClinical Pathophysiology (Edition 2) is now available for purchase! http://drphiliptisdall.com/textbook Watch the full video episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/PpBmgiKQxXE
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  Everything in Medicine Is NOT Equally Important | Dr. Tisdall Unfiltered 15.05.2026 21m

  Most medical students are overwhelmed because they’re trying to learn medicine as if every fact carries the same weight. In this episode of Dr. Tisdall Unfiltered, I break down why that approach fails and explain how I teach students to organize medicine in a clinically meaningful way. I discuss the difference between foundational diseases, major diseases, and minor diseases, and why understanding pathophysiology matters far more than memorizing isolated facts for exams.Drawing from decades in pathology and medical education, I walk through real examples including cancer biology, HPV, lymphoma, cystic fibrosis, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, apoptosis, molecular medicine, and clinical reasoning. I explain how foundational diseases teach the principles underlying clinical medicine, why modern medicine is increasingly molecular, and how students can stop cramming and start actually understanding what they’re learning.This episode is especially important for medical students preparing for exams like the USMLE, students struggling with information overload, and anyone interested in learning how experienced physicians think through disease mechanisms and patient care. I also discuss why I believe current medical education often emphasizes memorization over mastery, and why I’m building a new educational community centered around clinical reasoning and deep understanding.If you enjoy these discussions on medical education, pathophysiology, and clinical reasoning, be sure to follow Dr. Tisdall Unfiltered on Spotify and Apple Podcasts for more expert discussions and long-form teaching episodes.Get my free 6 week clinical reasoning series (12 high-yield multiple choice questions with MD-written answers): https://www.drphiliptisdall.com/mcq-email-seriesClinical Pathophysiology (Edition 2) is now available for purchase! ⁠http://drphiliptisdall.com/textbook⁠ I’m building out our community where I will be teaching live online. For more information, head over to drphiliptisdall.comWatch the full video episode on YouTube:: https://youtu.be/yKC4iHyRG74
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  From Step 1 Failure to Emergency Medicine Residency | Dr. Alyssa Makowski on Clinical Reasoning, Aphantasia, and Medical School 10.05.2026 41m

  In this episode of Dr. Tisdall Unfiltered, I sit down with Dr. Alyssa Makowski, a newly matched emergency medicine resident whose journey through medical school was anything but straightforward. Alyssa was one of the strongest students I had ever worked with, yet she repeatedly struggled to cross the exam threshold required to move forward toward Step 1. What followed became one of the most remarkable transformations I’ve witnessed.We discuss medical school failure, STEP 1 preparation, clinical reasoning, learning styles, mentorship, burnout, impostor syndrome, and what actually separates memorization from true understanding in medicine. Alyssa also opens up about discovering she has aphantasia — the inability to form mental images — and how that fundamentally changed the way she had to approach learning medicine, anatomy, and pathophysiology.This conversation is especially important for medical students, pre-med students, residents, educators, and anyone struggling with standardized exams despite being highly capable clinically. We explore why some intelligent students continue to underperform on medical board-style exams, how confidence and resentment affect learning, and why medicine ultimately forces every student to confront their weaknesses honestly.If you enjoy long-form discussions on medical education, clinical reasoning, pathophysiology, and physician training, make sure to follow Dr. Tisdall Unfiltered for more expert interviews and conversations.Get my free 6 week clinical reasoning series (12 high-yield multiple choice questions with MD-written answers): https://www.drphiliptisdall.com/mcq-email-seriesClinical Pathophysiology (Edition 2) is now available for purchase! ⁠http://drphiliptisdall.com/textbook⁠ I’m building out our community where Dr. Tisdall will be teaching live online. For more information, head over to drphiliptisdall.comWatch the full video episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/sJldsWiPBTY
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  Why Medical Students Struggle: Clinical Reasoning vs Memorization (with Dr. Nancy Selfridge & Dr. Eric Neilson) 25.04.2026 54m

  In this episode of Dr. Tisdall Unfiltered, I sit down with Dr. Nancy Selfridge and Dr. Eric Neilson to have an honest conversation about what’s really happening in medical education—and why so many capable students struggle when it comes time to apply what they’ve learned.Together, Dr. Selfridge, Dr. Neilson and I worked to build and implement a new approach to teaching medicine—one that moves beyond memorization and focuses on clinical reasoning, structure-function relationships, and how physicians actually think in practice.In this discussion, we break down what happens when students encounter board-style exams for the first time, why “knowing the material” often isn’t enough, and how small-group, patient-centered learning reveals the real gaps in understanding. We also explore how remediation, tutoring, and teaching others can transform struggling students into some of the strongest clinical thinkers—and why the future of medical education depends on training both better learners and better teachers.If you’re a medical student, pre-med, or educator, this episode will challenge how you think about learning medicine—and give you a clearer framework for what actually matters.Be sure to follow Dr. Tisdall Unfiltered for more in-depth conversations on medical education, clinical reasoning, and how to truly think like a doctor.Clinical Pathophysiology (Edition 2) is now available for purchase! ⁠http://drphiliptisdall.com/textbook⁠ Watch the full video episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/owK2izhSwLQFollow me on social @drphiliptisdall
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  The Student Who Couldn’t Visualize: Rethinking How We Learn Medicine 05.04.2026 38m

  In this episode of Dr Tisdall Unfiltered, I explore one of the most important insights I’ve had in decades of teaching medicine: there is no single “right” way to learn clinical reasoning. I’m joined in conversation with my producer and collaborator, Ali Tisdall, as we unpack a powerful real-world example that challenges traditional medical education.I share the story of a former student with aphantasia—a condition where she could not form mental images—who was unable to use the “picture with a story” method I typically teach. Instead of falling behind, she developed her own system by translating every concept into structured, step-by-step algorithms using if/then logic. What emerged was a completely different, yet equally effective, pathway to mastering pathophysiology, differential diagnosis, and patient-centered thinking.This episode goes far beyond study tips. We break down how medical knowledge should actually be organized—from chief complaint to differential diagnosis, to pathophysiology, to natural history—and why memorization without structure consistently fails in clinical settings. I also discuss the role of real-time teaching, small group learning, and why understanding how to think matters far more than simply knowing facts.If you’re a medical student, pre-med, or clinician looking to improve your diagnostic reasoning and retention, this conversation will fundamentally change how you approach learning medicine.Follow the podcast for more expert interviews and in-depth discussions on how to think like a doctor.Clinical Pathophysiology (Edition 2) is now available for purchase! ⁠http://drphiliptisdall.com/textbook⁠ Watch full video episode on YouTube: youtube.com/@drphiliptisdall
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  Where Diagnosis Begins: Rethinking Clinical Reasoning with Dr. Eric Nielson 23.03.2026 37m

  In this episode of Dr. Tisdall Unfiltered, I sit down with Dr. Eric Nielson—an experienced medical educator and simulation specialist I’ve worked closely with over the years—to explore a fundamental shift in how medicine should be learned and practiced. Together, we break down why true clinical reasoning doesn’t start with memorization or isolated facts, but with understanding organ system failure and the pathophysiology that drives it. From heart failure to renal dysfunction, we discuss how thinking in terms of failure states allows clinicians to build meaningful differential diagnoses, connect basic science to patient care, and ultimately become better doctors. This conversation is especially relevant for medical students preparing for USMLE or COMLEX exams, as well as anyone looking to move beyond rote learning and develop a deeper, more practical understanding of medicine.We also reflect on the evolution of medical education, the limitations of traditional teaching methods, and how repeated teaching and real-world application refine the way physicians think. Dr. Nielson brings a unique perspective from his work in simulation labs, where clinical reasoning must be applied in real time, reinforcing the importance of structure, systems, and story in medical decision-making.If you’re serious about improving your diagnostic thinking and want to understand how experienced clinicians approach complex cases, this episode will give you a clear framework to start building from.Follow the podcast to stay up to date with more expert interviews and deep dives into clinical reasoning, pathophysiology, and medical education.Clinical Pathophysiology (Edition 2) is now available for purchase! ⁠http://drphiliptisdall.com/textbook⁠ Watch the full video episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/XUs59Kxr7LUFollow me on social @drphiliptisdall
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  Why Medical Students Struggle With Clinical Reasoning | Dr. Nancy Selfridge on Learning to Think Like a Doctor 14.03.2026 40m

  In this episode of Dr. Tisdall Unfiltered, I sit down with returning guest Dr. Nancy Selfridge for a thoughtful discussion about how physicians actually learn to think clinically. Too often in medical education, students are pushed toward memorization of facts and algorithms rather than developing the deeper reasoning skills required to diagnose and treat real patients. In this conversation, we explore the difference between memorizing information and understanding the underlying pathophysiology that drives disease, and why that distinction matters for developing sound clinical judgment.Dr. Nancy Selfridge is a physician and medical educator who has spent years working with students and trainees as they transition from classroom learning into real clinical practice. Her experience both in patient care and in medical education gives her a unique perspective on the challenges students face as they attempt to move beyond textbook knowledge and begin reasoning through complex clinical problems. In our discussion, we talk about the environments that best support the development of clinical thinking, how mentorship shapes the way young physicians approach diagnosis, and why understanding mechanisms of disease remains central to good medicine.Throughout the episode, we reflect on the realities of modern medical training, the pressures placed on students to master enormous volumes of information, and the importance of cultivating a framework for thinking through patient problems systematically. Our conversation touches on clinical reasoning, differential diagnosis, pathophysiology, medical education reform, and the transition from student to physician—topics that are essential for anyone interested in how doctors actually learn to practice medicine.If you are a medical student, resident, educator, or practicing physician interested in improving the way medicine is taught and learned, this episode offers an honest and practical look at the intellectual foundations of clinical medicine.Follow Dr. Tisdall Unfiltered to stay up to date with future episodes featuring conversations with physicians, educators, and medical professionals about clinical reasoning, medical education, and the art of thinking like a doctor.Clinical Pathophysiology (Edition 2) is now available for purchase! ⁠http://drphiliptisdall.com/textbook⁠ Watch the full video episode on YouTube:https://youtu.be/XwMA58Rz3esFollow me on social:@drphiliptisdall