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Specialty Café

Are you a medical student or resident choosing your path in healthcare? Grab a coffee and settle in… this café is for you! Our hosts (med students & residents) chat with Royal College specialists and residents about their day to day lives, the reasons behind their specialty choices, the joys, the challenges, and more!  Although conversations are full of specialty insights, you’ll gain invaluable life advice about being a fulfilled and excellent clinician (and human being).  Feedspot has voted Specialty Café as one of the 10 Best Canadian Medical Podcasts.  The Royal College produces a uniquely French version of this podcast - Café des spécialités: https://cafedesspecialites.libsyn.com/. 
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  2. Emergency Medicine: Cognitive Load, High‑Performance Teams & Unexpected Career Paths

Emergency Medicine: Cognitive Load, High‑Performance Teams & Unexpected Career Paths

Mar 24, 2026

In this episode of the Royal College's Specialty Café, host Dr. Cameron Wong (PGY1, Internal Medicine) sits down with Emergency Medicine physician, educator, researcher, father, husband, and KeyLIME+ host, Dr. Adam Szulewski, FRCPC.

Whether you're a medical student exploring specialties or a resident shaping your career path, this episode delivers invaluable insight into what it really means to work in Emergency Medicine...  clinically, cognitively, and emotionally.

Dr. Szulewski shares a dynamic inside look at:

  • Life as an Emergency Medicine physician and the thrill of working within a high-functioning, pit‑crew‑like resuscitation team
  • Cognitive load theory in medicine, his PhD research, and why some clinicians excel under pressure
  • The evolution of EM over the last decade, including system pressures and shifts in patient care
  • His role as fellowship director in resuscitation medicine and what makes an exceptional learning environment
  • Hosting the KeyLIME+ podcast and uncovering how doctors think and learn
  • Career advice for junior learners, including when to say yes to opportunities and embracing unexpected turns

This is an inspiring, candid conversation about identity, mentorship, medical education, and the nonlinear pathways that shape fulfilling careers in medicine.

Tune in to learn how to navigate uncertainty, find your place in the clinical world, and build a specialty journey that’s uniquely your own.

If you're participating in a Royal College accredited residency, don't forget to join as a Resident Affiliate. It’s free, and you can start claiming MOC credits right away. Click here to learn more.