The Short Coat Podcast

Race is commonly spoken of in medicine as a risk factor for diseases. It has even found its way into the equations that help doctors assess biological function. But race--commonly acknowledged these days as a social construct and not a biological one--really a valid way to factor in the differences between one patient and another? M3 Vijay and other students are helping lead the charge to re-assess these ideas. Also, MD/PHD students Aline, Levi, and Riley help listener Michelina decide what to do about her hair during interviews...and debate whether aspiring docs should even be worried about their physical look when applying.

MD/PhD students Michelle and Aline, PA2 Alice, and M2 Jacob discuss the pros and cons of their use of social media, including... ...who the heck gets to decide what is "professional," and does anyone even know what that means? Listener Alyssa joins the crew to discuss her question: how can she discuss the challenges she experienced during undergrad without sounding whiney (even if her challenges would sure have made Dave whine a bit).

Dr. Abby Hardy Fairbanks, medical director of Iowa City's Emma Goldman Clinic joins co-hosts MSTP students Madi and Riley, and M2s Mao and Tyler to help us understand how the recent SCOTUS decision striking down abortion as a federally protected right will affect their training. The changes may extend beyond OB-Gyn training to affect other specialties...as well as the trust that confidentiality brings to the doctor-patient relationship. Also, Dr. Hardy-Fairbanks talks about the advocacy roles physicians can take on, from state-house lobbying to voting to just being there for their patients. CONTENT WARNING: We're discussing a controversial subject. The opinions expressed are not those of the University of Iowa. Listener discretion is advised.

Chirayu (M2), Maddie (M2), Tracy (M2) and new co-host Levi (MSTP) discuss the financial changes that doctors experienced after COVID, and whether a career in medicine makes as much financial sense as it once did. MIT scientists use locust cyborgs to find cancer cells. And we visit with two premeds–Deeraj and Daniel–who are proving that competing with classmates is a losing strategy for studying medicine.

Dave asks his co-hosts--M2 Maddie, M2 Chirayu, MD/PhD students Aline and Hannah--to discuss the things they would like to change about medicine and medical education, if (when) they could. A study in JAMA Pediatrics finds one reason students of color may drop out of med school: mistreatment. Dave fiddles around with AI text-to-image software. Can his co-hosts guess what the AI was trying to create? We Want to Hear From You: YOUR VOICE MATTERS! No matter where you fall on any spectrum, we want your thoughts on our show. Do you agree or disagree with something we said today? Did you hear something really helpful? Are we delivering a podcast you want to keep listening to? We’ll be sure your ideas are heard by all–leave a message at 347-SHORTCT (347-746-7828) and we’ll put your message in a future episode (use *67 to be an “Unknown caller”). We do more things on… Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theshortcoat YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/TheShortCoat You deserve to be happy and healthy. If you’re st

Yes, you will (did) work hard to get your MD, but others have doctorates, too.  Lighten up. Noah (M2), Ariele (PA2), Nicole (M2), and Miranda (MSTP) discuss the impulse many MDs and MDs-to-be have to gatekeep the word “doctor” when advanced practice providers use it.PhDs, DNPs, AuDs and many more also have doctorates. Instead of worrying about who worked harder to get it, better perhaps to support each other and not worry about who deserves to call themselves a doctor.The American Board of Radiology did something crazy–they told programs their trainees will get a bunch of leave for birthing and non-birthing parents to care for their newborns. Noah and Ariele try the third hand experiment. Tik Tok science for the win? Or is it social pseudoscience? We Want to Hear From You: YOUR VOICE MATTERS! No matter where you fall on any spectrum, we want your thoughts on our show.  Do you agree or disagree with something we said today?  Did you hear something really helpful?  Are we delivering a podcast

Morgan (M3), Eric (M3), Aline (MSTP), and Abby (graduate!) discuss their experiences being evaluated in medical school. Abby offers her big tips for new MDs to get the best deal on internet service (apply for Medicaid and wait for them to give you candy). A doc goes to jail for his COVID cure kits. We practice giving sincere compliments to each other while trying to make the other person laugh. Can the co-hosts reassure a freaked out Redditor who abuses Imodium?

Riley, Sahaana, Nicole, and newbie Mao discuss their answers to questions that incoming students often ask about medical school How do you find friends? Should you date classmates? How do you find your specialty? What kind of living situation works best? In the news: a medical student is suspended for allegedly retaliating against a patient with an extra needlestick; and we try to replicate the latest science from Tik Tok. Yes, it's the Hanger Reflex.

Short Coat Listener Josh wrote in to share some hacks he uses to get grumpy patients on his side the moment he walks into the exam room. Co-hosts Jessica, Aline, Hannah, and Riley share their own techniques on managing those first few seconds of the patient visit. Plus, many tangents along those lines, such as when not to use 'quips' and humor with patients and bosses.

Dave asks his co-hosts to discuss the ups and downs of their first year, which some will argue is the hardest. What were their social lives like? How much leisure time do they get? What about sleep? Dave loves a good case study, so he subjects the crew to some to see if they can guess the patients' conditions.

Dave asks his co-hosts to think about the role of discomfort in learning. It's a signal that you need to pay very close attention, both to the topic and to why you feel that way. Listener Michelina, an undergrad mom with a full-time job, asks if she should extend her time in college to seek a toxicology degree or just stick with biology. The discussion on working during medical school continues, as Michelina wonders if she can work full time while she balances motherhood and med school.

There are at least three ways an aspiring MD/PhD can add those last three letter to their name, but why choose one way over another? To celebrate our CCOM Art Show, the crew makes some art for Dave to admire (See them for yourselves on our Instagram. The co-hosts answer Dave's probing questions as he tries to get to know them even better.

A man in Germany takes 90 for the team to sell vax cards. Tucker Carlson’s new documentary seems to sell a bizarre vision of the decline of male supremacy. Dave has an "better" idea for composing residency personal statements.

Facing a content-free episode, we discuss what medical students do when they're avoiding purpose and meaning (ie., they want to just have fun). We discuss a more nuanced view of work-life balance in medicine than is usually discussed (referenced: Necessary Interruptions: When to Let Life Get in the Way, by Jennifer Frank, MD on Medscape). Madeline challenges the gang to play 5-second rule, Medicine Edition.

Abbey Hardy-Fairbanks is an OB/Gyn who often works with expectant moms who use drugs. Future resident MDs: this episode features some of the many things she's learned about meeting patients where they are, practicing medicine without judgement, and understanding what her clients can and cannot accomplish in their circumstances. Approaching patients with an open heart from the first moment, even when their lives are outside society's mainstream or approval, can mean the difference between losing them for good and them coming back to see anyone for more help.

Listener Preston is weighing PharmD or MD school. How can he choose, and how his process of choosing make schools feel better about him? Brylee didn't get into med school this time around, is facing a tight turnaround for the next application season, and she hasn't even got a compelling gap year job lined up yet. Is she risking another rejection by rushing things? M4 Mackenzie Walhof and M1s Happy Kumar, Matt Engelken, and Jacob Hansen try to convey their passion for random, made-up gap year. Can they convince a skeptical interviewer?

Nurse RaDonda Vaught faces jail time for an error that killed her patient, and the crew discusses what they learn and know about dealing with medical errors. While Vaught (convicted later on the day we recorded this episode) made some pretty terrible errors that justifiably ended her career, her employer bears responsibility, too...but so far is getting off without meaningful consequence. Threatening jail for nurses who make medical errors isn't going to help attract people to the profession, especially when their employers create conditions that lead to errors.

An injury during medical school or residency can temporarily or permanently alter one's career prospects and trajectory. Even serious disabilities don't have to be career-enders. But in many cases, it's up to the injured to counter the ableism that still exists in medicine. Also, what unionizing residents might accomplish, and why it might be needed even in today's graduate medical education paradigm.

Sometimes, you just don't want to take that extra loan money. One option: a part time job. But that is risky--the time you devote to that job could have been spent on studying, and perhaps could decrease your chances at those competitive residency programs. But there are medical students who make the choice to work, and some jobs might even help your chances.

The M4s are picking their favorite residency programs in the hopes that they love the next phase of their training. We discuss the factors they're weighing now that interviews are done. And a listener about to start med school wants to know how students study, and how they also have social lives when studying is so intense.