Sharp Scratch

Is there a universal medical school experience? - 150th Episode!

In honour of the 150th episode of the Sharp Scratch podcast, Zaynah Khan invites previous student editors to explore experiences of medical school during different times – from 20, 15, and 5 years ago to discuss whether or not medicine has changed for students. What is it that medical students care about while at uni? Are there new or different challenges? Have new opportunities opened up? Is there a universal experience of medical school? Thank you to Laura Nunez-Mulder, Tiago Villanueva, and Neil Chanchlani for joining this episode! 
 
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Do you take medicine home with you?

In this Second episode, Zaynah Khan - the host,  Matt Morgan - an NHS Intensive Care Consultant and Writer, and panel member Nikki Nabavi - who is an FY2 Doctor, explore how medicine seeps into their personal lives, through the example of language. Together they discuss examples of medical jargon and work terminology that become inside jokes or are used completely out of context in their personal lives.
Part 2 following the last episode in December - be sure to listen to that if you haven’t, yet! 
Happy New Year :) 
 
Resources
The Dictionary of Blood and Silence
 
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How do we describe medical experiences to others? - Christmas Episode

In today’s Holiday Special, host Zaynah Khan is joined by Matt Morgan, an NHS Intensive Care Consultant and Writer, and panel member Nikki Nabavi, who is an FY2 Doctor. Together, they explore the unique sensory and emotional experiences that healthcare workers go through, and the limits in medical language being able to encapsulate those to others outside of healthcare. Matt discusses starting the Dictionary of Blood and Silence and the process of coining new words to articulate medical experiences. Part 1 of 2 - stay tuned for Part 2!
 
Resources
The Dictionary of Blood and Silence
 
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Navigating medicine when you're deaf or hard of hearing

In this episode, host Zaynah Khan is joined by Resident Doctor, Benedict Richards and panel members George Webster and Anna de Beer. Both Benedict and George are hard of hearing, and share their lived experiences of navigating medical school and clinical practice. Together, they also discuss ways of supporting a colleague who may be deaf/hard of hearing.
 
Videos played in the episode:
Examples of mild/moderate/severe/profound hearing loss: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbBZjT7nuoA
Example of student using a hearing aid - with teacher speaking: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1l37lzLIgQU
 
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How to avoid the 'Surgical Scaries'

In this Surgical themed episode, host Zaynah Khan sits down with Ms Samantha Tross, the first black female Orthopedic Surgeon in the UK. They are also joined by previous editorial scholars on the panel - George Webster, Éabha Lynn, and Laura Hope Nunez-Mulder. Together they discuss first or memorable experiences of surgery in medical school / as a doctor, and Samantha shares advice on navigating surgery, especially as a woman of colour. 
 
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Dissection Horror Stories - Halloween Episode

In this Halloween episode, host Zaynah Khan sits down with expert guest Dr. Jennifer Wallis, a Senior Teaching Fellow and Lecturer in History of Science and Medicine at Imperial, and medical student Anna de Beer. They'll be sharing real-life dissection horror stories and experiences from current times, while also exploring the dark side of medical history and past influences of cadaveric dissection.
 
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Practicing creative writing to be a better doctor

In this episode, new host Zaynah Khan meets with Author, Poet, Creative Writing Lecturer, and Ex-Doctor Gita Ralleigh. They are joined by Khadijah, a medical student taught by Gita, and panellists Elgan and Maira who help explore the role of creativity within medicine and how writing can help enhance clinical practice. 
 
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READING LIST
⁃ ‘Unheard: The Medical Practice of Silencing’ by Dr Rageshri Dhairyawan
⁃ ‘The Undying’ by Anne Boyer
⁃ Arthur Frank’s framing of patient narratives
⁃ ‘The Empathy Exams’ by Leslie Jamison
⁃ ‘When Breath Becomes Air’ by Paul Kalanithi
⁃ Patient made writing and art
⁃ John Clare’s poetry
⁃ ‘Time is a Mother’ by Ocean Vuong
⁃ ‘Giving Up the Ghost’ by Hilary Mantel
⁃ Phil Whitaker’s commentary
⁃ ‘The Story of a Heart’ by Rachel Clarke
⁃ ‘The Prison Doctor’ by Dr Amanda Brown
⁃ ‘The Diving Bell and the Butterfly’ by Jean-Dominique Bauby

Re-release: Reasons to be hopeful

In the final instalment from the Sharp Scratch archives, incoming Sharp Scratch host Zaynah Khan is rebroadcasting one of her favourite episodes- on hope. This episode was originally published on April 15, 2024.
With the rapid unfolding of recent events in medicine, it can be easy to lose hope for the future. From low pay and staffing crises to the rapid changes to postgraduate training, it can feel like things are getting worse. But is this really the case? 
In this episode, the panel discusses what 'hope' really means and whether there's any hope for a better future in medicine (spoiler alert: there is!). They're joined by Anna Baverstock, a consultant pediatrician and well-being lead based in Somerset.
 
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Re-release: Anxiety

Incoming Sharpscratch host Zaynah Khan is rebroadcasting her favourite episodes, handpicked from the Sharpscratch archives. This episode on Anxiety was originally published in March, 2020. In our next episode, we'll bring you the third and final of Zaynah's vault selections.
 
Anxiety's a natural part of life - under certain circumstances. And we know that med students and junior docs are more likely than other groups to suffer from anxiety disorders and depression. This week, the Sharp Scratch team talk about their anxieties, and hear from some expert guests on how we can manage anxiety day to day, and how to recognise when we might need a little extra help.This week's expert guests and contributors:Dr Stania Kamara is an ST6 Specialist Registrar in Forensic Psychiatry, and current Medical Director's Clinical Fellow at the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges with NHS England and NHS Improvement. She is passionate about trying to improve access to good quality mental health care across the globe and has worked to develop services and build the capacity of the mental health workforce in a number in number of low and middle income countries. In 2015 she was shortlisted for the Royal College of Psychiatrists Core Trainee of the Year award and awarded the Queen's medal for service during the Ebola outbreak in West Africa.Stephen Buckley is Head of Information at Mind, the mental health charity.For the resources Stephen mentions, check out the Mind website.https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mental-health-problems/anxiety-and-panic-attacks/about-anxiety/If you are struggling with anxiety, you can get help by contacting your GP, university services or local services.If you need someone to talk to, one to one and confidentially, you can call the Samaritans for free at 116 123. Find more information on their website.https://www.samaritans.org/how-we-can-help/contact-samaritan/
 
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Re-release: Is there room for creativity in medicine?

New editorial scholar Zaynah Khan is sliding into the hosting seat for Sharpscratch. We've delved into the Sharpscratch vaults to retrieve three episodes for you to listen to over the next month as Zaynah settles in. They're some of her favourites - we hope you enjoy. Here's the first, originally broadcast in May, 2024.
 
Often, we think of medicine as a science. We think of doctors as scientists and scholars. We pride ourselves in being ‘in STEM,’ supporting evidence based medicine and learning the so-called ‘medical model.’ Our view of medicine, it’s teaching and its assessment is framed by medical science, and we may not think of ourselves as creatives.
In this episode, the panel discuss whether there is room for creativity in medicine,  hear from some creatives in medicine, about how their art has contributed to their practice of medicine and their careers, and think a little about the creativity hidden within medicine.
With thanks to Roshni Beeharry, Megan Brown, Antonia Peilober-Richardson, Raymond Matthews and John Launer.
 
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