Sharp Scratch

Gallows humour

It's happened to every medic: relatives start telling you off for your dinnertime topic choices; non-medical friends probe and then sit in shock as you tell your latest morbid hospital joke. Some people - like Adam Kay - have even made a career of it. How much is too much gallows humour? And in a time of overstretched resources and clinician burnout, is dark humour an important way of bringing together people who have seen the best and worst of the healthcare system?
Our expert guests and contributors:
Benji Waterstones is a senior psychiatric trainee and stand up comedian. He's performed his comedy at the Edinburgh Fringe in the past, and joins us this week to unpick the art of medical comedy.
Brian Goldman is an emergency physician, author and radio host. He wrote a book called 'The Secret Language of Doctors' and hosts show 'White Coat Black Art' on Canadian Broadcasting Company Radio 1
www.bmj.com/sharpscratch

Making ends meet

Sharp Scratch is all about bringing the hidden curriculum to light - so it's time to get real about another hidden aspect of medicine: the financial commitments of studying and being a junior doc. Hidden costs are everywhere: so how do you anticipate them and how can you weather financial storms? Join the team as we hear from med students and junior docs about their moey worries, and quiz our expert guest about where we can get help.
Our expert guests and contributors:
We heard from some medical students and junior docs:
Nishita Gadi Instagram: nishitagadix
Oliver Arscott Twitter: @OArscott
Pedra Rabiee Twitter: @pedrarabiee
Lewis Hughes: @LewyHughey
Kathryn Runswick is an employment advisor for the BMA and Liverpool Medical School, and the mother of a newly qualified doctor. For advice on managing your money at medical school, the BMA produces gudies which can be found here https://www.bma.org.uk/advice/work-life-support/your-finances-and-protection/medical-student-finance. The Royal Medical Benevolent Fund also provides money advice and signposting to hardship funds https://rmbf.org/.

What you can do on social media

Med students and doctors of the 21st century often use social media for work and leisure. We all hear the same spiel from our med schools about being safe online - but social media can also be used for good! Join Laura, Anna, Ryhan, and our expert guest Dr Dominique Thompson as we discuss all the 'dos' of social media, rather than the 'don'ts.'
Tell us what you think about the episode and your ideas for topics to cover later in the series by leaving a review or by using #SharpScratch on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
For more on the podcast, including how to follow Laura, Anna, Ryhan and Dominique on social media, visit www.bmj.com/sharpscratch.

Documenting death

As med students and junior doctors, we encounter death more than the general population. But what do you actually do when you're called to the ward to see a patient who has died - and what happens after you've confirmed a patient death?
Join Laura, Anna, Declan and our special guest, Robert Cast, anatomical pathological technologist, as we take a dive into the world beyond the wards, to find out how we can keep caring for our patients after they die.
Tell us what you think about the episode and your ideas for topics to cover later in the series by leaving a review or by using #SharpScratch on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
For more on the podcast, including how to follow Laura, Anna, Declan and Robert on social media, visit www.bmj.com/sharpscratch.

Coping with death

As med students and junior doctors, we'll encounter death more than the general population. So how do we cope with the emotional strain this can bring? How do you support colleagues who are grieving? And is it ever ok to cry in front of a patient?
Join medical students Laura and Ryhan, and junior doctor Chidera as they talk about coping with death, and hear from Stephen Barclay, GP and palliative care doctor, and who taught Laura and Chidera about death and dying.
Tell us what you think about the episode and your ideas for topics to cover later in the series by leaving a review or by using #SharpScratch on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
For more on the podcast, including how to follow Laura, Chidera, Ryhan and Stephen on social media, visit www.bmj.com/sharpscratch.

Being a sick doctor

Last time we talked about getting ill, and taking some sick days - but what happens when you realise that your illness doesn’t have an end date, and if you’re going to return to work at all, then you’re going to return to work with your illness.
What is it like? How to do you talk to colleagues or patients about it. Can you come to terms with yourself as a doctor with a long term illness? And how can you access support to continue working?
Join medical students Laura and Anna, and new doctor Declan as they talk about being ill, and quiz Anne de Bono President of the Faculty of Occupational Medicine about adapting your ways of working.
Tell us what you think about the episode and your ideas for topics to cover later in the series by leaving a review or by using #SharpScratch on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
For more on the podcast, including how to follow Laura, Anna, Declan, and Anne on social media, visit www.bmj.com/sharpscratch.

How sick, is sick enough, to call in sick?

Med students and docs face pressure to keeping working when they are poorly - compulsory classes, stretched rotas and knackered colleagues, and pride or stigma masquerading as self discipline or resilience. So against the tide of pressure, how sick is sick enough? And what are the costs of working while poorly?
Join medical students Laura and Declan and new panel member Anna Harvey and welcome back Sharp Scratch alumni James Macguire. We also talk to microbiologist Sarah Wylie about why throwing up between patients means you definitely need to go home.
Tell us what you think about the episode and your ideas for topics to cover later in the series by leaving a review or by using #SharpScratch on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
For more on the podcast, including how to follow everyone on social media, visit www.bmj.com/sharpscratch.

The dating life of new doctors

Who’s off limits when it comes to dating, how renal physiology can ruin your chance of romance, and whether you should put that you’re a doctor on your tindr profile.
Dating as a newly qualified doctor brings some challenges that we don’t face as med students: unpredictable hours, exhaustion from night shifts, and professional boundaries with colleagues. And maybe there are some lines we should not cross. How hard is it to find romance while adjusting to life as a doctor?
Join medical students Laura and Declan and new doctor Divolka as we discuss how new doctors can join in the fun part of life that is dating. Featuring three doctors - Alyssa, Dipesh, and Amy - who share their awkward moments from their dating lives. Plus, Rob from Medical Protection gives advice on who’s off limits, and our Sharp Scratch regular Ryhan calls in to tell us how his medical elective is going.
Tell us what you think about the episode and your ideas for topics to cover later in the series by leaving a review or by using #SharpScratch on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
For more on the podcast, including how to follow Laura, Declan, Ryhan, Alyssa, Dipesh, and Rob on social media, visit www.bmj.com/sharpscratch.

Keeping your relationship alive when you become a doctor

The secrets of true love, how being a new doctor affects your sex life, and whether it’s a good idea to date a medic in the first place.
Becoming a doctor brings new challenges to romantic relationships: shift work, commutes, and emotional burdens from work. How can we prepare to carry relationships through this transition? Are linked job applications wise? Is it tougher (as a junior doctor) to date someone who is a junior doctor too than someone in another career?
Join medical student Laura, new doctor Chidera, and Julia Bland from DocHealth which offers medical psychotherapy for doctors. We discuss how to keep a romantic relationship alive in the transition between medical school and your first job as a doctor. Featuring three medical students - Michael, Catriona, and Richard - who bare themselves and reveal what they’re worried about as they consider the future of their relationships.
Tell us what you think about the episode and your ideas for topics to cover later in the series by leaving a review or by using #SharpScratch on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
For more on the podcast, including how to follow Laura, Chidera, Michael, Catriona, and Richard on social media, visit www.bmj.com/sharpscratch.

Tips for new doctors

Your first day of being a doctor is very different to anything in medical school. What can we learn from those who have just finished their first year? What do they wish they had known?
Join medical students Laura and Declan, and surgical registrar Greta as we discuss the tips for new doctors sent in by eight Sharp Scratch listeners who have just finished their first or second year of being a doctor.
Looking for more tips? Read nine pieces of advice for new doctors from Abraar Karan, an internal medicine resident at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital/ Harvard Medical School: https://blogs.bmj.com/bmj/2019/07/09/abraar-karan-advice-to-new-doctors/. Plus, more tips from doctors who have just finished their first year of being a doctor: https://blogs.bmj.com/bmj/2018/07/20/tips-for-new-doctors-advice-for-trainees-starting-in-fy1/
Tell us what you think about the episode and your ideas for topics to cover later in the series by leaving a review or by using #SharpScratch on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
For more on the podcast, including how to follow Laura, Declan, Greta, and our eight listeners who gave us their tips on social media, visit www.bmj.com/sharpscratch