Sharp Scratch

Agency and autonomy at medical school

Studying medicine can make us feel like we’re being shaped to become anonymous cogs in a health-delivering machine. To be effective, it can seem that we need to fit ourselves into a universal mold, unable to make decisions or express individuality. Many students have expressed outrage towards the recent changes made in the UKFPO allocation programme that removes the ability of graduating students to determine where they end up. Loss of agency has been closely linked to burnout, making it important for us to manage as we progress through our careers. 
 
In this episode, we could talk about our ability to exert our agency while studying medicine. How does studying medicine and working as a doctor affect our agency, and what impact does that have on us? What can we do to overcome constraints on our ability to make decisions? 
 
The panel are joined by Rakesh Patel, professor of medical education and head of MBBS at Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry. 
 
Find us on social media:
Twitter/X - https://x.com/BMJStudent
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/bmj_student/?hl=en
 
You can now receive our monthly BMJ Student round-up by email. Sign up here.
 
Éabha is a guest judge for the Immerse Education essay competition. If you are an aspiring medical student aged 13-18 years, enter now for a chance to win a fully funded place at one of their award winning summer schools. Get more information here.
 
 

Freedom to speak up

The concept of ‘psychological safety’ has emerged to describe an environment where there is a shared belief amongst individuals that it is safe to engage in interpersonal risk-taking in the workplace. In a psychologically safe environment, we feel as though our colleagues will not reject people for being themselves or for saying what they think, we respect each others competence, are interested in each other as people, and have positive intentions for one another.
In this episode, we talk all about all about this idea of psychological safety as applied to medical students. What environments have made our panel feel psychologically safe? How hard is it to learn when you don’t feel safe? How can we help to cultivate a psychologically safe environment at medical school?
 
In this episode, the panel are joined by Gabrielle Mathews, an academic foundation doctor and multi-award winning children and young people's health advocate based in London. 
We also hear from Amy Edmondson, professor of leadership and management at Harvard Business School, and from Don Berwick, physician and founder of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement. This audio is used with permission from BMJ and IHI, and was recorded at the BMJ IHI International Forum on Quality and Safety in Healthcare, at the ExCeL in London, April 12th 2024.
 
Éabha is a guest judge at this year's Immerse Education Essay Competition. For more information, and the chance to win a fully funded place at one of their summer schools, check out this link: https://www.immerse.education/essay-competition/
 
Find us on social media:
Twitter/X: https://x.com/BMJStudent
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bmj_student/?hl=en
 

Is there room for creativity in medicine?

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
 
Find BMJ Student on Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/BMJStudent
Find BMJ Student on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bmj_student/?hl=en-gb

Navigating grief

Medics, throughout our careers and lives, are surrounded by grief. We grieve in our own lives, we grieve for our patients, we grieve with our patients. In this week's episode, we talk a little about grief in all of its forms.
 
While an early episode of sharp scratch explored coping with death, I think it is fair to say that since the pandemic, the experiences of medical students with regards to loss and grief and death have changed quite a lot. This episode unpacks what it means to grieve, how we can grieve, and how we can support others through their grief too. 
 
The panel are joined by expert guest, Hilary Williams. Hilary is a consultant in medical oncology in south Wales and is Vice President for Wales at the Royal College of Physicians.
 
Find us on social media - 
Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/BMJStudent
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bmj_student/?hl=en-gb
 
Sign up for our monthly mailing list: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc9djp8xBRKKenGqn-0RbNSl4qUx0Erg7hJ4jdP1vC8sRfrQA/viewform

Rewind: Behind the scenes at The BMJ

Maybe you've been following BMJ Student for a really long time, or maybe you're new to following us. Perhaps you only know about Sharp Scratch, or you've written and worked with us before. However much you know about BMJ Student, we hope this episode from our archives will be a look behind the scenes at what it means to work at The BMJ. 
 
This episode from 2023 brings together four former editorial scholars, ready to talk all about their experiences of working at The BMJ, as well as how you can get involved via the Editorial Scholarship, the Clegg Scholarship, Sharp Scratch, and writing articles. They delve into any worries they had before joining, and unpick their experiences to hopefully get a better insight into the inner workings of a medical journal. 
 
We have extended the deadline for the 2024/25 Editorial Scholarship until next Friday 26th February, so if you're interested in applying please do check out https://www.bmj.com/content/384/bmj.q685 for all relevant information on the job and application!

Reasons to be hopeful

With the rapid unfolding of recent events in medicine, from low pay to staffing crisis’ to the rapid changes to the face of our postgraduate training, it can be easy to lose all hope for the future - but is this really the case? A recent BMJ research paper found that cancer survival has doubled in the last fifty years, and that's one reason to be hopeful.
 
In this episode, the panel talk all about hope. What does 'hope' really mean? Is there any hope for a better future?
 
This week, the panel are joined by Anna Baverstock, a consultant paediatrician and wellbeing lead based in Somerset. 
 
Find us on social media!
Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/BMJStudent
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bmj_student/?hl=en-gb
 
Apply to be the next Editorial Scholar (and host of Sharp Scratch!) Applications close on Friday 19th April: https://www.bmj.com/content/384/bmj.q685/article-info
Subscribe to our mailing list: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc9djp8xBRKKenGqn-0RbNSl4qUx0Erg7hJ4jdP1vC8sRfrQA/viewform
 
 

Parenting at medical school

Parenthood and medical school are two very different, each noble, roles. This week, we shed some light on the experiences of those medical students who are parenting at medical school. What is parenthood at medical school like? What challenges do parents encounter at medical school? What can friends and colleagues do to support parents at medical school?
Éabha and Judy are joined by Maz, a medical student and mum, and Luke, an FY2 doctor who became a dad while at medical school. 
Apply to be the next Editorial Scholar, and host of Sharp Scratch, now: https://www.bmj.com/content/384/bmj.q685 
Find us on social media:
Twitter/X https://twitter.com/BMJStudent 
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/bmj_student/?hl=en-gb 
 
Sign up for our monthly newsletter! https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc9djp8xBRKKenGqn-0RbNSl4qUx0Erg7hJ4jdP1vC8sRfrQA/viewform 
 

Perfectionism

Perfectionism is medicine’s favourite flaw. It seems that all too often, the very traits that we entered this profession for; wanting to be the best, wanting to do the best by our patients and colleagues, can often lead to burnout, to loneliness, to all those negative consequences we have discussed in previous episodes. In this episode we look a little more at perfectionism; what it is, why we medics are so partial to it, and how we can use it to our advantage rather than falling victim to it.
This week, the panel are joined by expert guest Dr Thomas Curran. Thomas is  a BPS chartered psychologist and Associate Professor in the Department of Psychological and Behavioural Science at the London School of Economics. He is a world-leading expert on perfectionism and in 2023 he published his debut book, 'The Perfection Trap.'
Buy 'The Perfection Trap':  https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/447202/the-perfection-trap-by-curran-thomas/9781847943842
Find us on social media!
Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/BMJStudent 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bmj_student/?hl=en-gb 
 
Sign up to our monthly newsletter! https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc9djp8xBRKKenGqn-0RbNSl4qUx0Erg7hJ4jdP1vC8sRfrQA/viewform 
 

The lonely medics club

We spend a lot of time in medical school working as a part of a team, either in class time, or in clinical teams like the MDT. Yet, medical school can be a very lonely place. We get taught a lot about loneliness and how dangerous it can be for patients and as we age, but lots of us are impacted by loneliness, at every age.
In this episode, we could talk about some of the drivers of loneliness at medical school, asking why so many of us feel so lonely even when we are so often surrounded by our peers, and challenging these drivers of loneliness in meaningful ways.
Clare Dixon is a clinical tutor at Lancaster Medical School and a clinical psychologist. In her work with medical students, she runs a Clinical Psychology Service for medical students in Lancaster. 
Ian Smith is a Clinical Psychologist and the research director of the DClinPsych programme at Lancaster Medical School. He works clinically with medical students in the Clinical Psychology Service at Lancaster Medical School.
Keep in touch, we'd love to hear your thoughts on the show, especially if you feel comfortable sharing your own experiences of loneliness at medical school and what has helped you!
You can find us on social media:
Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/BMJStudent
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bmj_student/?hl=en-gb
 
Last month, we launched our monthly newsletter - sign up now to receive the best of BMJS directly to your inbox! https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc9djp8xBRKKenGqn-0RbNSl4qUx0Erg7hJ4jdP1vC8sRfrQA/viewform 

Meet the multidisciplinary team

This week, the panel explore the dynamics of the multidisciplinary teams that come together to look after patients in hospitals and in the community.
Building on previous episodes which have explored the idea of teamwork and multidisciplinary teams from the perspective of medical and nursing students, this episode broadens our horizons and tries to understand a little more about multidisciplinary teamworking.
Expert guest Samantha Holmes is a head and neck cancer specialist speech and language therapist, currently working at The BMJ as the Chief Sustainability Officer's clinical fellow. You can find her on Twitter/X at @SHolmes_SLT
 
Please keep in touch, I’d love to hear your thoughts on the show, let us know about your experiences of working with the multidisciplinary team!
You can find us on social media:
Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/BMJStudent
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bmj_student/?hl=en-gb
 
This month, we launched our BMJ student monthly mailing list. Sign up now to receive the best of BMJ student directly to your inbox every month! https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc9djp8xBRKKenGqn-0RbNSl4qUx0Erg7hJ4jdP1vC8sRfrQA/viewform