Sharp Scratch

Teamwork makes the dream work

We’ve all had those placements where we’ve felt like a real part of the team, where we’ve felt really valued and included, and that we’ve got to know our colleagues even in our short time in a given area. Even in my experience, I know the opposite can also be true. We sometimes experience friction or conflict within and between teams on placement, and that can really impact on our learning experiences and perceptions of placements and even of entire specialties.
 
In this episode, we talk about what makes a good team, how we as medical students can help to integrate ourselves into teams and why this is so important for our patients and colleagues.
 
Our expert guest, Professor Michael West, has published over 200 articles and written, edited or co-edited 20 books on teamwork, leadership and culture. A professor of Work and Organisational Psychology at Lancaster University, he is an expert in compassionate leadership and in team and organisational innovation and effectiveness, especially in relation to healthcare services
 
Articles discussed in the podcast:
Tannenbaum SI., & Cerasoli CP. (2013). Do team and individual debriefs enhance performance? A meta-analysis. Hum Factors. 2013 Feb;55(1):231-45. doi: 10.1177/0018720812448394. PMID: 23516804.
West, M., & Coia, D. (2019). Caring for Doctors Caring for Patients. London: General Medical Council. Available online at: https://www.gmc-uk.org/-/media/documents/caring-for-doctors-caring-for-patients_pdf-80706341.pdf

Why I (still) love medicine

 
Morale has been low in medicine recently. With ongoing industrial action and the recent AIMS study finding that almost ⅓ of us students plan to leave the NHS within two years of graduating, it can sometimes be difficult to remain optimistic about the future in medicine. 
But it is a brand new year, and so in this week's episode we start the year reflecting on the things we love about medicine. From patients and colleagues, to the breadth of work we are able to do, there is still so much to love. 
This week, Éabha is joined by panellists Anna, an obstetrics and gynaecology trainee in the North East, and Sarah, a fourth year medical student in Milton Keynes. The panel hear from Jingy Alom BEM, an emergency medicine doctor in North East London, and Mark Williams, a GP.

Christmas on the wards

The festive season is officially here! This time of year is all about spreading peace and goodwill, and if you’re looking for good will, one place you’re almost certain to find it is the NHS. 
 
While working throughout the Christmas period is often an intimidating prospect for new doctors, and often we would rather *not* spend our holidays at the hospital. Yet, the wards are a pretty unique place to spend the holidays, or at least some of them, so in this Christmas special episode we could talk to some of our panellists who have already been doctors for a Christmas (or more) about their experiences of being on the wards during the holidays and about any advice they might have for those of us about to have our first holiday season in the hospital.
 
This week, Éabha is joined by Laura, an internal medicine trainee in Cambridge, and Kayode, a foundation year 2 doctor in London. 
 
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Fake it ’til you make it

 
In medical school, it can all too often feel like everyone knows what they’re doing except you. Some people always seem to have this err of confidence to them. But does anyone really know what they’re doing? 
 
In this episode, we talk all about times when we have felt like everyone has ‘got it’ except us, how and why we might fake it until we make it, and some tips on building this confidence in our clinical and academic lives, with some guidance from expert guest, Órla McGovern.
 
Órla McGovern is a storyteller and actor living in Galway, Ireland. An award-winning storyteller who has told at the Cape Clear Festival, Yarn Festival at Mermaid Arts World Storytelling Café, Electric Picnic, Artists House Cobh, and numerous others, Órla has worked extensively with medical students as both a simulated patient and as a 'clown doctor,' entertaining patients in hospital.
 
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Twitter/X https://twitter.com/bmjstudent?lang=en
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/BMJStudent/
 

How to study for medical school exams

Starting medical school can be a shock to the system. From day 1, there is so much to learn, there’s exams to pass and all these new practical skills to get your head around. This podcast is all about how you can learn best and boss those exams without letting them take over your whole life. 
 
In this episode, we talk all about how to do the best you can do in exams, about learning and the study tips and tricks that have and have not worked for us. Sarah, our expert guest, is an educational psychologist who works in the South West of England. 
 
Find us on social media:
Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/BMJStudent
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bmj_student/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BMJStudent/ 
 
This podcast is produced and edited by Geoff Marsh and Duncan Jarvies

The social life of medics (with Christina Aaliyah)

They say nobody parties harder than medical students, but is that really true? What do our panellists think? Long-time listeners of sharp scratch may remember the fresher’s firsts: socialising episode recorded in the middle of the pandemic, so we are happy to be revisiting this topic now that medical school, and University, feels a little more normal. 
 
In this episode, the panel talk all about socialising at medical school; from freshers' weeks, to sports and societies, to all the friends they made along the way. 
 
Expert guest Christina Aaliyah is a final year medical student at Newcastle University and a content-creator who’s content about studying medicine and university life has amassed a following of over 140,000 on TikTok.
 
You can find Christina’s social media here:
Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@christina.aaliyah?lang=en 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chrstinna/
Check us out on social media:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BMJStudent 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bmj_student/ 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BMJStudent/  
 
This podcast is produced and edited by Geoff Marsh and Duncan Jarvies.

The medical school scaries

Spooky season is here, and sometimes there is nothing scarier than a medical degree. From broken bones, to early morning buses, we medics are fond of a horror story.
 
This episode, to celebrate halloween, we are sharing some of our spookiest medical school scaries - the good, the bad and the funny. We talk about some of the things we find scary about medical school, and why we find these things so scary.
 
In this episode the panel are joined by Dr Megan Brown, a ‘doctor-turned-academic’. With a background in clinical medicine, she now works full time in academia, and is a senior research associate in medical education at Newcastle University. 
 
Check us out on social media:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BMJStudent 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bmj_student/ 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BMJStudent/  
 
This podcast is produced and edited by Geoff Marsh, Dom Byrne and Duncan Jarvies.

Replay: How not to bomb your OSCEs

Here at sharp scratch, we are taking a short break, so in the meantime we'd like to highlight some of our favourite episodes from the archive. I thought these episodes might be particularly helpful for those of us starting out at medical school, and I hope you enjoy them. 
In this episode, the panel were joined by medical school expert David Brill, as they discuss how to approach practical exams and manage nerves, as well as their OSCE disaster stories.

Replay: The first generation medical students

Here at Sharp Scratch, we’re taking a short summer break, so in the meantime we’d like to highlight some of our favourite episodes from our archive. I thought these episodes might be particularly helpful for those of us starting out at medical school, and I hope you enjoy them.
Starting university or medical school can be a daunting experience for anyone, but when you're the first person in your family to study medicine, it can feel even scarier. In this episode, the panel talk all about what it is like to be a first generation medical student, starting from the very beginning and talking about when they realised they first wanted to study medicine and what it was like to apply. They also talk about their time at medical school, and the culture shock when they arrived. To finish up, they talk about positive changes they'd like to see in medicine and how their feelings have changed over time. 
 
Check us out on social media: 
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Replay: Academic first times

We are taking a short summer break from Sharp Scratch, so in the meantime we’d like to highlight some of our favourite episodes from our archive. I thought these episodes might be particularly helpful for those of us starting out at medical school, and I hope you enjoy them. 
In this episode, the panel were joined by Richie Oparka, consultant pathologist and head of first year at Dundee medical school. They discussed and reminisce on their own first years, including their first dissections, lectures and exams.