Sharp Scratch

Replay: Starting University

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 can be a really exciting and really nerve-wracking time. There are so many questions you might have before you start. How do you know what to pack? How do you make friends? How do you study? Is it really going to be the best time of your life?!
 
You might be just about to start university in the next week or two, or simply feel like indulging in the nostalgia of those first few weeks. Either way, join Sharp Scratch panel members new and old as we come together to discuss the sorts of things we were worried about or looking forward to before we started university. 
Check us out on social media:
Twitter: twitter.com/BMJStudent
Instagram: www.instagram.com/bmj_student/
Facebook: www.facebook.com/BMJStudent/
This podcast is produced and edited by Dom Byrne and Duncan Jarvies.
 
 

The 100th episode

Join all of the previous hosts as we celebrate 100 episodes of Sharp Scratch!
 
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 Dom Byrne and Duncan Jarvies.

A problem shared is a problem halved

Medicine can be challenging sometimes, and while there are often formal support structures in place such as welfare teams or occupational health to deal with acute events, or ongoing struggles, what about all the day to day parts of medicine? 
 
Today we’re going to be talking about the support systems available in medical schools and the impacts of having, or not having, these structures in place. 
 
Expert guests:
Dr Caroline Walker is a psychiatrist, therapist, speaker, trainer, and coach. She is also the founder of The Joyful Doctor, a non-profit organisation dedicated to improving the wellbeing of health care professionals. More information about The Joyful Doctor can be found here - https://www.joyfuldoctor.com/. 
 
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 Dom Byrne and Duncan Jarvies.

Medical milestones

Milestones in medicine are often thought of as getting over the next professional hurdle - we’re always thinking about passing our next exam, advancing to our next year of medical school or training, or finally becoming a consultant. But in reality, are these the moments that truly feel like significant milestones?
Instead, what if we shifted our mindset to thinking about all of the things that feel personally important, but not really institutionally important. If the things we placed all of our significance on were not passing our exams, but instead the first time someone said well done or that you’d make a really great doctor. 
 
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 Dom Byrne and Duncan Jarvies.

The first generation medical students

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 today’s episode, we’re going to be talking all about what it’s like to be a first-generation medical student. We’ll start from the very beginning and talk about when we first realised we wanted to study medicine and what it was like to apply. We’ll then move on to discussing our time at medical school, and whether we experienced any kind of culture shock when we arrived. We’ll finish up by talking about positive changes we’d like to see in medicine, and how our feelings have changed with time.
Expert guests:
Dr Enam-Ul Haque is a GP Partner in Manchester, as well as a Clinical Senior Lecturer at the University of Manchester. He has a passion for widening participation and equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) and is the Founder of the National Medical Schools Widening Participation Forum and Co-Chair of the MSC EDI Alliance.
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 Dom Byrne and Duncan Jarvies.

How good is a good enough doctor?

When we think of being a ‘good enough’ medical student, our thoughts might go straight to exams. Have we passed them all? What about merits, or even distinctions? It’s easy to prioritise exam scores above all else as it is one of the only times we get clear, concrete feedback - or a number that tells us how ‘good’ we really are.
But can exam results capture everything or is something missing here when we talk about being a ‘good enough’ medical student or doctor? Can written papers or practical exams like OSCEs ever really sum up whether we’ll be ‘good doctors’? And despite so much pressure to excel, do we really need doctors to be the best or do we need them to be good enough?
Expert guests:
Abi Rimmer is a news reporter and careers editor at The BMJ. She is responsible for the careers content and reports on workforce-related and NHS policy issues. She was also recently treated as a patient for stage III rectal cancer.
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 Dom Byrne and Duncan Jarvies.

Is the grass greener elsewhere?

Given the current working conditions in the UK, we’re hearing more and more stories of doctors moving abroad to practise medicine. However, this isn’t necessarily unusual. Doctors and other healthcare professionals from many different countries do often decide to get a taste for healthcare systems elsewhere either through short, temporary placements, or through a more permanent move!
In today’s episode we’re going to be talking all about why students or junior doctors might be considering working abroad. We’ll also talk about the pros and cons of moving to a different country to work, and whether the grass really is greener on the other side. We’ll finish off by talking about the logistics of making such a move, and hear some top tips from our expert guest!
Expert guests:
Dr Matt Morgan is an intensive care consultant, researcher, and author. He currently works in Perth, Western Australia. He is also a columnist for The BMJ and works with BMJ OnExamination.
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 Dom Byrne and Duncan Jarvies.

How do I choose a specialty?

From the moment you start medical school, you’re asked the same question - ‘what kind of doctor are you going to be?’. Whilst some know from the very beginning that they’re going to be a surgeon or a paediatrician or a GP, others have no idea.
The reality of choosing a specialty can be really difficult. In this episode, we talk about the common worries that medical students or junior doctors might have when it comes to choosing a specialty. We’ll also discuss some steps we can take to make that process a little easier.
Expert guests:
Heather Samuel is a professionally qualified careers adviser with over 30 years experience, spending the last 15 years specialising in working with doctors from F1 to CCT and beyond. She now works on a freelance basis for the NHS and with schools.
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 Dom Byrne and Duncan Jarvies.

Baptism of fire: starting in the NHS

From the lingering effects of the pandemic to ongoing industrial action, it is a turbulent time to be working in healthcare. As medical students about to start working in this profession, it can feel really overwhelming and daunting to think about our future careers in the NHS.
Today we’re going to be talking about all the things we’re worried about when it comes to the current NHS crisis. Our expert guest, Elisabeth, will pull in evidence from interviews with junior doctors and healthcare leaders to get a broader sense of the current situation. We also reached out to the rest of the panel, and other medical students on social media, to hear more about their concerns too.
Expert guests:
Elisabeth Mahase is the clinical news reporter for the journalism team at The BMJ. She previously worked at GP magazine Pulse and has a background in Science Communication and Biomedical Science.
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 Dom Byrne and Duncan Jarvies.

Being yourself at work

Every consultation we have with a patient reveals something about us - sometimes we do that deliberately, sometimes it's just incidental - but we always bring something of ourselves to the consultation.
In a recent episode, we talked all about self disclosure; when it is and isn’t appropriate to share things with your patients. In that episode, we focused on health and illness but today, we’re going to be talking about things that are outside of the sphere of medicine. For example, the way that we consider our identity and other aspects of our personal life. This might be through outright self-disclosure or it might be more linked to all of the nonverbal and visual cues you get and give in a consultation.
Expert guests:
Dr Brendan J Dunlop is a principal clinical psychologist and clinical lecturer in clinical psychology. He is also the author of The Queer Mental Health Workbook. He delivers training and teaching which covers elements of self-disclosure.
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 Dom Byrne and Duncan Jarvies.