Sharp Scratch

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. 
 
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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.

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 today’s episode will be a look behind the scenes at what it means to work at The BMJ.
Today we’ve got four current/former Editorial Scholars ready to talk all about our experiences working at The BMJ, as well as how you can get involved via the Clegg Scholarship, the Editorial Scholarship, Sharp Scratch, and writing articles! We’ll dive into any worries we had before joining, and unpick our experiences to hopefully allow you to get a better insight into the inner workings of a medical journal!
With thanks to Marina Politis and Nicholas Phillips (Clegg Scholars, 2022).
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.

Sharing is caring

We’ve talked before about how one's own experience of illness can affect their practice, but does it also influence how much you share with your patients?
In today’s episode we’re going to be talking all about physician self-disclosure - that is, all the things we, as future doctors, might share with our patients. We’ll be asking how appropriate it is to share your own stories with a patient and how you know when the timing is right to do this. This week, we’re going to be focusing on stories of illness and health, but we’ll come on to talking about other aspects of our identity in a future episode.
Expert guests:
Dr John Launer is a medical educator and writer. His background is in general practice and family therapy, and he also has a degree in English literature. He now devotes his time to medical education and he specialises in interactional skills.
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.

What’s in a name?

Some supervisors say "call me Bob'' but others insist on "Doctor Jones". In this episode we're reflecting on what types of supervisors fall into each camp and why sometimes using professional titles feels like honouring someone's hard work, but other times it feels like a way of putting you in your place.
In today’s episode, we’re thinking all about the title “doctor”. We’ll talk about when and how it should be used and discuss our own experiences with this. We’ll also discuss why some people get called ‘doctor’ far less than others, and how titles can sometimes create strange power dynamics and unhealthy hierarchies in medicine.
Expert guests:
Dr Anna Baverstock is a paediatric consultant in Somerset. She has a wellbeing role within the trust and is passionate about kindness, civility and inclusion.
Miss Evelyn Mensah, otherwise known as Evie, is a consultant ophthalmic surgeon in a large acute trust in north west London.
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.