Sharp Scratch

Can you learn empathy?

Empathy is one of the essential qualities of a good doctor. One way this is assessed at medical school is the use of objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) stations. The use of OSCEs in medical schools is controversial - it can be used to simulate clinical examination and test students’ ability to express empathy while some perceive OSCEs as an artificial and narrow understanding of clinical medicine.
Topics:
• How do medical students’ experiences of empathy change during their medical education?
• What factors do medical students describe as influencing their empathy during medical school?
• Should and can empathy be assessed?
• Importance of empathy in the patient-doctor relationship
Expert guest:
Dr David Jeffrey is a retired palliative doctor and former academic mentor at Dundee medical school involved in student support. He also did a PhD exploring empathy in medical students.
Recommended reading:
• I never asked to be ICE’d - https://www.bmj.com/content/354/bmj.i3729
• Communication skills and the problem with fake patients - https://www.bmj.com/content/357/sbmj.j974?sso=
*We’re looking for new panel members!*
Are you a:
✅ Medical student
✅ Listener of Sharp Scratch
✅ Keen on representing the voice of medical students?
In the past, the panel only consisted of medical students studying in the UK. However, remote recording meant that we can extend this opportunity to medical students in other countries. If you’re interested, please apply via the link below. We look forward to hearing from you!
Apply here: https://forms.gle/QocryfkG137cWTb88
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 you weren’t told about working as a junior doctor

When going on placement, you are probably more interested in gaining experience in the clinical environment and less interested in how frequently doctors can take breaks.
Doctors’ working conditions may seem irrelevant as a medical student but they are closely associated with work satisfaction and wellbeing. In this episode, the Sharp Scratch panel discussed doctors’ working conditions and how it impacts our day-to-day work.
Expert guest:
Dr Kevin Teoh (@kevinteohrh on Twitter) is a Chartered Psychologist and the Executive Officer for the European Academy of Occupational Health Psychology.
Thank you to Dr Saliha Mahmood Ahmed (@salihacooks on Twitter) and Neely Mozawala (@NeelyMozawala on Twitter) who contributed to this episode.
*We’re looking for new panel members!*
Are you a:
✅ Medical student
✅ Listener of Sharp Scratch
✅ Keen on representing the voice of medical students?
In the past, the panel only consisted of medical students studying in the UK. However, remote recording means that we can extend this opportunity to medical students in other countries. If you’re interested, please apply via the link below. We look forward to hearing from you!
Apply here: https://forms.gle/QocryfkG137cWTb88
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.

Publish or perish?

Publications, presentations, citations - these are trophies that you can flash proudly on your CV. However, what medical students may underestimate, is the long hours required reading papers, processing data and revising manuscripts. While academic medicine can be rewarding and intellectually stimulating, it is not the only way to become a successful clinician, and it definitely isn’t the be-all and end-all.
Topics:
•What do editors look for in manuscripts?
•The importance of having a mentor in academia
•Navigating author guidelines
•Pre-print platforms
•How does one get into publishing?
•How do I get better at writing?
•What do researchers look for when medical students reach out to them?
•Predatory journals
Expert guest:
Dr Joseph Ross (@jsross119 on Twitter) is a Professor of Medicine (General Medicine) and of Public Health (Health Policy and Management) at the Yale School of Medicine. He is also the co-founder of the preprint service for medicine and health sciences - medRxiv.
Check out Edward Christopher’s piece on predatory journals: https://blogs.bmj.com/bmj/2019/10/08/edward-christopher-how-can-medical-students-avoid-predatory-journals/
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.

Lost in translation

As healthcare professionals, we work with people from a myriad of culture and countries. At times, some patients may need a little bit of help with English. We may also elicit language skills from our diverse workforce. But is it the right thing to do?
Timestamps:
0:00 - 1:17 - introduction
1:18 - 4:50 anecdotes of encountering patients who may need a bit of help with English
4:51 - 7:15 a bilingual medical student shares her experience of interpreting for patients
7:16 - 10:18 - language barrier may compound medical jargon
10:19 - 13:07 why getting help from interpreters is important
13:08 - 18:40 should you be asking your colleagues with language skills to help interpret?
19:50 - 23:07 a medical interpreter gives some insight about her role
23:08 - 31:33 reflecting on misunderstanding that arose from misinterpreting verbal and non-verbal communication
33:27 - 39:17 should you be using Google Translate?
39:18 - 47:00 how about using friends and family of the patient to help with interpreting?
According to the Census in 2011, the top three languages other than English spoken in England and Wales are Polish (546,000 people), Punjabi (273,000 people) and Urdu (269,000 people).
Link: https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/culturalidentity/language/articles/languageinenglandandwales/2013-03-04
Expert guest:
Professor Jieun Kiaer is a Professor of Korean Language and Linguistics at the University of Oxford.
Thank you to Wiktoria Ozarek and Candy Lee who contributed to this podcast.
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.

All I want for Christmas is...

‘Tis the season of giving and receiving gifts. In medicine, as demonstrated by the early phase of the pandemic, patients and the public may express gratitude towards healthcare staff by giving tokens of appreciation in the form of gifts.
In this episode, we discuss:
- the ethics and etiquette of receiving gifts from patients
- how thank you cards can be a good addition to your portfolio, and
- how you can also show appreciation and gratitude to your colleagues by writing feedback.
Thank you for your support this year. If you have any ideas of what we should cover later in the season, please let us know by contacting us via social media. Merry Christmas and happy holidays from the Sharp Scratch team!
NHS England provides guidance on managing conflicts of interest in the NHS which can be accessed here: https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/guidance-managing-conflicts-of-interest-nhs.pdf
Expert guest:
Dr Gordon Caldwell (@doctorcaldwell on Twitter) is a Consultant Physician and Clinical Lead at Lorn and Islands District General Hospital, part of NHS Highlands.
Thank you to Andrew MacFarlane (@andrew_mac94 on Twitter) and Dr Hans van Huellen (@_hvh_ on Twitter) who contributed to this podcast.
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 jargon 101

FBC, BIBA, NBM - how many of these do you recognise?
The healthcare system speaks an entirely different language. As healthcare professionals, our vocabulary is full of jargon and acronyms, and it’s something that we pick up in training.
Communication is key in medicine. So why are we using language that our patients and colleagues may not understand?
A sub-specialty of medical jargon is management language. Check out this BMJ Christmas paper on management language: https://www.bmj.com/content/359/bmj.j5661
Expert guest:
Dr Ashley Reece (@drashleyreece on Twitter) is a consultant paediatrician and a medical educator.
Thank you to Dr Simon Hodes (@DrSimonHodes on Twitter) who contributed to this podcast.
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.

Planet Earth on Red Alert

The climate crisis is a health crisis. In this episode, we explored how climate change will affect how we practise medicine, the importance of sustainable healthcare practice and what you can start doing on a personal, professional and political level towards a greener future.
Climate change is a complex and multi-faceted problem. It’s fair to point out that not everything is covered in this podcast. We would encourage you to do further research and empower yourself and others in working towards a greener future.
Expert guest:
Dr Anna Moore is a registrar in respiratory medicine, the Health Education England Population Health Fellow for NHS Lewisham and Greenwich Trust and the vice chair of Green at Barts Health.
Thank you to Rhiannon Osborne who contributed to this podcast.
Check out Anna’s editorial in the BMJ on integrating planetary health into the medical curriculum: https://www.bmj.com/content/375/bmj.n2385
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.

Superstitions in medicine

Do you hold any superstitions? We are trained as evidence-based healthcare practitioners, yet there are some superstitions that still persist in medicine.
Superstition is an example of confirmation bias, where sometimes we would search for evidence to confirm one's beliefs. Confirmation bias is recognised as an important source of medical error and we discussed what we can do to mitigate this effect.
The BMJ Christmas paper that Laura mentioned about the Q word: https://www.bmj.com/content/367/bmj.l6446
Our expert guest: Dr Neil Dagnall is a researcher in applied cognitive psychology and carries out research projects on belief in the paranormal, mental toughness and anomalous thought processes.
Check us out on social media:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BMJStudent
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bmj_student/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BMJStudent/

Mind the gender health gap

The government launched a Women's Health Strategy to improve health and wellbeing of women in March 2021 as the UK was found to have the largest female health gap in the G20 countries and the 12th largest globally. In this episode, we discuss whether our medical curriculum is doing enough to equip future healthcare professionals in providing adequate healthcare to women.
Link to the government strategy Pat mentioned in the pod: https://lordslibrary.parliament.uk/womens-health-outcomes-is-there-a-gender-gap/
Our expert guest: Dr Elinor Cleghorn has a background in feminist culture and history, and the author of Unwell Women, a book that examines the history of medical misdiagnosis of women's illnesses.
Check us out on social media:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BMJStudent
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bmj_student/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BMJStudent/

What is the hidden curriculum?

Join our Editorial Scholars, past and present, as we reflect on the hidden curriculum, and discuss its role in cultivating professionalism.
While you are here, do check us out on social media:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BMJStudent
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bmj_student/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BMJStudent/