Tips and Tricks for Crushing it in Clerkships

Audio January 15, 2026 Dave Etler

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:05:07 — 90.7MB)

What to expect for med students moving from classroom to exam room

The beginning of clerkships mark a medical student’s progress from theoretical learning to practical application of what they’ve been taught. This past week, our M2s received a 4-day long orientation to clerkships (we call it “transitions week”), and M2s Samantha Gardner and Alexis Baker were joined by M3s Fallon Jung and Zach Case to talk about this important milestone. What are clerkships like? How will students know what to actually do? Who will they be working with? What are residents and attendings looking for when they evaluate a clerkship student? How should they react when a patient says something out-of-pocket?

There’s so much to be learned in clerkships…including that they really are prepared to enter the real world, even if they don’t yet feel it!

Episode credits:

Producer: Fallon Jung
Co-hosts: Zach Case, Samantha Gardner, Alexis Backer

The views and opinions expressed on this podcast belong solely to the individuals who share them. They do not represent the positions of the University of Iowa, the Carver College of Medicine, or the State of Iowa. All discussions are intended for entertainment purposes only and should not be taken as professional, legal, financial, or medical advice. Nothing said on this podcast should be used to diagnose, treat, or prevent any medical condition. Always seek qualified professional guidance for personal decisions.

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The Short Coat Podcast is FeedSpot’s Top Iowa Student Podcast, and its Top Iowa Medical Podcast! Thanks for listening!

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Short Coat Podcast

They Way Most Docs are Paid Doesn’t Lead to Healthier Patients (Recess Rehash)

Audio January 8, 2026 Dave Etler

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:11:48 — 98.6MB)

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[ICYMI, here’s a rerun of a show released earlier this year. We’ll be back with new shows starting next week!]

How the system pays doctors can change healthcare outcomes—sometimes in scary ways.

The way docs are paid can make patients sicker…or can lead to healthier ones. The payment schemes most docs work under incentivize them to fix patients, while others motivate them to prevent illness—and geriatrician Dr. Jonathan “Nathan” Flacker is here to explain why. This episode rips the curtain off RVUs, fee-for-service traps, and the real reason your doc is rushing through your visit (hint: it’s not personal, it’s math).

We dig into ChenMed’s wild idea: what if clinics got paid to keep you out of the hospital? Turns out, when money flows toward health instead of procedures, everyone wins. Except maybe the $400M proton beam facility (for the record, we love proton beams, but you might not need them if you can avoid cancer altogether).

Is concierge-style medicine only for the wealthy? What happens when you build “rich person care” for low-income seniors? And how many patients can a doc see well before it all breaks? If you’re dreaming of a career where you actually help people instead of just clicking boxes—this one’s a wake-up call.

Also: Love calls, RVU debt, and why pajama time should be illegal.

Episode credits:

Producer: Jeff Goddard
Co-hosts: Riley Behan-Bush, Zach Grissom, Alex Nigg
Guest: Dr. Jonathan “Nathan” Flacker, ChenMed

We Want to Hear From You: YOUR VOICE MATTERS!

The Short Coat Podcast is FeedSpot’s Top Iowa Student Podcast, and its Top Iowa Medical Podcast! Thanks for listening!

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Short Coat Podcast

Demand to Be Called ‘Doctor,’ or Let It Slide (AITA)? (Recess Rehash)

Audio January 2, 2026 Dave Etler

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:06:40 — 61.0MB)

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[It’s winter break, and everything has come to a halt here, including podcasting. We’ll be back soon, promise!]

Reddit’s “Am I the Asshole?” makes us question everything

Reddit’s “AITA?” brings out the best and worst in people—and this week, we’re analyzing some choice cases through the lens of med school. M1s Srishti Mathur, Sahana Sarin, Maria Schapfel, and Mahaasrei Ghosh debate whether people in these scenarios are truly in the wrong or just victims of someone having a very bad day.

We break down the pressure on pre-meds and med students to do research, the value of publications, and the “gunner” mentality. Is bench research a necessary evil, or are pre-meds wasting their time? When is it appropriate to insist on being called ‘Doctor?’ Is it okay to go nuclear to take someone down a notch when they need it? Is a degree in design and marketing as important as an MD? It’s a chaotic mix of ethics, egos, and existential crises—so strap in.

We Want to Hear From You: YOUR VOICE MATTERS!

The Short Coat Podcast is FeedSpot’s Top Iowa Student Podcast, and its Top Iowa Medical Podcast! Thanks for listening!

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Short Coat Podcast

Another Path to Med School: Masters of Clinical Anatomy

Audio December 26, 2025 Dave Etler

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:10:06 — 97.7MB)

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An alternative to postbac programs?

Postbac programs are okay, but what if there was another path to medical school? M2s Sarah Upton, Alec Marticoff, and Kevin Gubner host the program directors of the Carver College of Medicine’s Masters of Clinical Anatomy Program. Interestingly, each co-host decided to get a MCA to make up for some shortcomings in their med school applications, whether it was soft a GPA or a lack of applicable hard science education.

To do that, they could have done any number of things–like an expensive post-baccalaureate program that offers no degree–but instead they chose to seek an MCA degree to pave their way to medical school. Co-directors Marc Pizzimenti and Emma Handler visited with The Short Coat to discuss the program, what it’s like for students, and the additional skills that they got, including instruction in teaching…something they wouldn’t have gotten in a postbac program.

In the end, the MCA program not only taught them anatomy–something they’d definitely need as physicians someday–but also helped them fix their undergrad shortcomings, readied them for the rigors of studying medicine, and built their teaching skills–all with an incredible student-faculty ratio they wouldn’t have gotten in many other degree programs. Plus they get to tack on some sweet letters after their names!

Episode credits:

Producer: Sarah Upton
Co-hosts: Alec Marticoff, Kevin Gubner
Guests: Marc Pizzimenti, PhD, MA, BEd; Emma Handler, PhD

We Want to Hear From You: YOUR VOICE MATTERS!

The Short Coat Podcast is FeedSpot’s Top Iowa Student Podcast, and its Top Iowa Medical Podcast! Thanks for listening!

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Short Coat Podcast

The Unexpected Power of Student Doctors (Recess Rehash)

Audio December 18, 2025 Dave Etler

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:10:07 — 96.6MB)

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[We weren’t available to record a new show for you this week, so enjoy this rerun instead!]

Clinical students are sometimes the only ones who have time to listen

In the clinic, med students can feel like bystanders, but they can make all the difference for patients. M3 Jeff Goddard, M3 Tracy Chen, M2 Alex Nigg, and M4 Matt Engelken recount stories of the patients that stuck with them—some painful, some beautiful, and some just plain awkward. From OB-GYN to peds to the ER, they share how student doctors—who can often feel like tagalongs—can often be the ones offering emotional support, catching critical miscommunications, or just being the one person with time to care. We reflect on the pressure to look competent, the sting of lukewarm evaluations, and how one med student realized a patient wasn’t constipated—just heartbroken.

Also in this episode: talking to dying patients, babies are scary, and what not to say when to overwhelmed family.

A med student comforts a patient. Concerned family are dimly seen in the background. Text: "No One Else Noticed:

Episode credits:

Producer: Dave Etler
Co-hosts: Matt Engelken, M4; Jeff Goddard, M3; Tracy Chen, M3; Alex Nigg, M2

We Want to Hear From You: YOUR VOICE MATTERS!

The Short Coat Podcast is FeedSpot’s Top Iowa Student Podcast, and its Top Iowa Medical Podcast! Thanks for listening!

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Short Coat Podcast

How to Survive The First Semester of Med School

Audio December 11, 2025 Dave Etler

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:06:36 — 92.8MB)

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These M1s say it wasn’t easy…but it was FUN?

You know medical school is hard, but what does that mean? That idea has no emotional connection to anything until you are IN IT, and these M1s definitely were.

Jonah Albrecht, Trever Maiers, Alex Johnson, and Chris Ceplecha review the M1 semester and how they survived it. You’ll hear about what habits they had to drop, and which of their experiments in learning were a waste of time. Who did they lean on? What made it possible? What did they trip over, and how did right themselves? Their stories should give hope to future students that while medical school is tough in ways that are unpredictable, by working together–whether teaching each other, admitting when they needed help, and taking advantage of the resources available to them–it’s not only possible, but “fun!”

Episode credits:

Producer: Jonah Albrecht
Co-hosts: Trever Maiers, Alex Johnson, Chris Ceplecha

We Want to Hear From You: YOUR VOICE MATTERS!

The Short Coat Podcast is FeedSpot’s Top Iowa Student Podcast, and its Top Iowa Medical Podcast! Thanks for listening!

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Short Coat Podcast

Family expectations, culture clashes, and career priorities: Who’s the A-Hole? (Recess Rehash)

Audio December 4, 2025 Dave Etler

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:05:56 — 90.6MB)

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[Due to Thanksgiving break, we have no new episode this week for you, but here’s a good one from our back catalog!]

When your boyfriend’s an OB/GYN and your friends can’t chill

We’re passing judgment, because someone has to. This week’s Reddit-fueled medical panel takes on uncomfortable questions that your group chat definitely isn’t ready for: Is dating an OB-GYN inherently weird? Should your partner be your #1 even when you’re literally delivering babies at 3 AM? And what happens when your parents think taking three days off is career suicide?

We drag a few well-meaning but very misinformed relatives, unpack how culture collides with medicine, and dissect how med students actually keep their relationships alive. Plus, one brave listener dares to ask: “Can I move out of my family’s one-bedroom and still be a good daughter?”

Expect spicy, real talk, and a few questionable ideas we’re choosing not to redact.

Episode credits:

Producer: Holly Hemann
Co-hosts: Srishti Mathur, Samantha Gardner, Kate Timboe, Alexis Baker

We Want to Hear From You: YOUR VOICE MATTERS!

The Short Coat Podcast is FeedSpot’s Top Iowa Student Podcast, and its Top Iowa Medical Podcast! Thanks for listening!

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Short Coat Podcast

The Universal Experience that Medicine Hates Talking About Most

Audio November 27, 2025 Dave Etler

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:09:53 — 96.0MB)

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[Content warning: this episode contains frank discussions of death and dying that some listeners may want to skip.]

Doctors need to actually ask patients what a good death looks like to them

Medical students learn so much anatomy and pathophysiology, the social determinants of health, and the practice of medicine. Meanwhile managing death—one of two things every single patient experiences—gets squeezed into a few short lectures. It can sometimes feel like hospice and palliative care are afterthoughts.

Of course, med students train to be healers, to fix what is broken. But a conversation about the end of life, and the patients’ goals for that most solemn event, is so important that it’d be nice if physicians and physician assistants could do that without sweating through their scrubs.

That 89-year-old patient joking about being “ready to kick the bucket” needs a provider who can stop and talk when they’re asked what dying actually looks like. The family demanding “everything be done” deserves someone who stops to explain what “everything” really means. And the chef who refuses the feeding tube isn’t being stubborn—he’s making the most rational decision about quality of life you’ll hear all week.

PA2 Chloe Kepros, M2s Sarah Nichols and Nick Lembezeder, and M1 Jonah Albrecht discuss the economics driving end-of-life care costs, explore why palliative care should start at diagnosis instead of six months before death, and examine how their medical training creates providers who can make speedy life-and-death decisions for their patients, but don’t have time to process watching them die.

Episode credits:

Producer: Chloe Kepros
Co-hosts: Jonah Albrecht, Sarah Nichols, Nick Lembezeder

We Want to Hear From You: YOUR VOICE MATTERS!

The Short Coat Podcast is FeedSpot’s Top Iowa Student Podcast, and its Top Iowa Medical Podcast! Thanks for listening!

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Short Coat Podcast

Harsh Truth: Most Pre-Meds Don’t Get Accepted

Audio November 20, 2025 Dave Etler

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:01:45 — 84.8MB)

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Three med students who didn’t get in at first talk about why.

Thousands of med school applicants are going to feel the sting of rejection at the end of this cycle. We hope YOU aren’t one of them, but if you are, take heart–this is but one year among the many years you’ll be working toward your goal.

In the meantime, co-hosts M2 Daniel Haws, M3 Fallon Jung, and M2 Cara Arrasmith talk about why they had to try an extra time or two–what they did wrong and how they fixed it–with CCOM admissions expert Rachel Shulista. Stop wasting thousands of dollars on medical school applications that go nowhere. This episode breaks down the reasons admissions committees reject candidates and shows you how to build the clinical experience and academic profile that gets you accepted!

The real reasons applications crash and burn: applying late because you thought October deadlines were suggestions, having little clinical experience beyond watching Grey’s Anatomy, and writing personal statements that sound like generic healthcare brochures. We break down why you need to get feedback from admissions–it might be the most valuable conversation you never wanted to have, and how Daniel actually turned down an acceptance to reapply to his dream school (note well: the all-knowing geniuses on Reddit were not happy about this).

Listener Chunkster is freaking out that they haven’t heard already, so Rachel explains what happens during those months of radio silence as you wait for word on your app, and why most decisions come in the final pool anyway. And we talk about what Chunkster should do to keep the inner demons at bay while they wait. Plus, we explore the delicate art of the “humblebrag” in medical school applications and why your personal statement shouldn’t read like a Wikipedia page about the medical profession.

Whether you’re waiting to hear back, nursing a rejection, or wondering if you’re cut out for this med school thing, we’ve got the real talk you need to survive the application gauntlet.

Episode credits:

Producer: Dave Etler
Co-hosts: Daniel Haws, Fallon Jung, Cara Arrasmith
Guest: Rachel Shulista, CCOM Admissions

We Want to Hear From You: YOUR VOICE MATTERS!

The Short Coat Podcast is FeedSpot’s Top Iowa Student Podcast, and its Top Iowa Medical Podcast! Thanks for listening!

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Short Coat Podcast

The Rural Doc Crisis and the Med Students Who Plan to Be Where They’re Most Needed

Audio November 13, 2025 Dave Etler

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 52:42 — 72.4MB)

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The Truths and Solutions for Small-Town Healthcare.

We’re talking about rural medicine, where the needs are huge, the systems are broken, and sometimes, you just have to trust the process. Did you know that rural Americans have only 13.1 docs per 10,000 people compared to 31.2 in urban areas? Yeah, the need is real. But why are these students signing up for the challenge? And what the heck does a $50 billion Senate program have to say about processed cheese slices?

M2s Srishti Mathur, Megan Perry, Kassidy Brady, and M1 Megan Ahman grew up seeing the healthcare gaps firsthand, and now they’re dreaming of a career in rural medicine. From small town Iowa, Nevada, and Illinois, they explain that coming from a smaller area often fosters a skewed (but positive) perception of healthcare. Learn why practicing in a smaller community will allow them to wear multiple hats and take on greater roles, not just as a physician but as advocates for public health.

We look at the incentive programs designed to lure doctors into underserved areas, offering significant loan forgiveness if you practice primary care rurally for a number of years. We then open up the debate on compulsory rural service (a common practice in other countries). Does it work? We also discuss the new $50 billion Senate program intended to transform rural healthcare, analyzing the requirement for physicians to take continuing education on nutrition, and Feds’ barring of low-income people from buying “non-nutritious” foods (whatever that means).

You’ll discover the crucial pros and cons of rural practice, the opportunities rural physicians have to offer a wider medical practice than would be practical in an urban setting. The crew examines how telehealth might bridge the specialist gap, not just for patient-to-physician interaction, but for physician-to-physician collaboration. We also explore the valuable lessons learned from required under-resourced community rotations, emphasizing that knowing where patients come from and learning the community culture is beneficial, even for future urban specialists.

Finally, stick around as we take an unexpected, macroscopic look at everyday office objects and ultra-processed food–things look great from a distance but are confusing, even off-putting, when you zoom in; but can the co-hosts figure out what they’re seeing?

Episode credits:

Producer: Megan Perry, Kassidy Brady
Co-hosts: Srishti Mathur, Megan Ahmann

We Want to Hear From You: YOUR VOICE MATTERS!

The Short Coat Podcast is FeedSpot’s Top Iowa Student Podcast, and its Top Iowa Medical Podcast! Thanks for listening!

Continue reading →

What to expect for med students moving from classroom to exam room

Episode credits:

We Want to Hear From You: YOUR VOICE MATTERS!

How the system pays doctors can change healthcare outcomes—sometimes in scary ways.

Episode credits:

We Want to Hear From You: YOUR VOICE MATTERS!

Reddit’s “Am I the Asshole?” makes us question everything

We Want to Hear From You: YOUR VOICE MATTERS!

An alternative to postbac programs?

Episode credits:

We Want to Hear From You: YOUR VOICE MATTERS!

Clinical students are sometimes the only ones who have time to listen

Episode credits:

We Want to Hear From You: YOUR VOICE MATTERS!

These M1s say it wasn’t easy…but it was FUN?

Episode credits:

We Want to Hear From You: YOUR VOICE MATTERS!

When your boyfriend’s an OB/GYN and your friends can’t chill

Episode credits:

We Want to Hear From You: YOUR VOICE MATTERS!

Doctors need to actually ask patients what a good death looks like to them

Episode credits:

We Want to Hear From You: YOUR VOICE MATTERS!

Three med students who didn’t get in at first talk about why.

Episode credits:

We Want to Hear From You: YOUR VOICE MATTERS!

The Truths and Solutions for Small-Town Healthcare.

Episode credits:

We Want to Hear From You: YOUR VOICE MATTERS!

Medical School Podcast: What They Don't Tell You | The Short Coat