Imposter Syndrome–are we good enough?

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“Trust me: I’m (going to be) a doctor.” Photo by AZAdam

This week we welcome new Short Coat podcaster Caroline Sanderson who, along with Aline Sandouk, Greg Woods, and Kaci McCleary are ready represent the modern medical student. Including the feeling that all medical students get from time when they’re faced with medical school, which is that they are just not good enough. Imposter syndrome, the unrealistic expectations, and maybe the pressure exerted by the newfangled integration of basic and clinical years in medical school may all play into it (special thanks to StudentDoctor.net’s TheNightingale, who unknowingly sparked the discussion with his/her question).

Continue reading Imposter Syndrome–are we good enough?

Swipe right for surgeons, swipe left for psychiatrists

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Swipe left, SWIPE LEFT! Photo by Fabi-DE

This time, Greg Woods, Lisa Wehr, Aline Sandouk, and Cole Cheney react to the latest news from Duke University on former HHMI cancer researcher Anil Potti‘s disgrace: that, contrary to what Duke said when the data-and-CV-falsification scandal broke in 2010, there was a whistleblower…and it was a medical student, who’d warned them in 2008. Bravery, money, Barbara Streisand, prestige, ego, fear…all these things come into play when researchers falsify, and when institutions cover it up.
Continue reading Swipe right for surgeons, swipe left for psychiatrists

Shakes on a Plane

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Mr. Speaker, when you’re done with your call… Photo by DonkeyHotey

Miriam Murray and Keenan Laraway bring us tales from their residency interview trail, including Keenan’s real-life “is there a doctor in the house” moment during his flight from Washington to Chicago, with a guest appearance by John Boehner. Continue reading Shakes on a Plane

Recess Rehash:, America’s War on Polio

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In this episode from way back, Natalie Ramirez, Zhi Xiong, and Mgbechi Erondu got to hang out with a real Pulitzer winner (!) and a nice man, David Oshinsky, PhD. He is the author of Polio: An American Story. From the papers of Jonas Salk, Albert Sabin, and other key players, Dr. Oshinsky records the U.S. public health crisis of polio and the search for a cure in the early 1950s, a frightening time for all Americans. Continue reading Recess Rehash:, America’s War on Polio

The Most Important 21 Seconds of Your Life

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Or just make sure police are more than 21 seconds away. Photo by futureshape

It’s the last show we’ll record this semester, and to mark it we’ll consider what went well for our hosts in their studies, what didn’t go so well, who helped them not go crazy, and what they’ll be doing differently in the coming year.  Also, some very important news about how long it takes all animals to urinate.   Continue reading The Most Important 21 Seconds of Your Life

Doctor Psychopath Will See You Now

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This won’t hurt me a bit. Photo by OakleyOriginals

Merry Christmas, if that’s your thing. This week, Aline Sandouk, Lisa Wehr, Greg Woods, and Kaci McCleary ponder the prevalence of psychological issues among doctors. It turns out, they’re messed up, especially surgeons. Keep away from those guys, unless you need a transplant. Continue reading Doctor Psychopath Will See You Now

Privilege, Racism, and Allies

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The U.S. has recently (and not-so-recently) been rocked by the killings of black men by police; these events have spawned protests, among them the die-ins at medical schools around the country.  Students Ben Quarshie, Kaci McCleary, Lisa Wehr, Greg Woods, and Aline Sandouk discuss these events, how non-minorities can take part in the conversation without screwing it up, and why these events are important to medical students. Continue reading Privilege, Racism, and Allies

The Med Student Humblebrag

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Those things? I’m sure they’re not important….Photo by techbint

This time, Greg Woods, Aline Sandouk, Ethan Craig, Kaci McCleary, and Cole Cheney talk about the medical student humblebrag, as well as the score-comparison conversations that happen after exams, this despite the common reassurance from administrators and professors that these scores aren’t the most important thing about one’s medical school experience.   Continue reading The Med Student Humblebrag

The Lofstrums–Medical Missionaries in Tanzania

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Dr. Denny and Paula Lofstrum. Photo supplied by Kurt Wall

Dr. Denny and nurse Paula Lofstrum are a pair of true medical missionaries who have spent many years traveling the world from Antarctica to Guatemala to Tanzania.  Their journey together began in the late 1980s, when they embarked on a mission to Guatemala with a team of healthcare professionals.  It was the first of several trips to Guatemala until, in the early 2000s, they were asked by a colleague to visit Iambi Tanzania in East Africa.

It was there that the Lofstrums would discover a new chapter in their mission work.  In 2006 they formed International Health Partners in the US and Tanzania, which works to improve healthcare for the people of Tanzania.  Students Kurt Wall, Miles Greenwald, and Brandon Lyle talk to the Lofstrums about their work.

This Week’s Hosts:

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Listen to more great shows for medical students on The Vocalis Podcast Network.

The opinions expressed in this feed and podcast are not those of the University of Iowa or the Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine.

Barbie is a Terrible Computer Engineer

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She's got this, move along, boys.
She’s got this, boys, move along.

Happy Thanksgiving! Have a heaping slice of Greg Woods, Lisa Wehr, Cole Cheney, and Corbin Weaver who cover the attention Mattel’s Barbie is getting for being a shockingly bad computer engineer, and whether and how this sort of bias against the competence of women appears in medical education. Continue reading Barbie is a Terrible Computer Engineer

An honest guide to the amazing and intense world of medical school.