Tag Archives: Alex Nigg

The Unexpected Power of Student Doctors

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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!

We welcome your feedback, listener questions, and shower thoughts. Do you agree or disagree with something we said today? Did you hear something really helpful? Can we answer a question for you? Are we delivering a podcast you want to keep listening to? Let us know at https://theshortcoat.com/tellus and we’ll put your message in a future episode. Or email theshortcoats@gmail.com.

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

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The Disease Medicine Suffers From That’s Causing Immense Suffering

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Groupthink Kills

Do any of these ideas sound familiar?

Whether born by C-section or vaginally, outcomes are the same for babies.

Opioids aren’t addictive.

Appendicitis must be treated by appendectomy.

Children shouldn’t have peanuts until they’re at least 3 years old.

Antibiotics have no downside.

Hormone replacement therapy causes breast cancer.

These recommendations and many more were based largely upon unexamined ideas and bad science. And in recent years through well-designed science we’ve been learning that they made patients sicker.

Dr. Marty Makary is a public health researcher and bestselling author whose new book, Blind Spots: When Medicine Gets it Wrong and What It Means for Our Health, is an incredibly accessible exploration of the pitfalls of medical groupthink and the importance of questioning deeply held assumptions in medicine. It explores how medical training often suppresses big-picture thinking and critical questioning. Co-hosts M2 Alex Nigg, PA2 Julie Vuong, and M3 Jeff Goddard, and M2 Fallon Jung talk with Dr Makary about the disconnect between what’s practiced in medicine and science, the dangers of dismissing new ideas due to fear of association with discredited concepts, and the significance of maintaining scientific objectivity. The episode combines personal anecdotes, practical advice for navigating medical school, and a thought-provoking discussion on improving transparency and trust in healthcare. Join us for an engaging exploration of the critical issues in modern medicine and the role of young doctors in driving change.

More about Marty Makary:

We Want to Hear From You: YOUR VOICE MATTERS!

We welcome your feedback, listener questions, and shower thoughts. Do you agree or disagree with something we said today? Did you hear something really helpful? Can we answer a question for you? Are we delivering a podcast you want to keep listening to? Let us know at https://theshortcoat.com/tellus and we’ll put your message in a future episode. Or email theshortcoats@gmail.com.

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3 ways medicine changed this week

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From classroom to exam room, what you need to know

[This episode is sponsored by Beginly Health. Whether you’re actively searching or casually exploring job opportunities, the Beginly platform matches you with complete anonymity until you’re ready for the next step.]

M1s Fallon Jung and Alex Nigg, M2 Jeff Goddard, and MD/PhD student Riley Behan Bush hear listener Megan’s request for more news on critical healthcare changes from our overlords in the courts and the government. Riley shares insights from her lab work as she works toward finishing her PhD. This episode unpacks the FTC’s move to ban non-compete clauses for doctors, a pivotal Supreme Court case on Idaho’s abortion policies, and new consent requirements for performing invasive procedures you didn’t know were being done on anesthetized people.

We Want to Hear From You: YOUR VOICE MATTERS!

We welcome your feedback, listener questions, and shower thoughts. Do you agree or disagree with something we said today? Did you hear something really helpful? Can we answer a question for you? Are we delivering a podcast you want to keep listening to? Let us know at https://theshortcoat.com/tellus and we’ll put your message in a future episode. Or email theshortcoats@gmail.com.

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Bias, Baby Heads, and Memes

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Understanding others begins with asking questions.

  • M3 Jacob Hansen, and M1s Taryn O’Brien, Alex Nigg, and Fallon Jung consider recent studies highlighting the ineffectiveness of traditional implicit bias training and the disparities in medical care for children of color.
  • Jacob successfully finished Step 1 and the co-hosts tap him for some of his insights from clinical rotations, particularly learning he won’t be pursuing a career in surgery.
  • Dave tries to understand an important aspect of med student culture using his Gen X brain: memes, including their potential as educational tools.

We Want to Hear From You: YOUR VOICE MATTERS!

We welcome your feedback, listener questions, and shower thoughts.  Do you agree or disagree with something we said today?  Did you hear something really helpful?  Can we answer a question for you? Are we delivering a podcast you want to keep listening to?  Leave a message at 347-SHORTCT (347-746-7828) and we’ll put your message in a future episode (use *67 to be an “Unknown caller”). Or email theshortcoats@gmail.com.

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Sleeper Specialty: Internal Medicine-Pediatrics Ft. Dr. Brittany Bettendorf

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A relatively uncommon specialty can help move kids with childhood diseases to adult care

  • In another in our series on “sleeper specialties,” we visit with Internal Medicine-Pediatrics (med-peds) doc Brittany Bettendorf.
  • M1 Alex Nigg and M2 Madeline Ungs learn about this lesser known specialty that combines the detective work of internal medicine with a focus on kids with childhood diseases, including managing their transition to adult care. There aren’t many residencies for med-peds, which alone makes it a sleeper!
  • And Dr. Bettendorf talks about her work in medical humanities at CCOM as a Medicine and Society course director, Humanities Distinction Track co-director, editor of our literary journal, and more.

More about our guest:

Website: https://medicine.uiowa.edu/internalmedicine/profile/brittany-bettendorf

We Want to Hear From You: YOUR VOICE MATTERS!

No matter where you fall on any spectrum, we want your thoughts on our show.  Do you agree or disagree with something we said today?  Did you hear something really helpful?  Are we delivering a podcast you want to keep listening to?  We’ll be sure your ideas are heard by all–leave a message at 347-SHORTCT (347-746-7828) and we’ll put your message in a future episode (use *67 to be an “Unknown caller”).
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