Tag Archives: confidence

Slapping together a Confident Med School Application List

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Self-reflection is key to choosing what med schools to apply to

Listener Virginia dropped us a line to ask us how she might go about selecting from the 195 med schools in the US to build her list of schools to send her application to. M1s Chase Larsson, Sarah Lowenberg, Luke Geis, and M4 Katie Higham-Kessler look back on how they made their decisions, taking into account family proximity, costs, personal interests, geography, and vibes! Also, an unsurprising JAMA Surgery review of the risks associated with professional slap fighting (slow-mo video referenced in the discussion is at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xefAFB1NRNU&t=1268s). And the group practices a necessary medical school skill: confidence in the face of uncertainty (AKA speaking on things about which they know nothing).

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Recess Rehash: Why you’re better off on day one not knowing what kind of doc you want to be.

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Photo by herlitz_pbs

[Due to one thing or another, we didn’t record last week.  So here’s a re-run.  Hey, if Radiolab can do it, so can we.  Enjoy!]

Med school may be a trying experience, but it’s made so much better by the lifelong friends you meet.  That’s the case for today’s co-hosts, Kylie Miller, Olivia Pittman, Danielle Schilling, and Erin Pazaski, all M4s.  Their experience turns out to be a good thing for listener Coleman who wants to know if he should already know what his specialty will be on his first day at med school this coming fall, or if not knowing will disadvantage him in some way.

Also discussed: their upcoming Match Week (perhaps to be cancelled due to COVID-19), and the bad advice they’ve gotten on how to appear confident and competent as lady docs.


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You care about others, or you wouldn’t be into this medicine thing. Our #merchforgood program lets you to give to our charity of the semester and get something for yourself at the same time!

This Week in Medical News

The director of the Santa Clara County Public Health Department, offering advice on reducing the spread of COVID-19, was the source of some internet amusement this week.  And perhaps one day you’ll do your residency at Walmart!

We Want to Hear From You

What bad advice have you gotten on how to present yourself as a woman? Call us at 347-SHORTCT anytime or email theshortcoats@gmail.com.

Continue reading Recess Rehash: Why you’re better off on day one not knowing what kind of doc you want to be.

Why you’re better off on day one not knowing what kind of doc you want to be.

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Photo by herlitz_pbs

Med school may be a trying experience, but it’s made so much better by the lifelong friends you meet.  That’s the case for today’s co-hosts, Kylie Miller, Olivia Pittman, Danielle Schilling, and Erin Pazaski, all M4s.  Their experience turns out to be a good thing for listener Coleman who wants to know if he should already know what his specialty will be on his first day at med school this coming fall, or if not knowing will disadvantage him in some way.

Also discussed: their upcoming Match Week (perhaps to be cancelled due to COVID-19), and the bad advice they’ve gotten on how to appear confident and competent as lady docs.


Buy Our Merch and Give At The Same Time

You care about others, or you wouldn’t be into this medicine thing. Our #merchforgood program lets you to give to our charity of the semester and get something for yourself at the same time!

This Week in Medical News

The director of the Santa Clara County Public Health Department, offering advice on reducing the spread of COVID-19, was the source of some internet amusement this week.  And perhaps one day you’ll do your residency at Walmart!

We Want to Hear From You

What bad advice have you gotten on how to present yourself as a woman? Call us at 347-SHORTCT anytime or email theshortcoats@gmail.com.

Continue reading Why you’re better off on day one not knowing what kind of doc you want to be.

Don’t count on Public Service Loan Forgiveness

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The Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program is Broken

loan photoFormer co-host and now PM&R Doctor Cole Cheney returns for a discussion of what he’s discovered about the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program, which rewards careers in public service by forgiving student loans after 10 years of qualifying work.  The first 11 years have passed since its inception, and you’ll never guess how many people have had their loans forgiven.  Aline Sandouk, Dylan Todd, Brady Campbell, and financial aid counselor Chris Roling were on hand for a discussion of why you’ll want to have a backup plan to pay off your med school debt.

This Week in Medical News

A study looks at whether we’re ready for whole genome sequencing as a screening tool for newborn babies.  We discuss whether teenagers are capable of withstanding the rigors of medical school.  And an we explore the ‘confidence gap’ between men and women in medicine and whether it’s even important.

We Want to Hear From You

Are you a woman who has been counselled to lean in and act more confident? Call us at 347-SHORTCT anytime, visit our Facebook group, or email theshortcoats@gmail.com.  We’d love to hear from you!

Continue reading Don’t count on Public Service Loan Forgiveness

The Secondary Application: Bragging vs. Confidence

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How can you brag about yourself without bragging about yourself?

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4773691/

We are taught from a  young age (most of us, anyway) not to brag.  It is better, we may sometimes hear, to show confidence.  Listener Rachel wrote in with a question about the secondary application: how does one confidently talk themselves up without coming across as a braggart?  Lucky for Rachel, we have Daniel Schnall from our admissions staff on hand to help Mark Moubarek, Kylie Miller, Aline Sandouk, and Gabe Conley with some great advice about how to sell yourself on your application and also back it up.  Don’t want to look like a chump?  Dan has your answer, Rachel.

Kylie had an excellent idea: med students are pressed for time, and nutrition can be one of those things they deep six in favor of studying.  Her thought: let’s make a cookbook for Med Student Success, and listeners can contribute!  Do you have a favorite recipe you use to keep your Kreb’s cycle in tip top shape?  Then submit the recipe so we all can benefit!  Comfort food, speedy prep, healthy living,  or whatever, we want to hear about it!  We’ll publish the results in some fashion, and everyone who contributes will get a free copy!

Plus, the group plays Doctor Forehead.  Do you know the terms and concepts Dave found in the news last week, and why they were even being talked about?

This Week in Medical News

Everyone knows ortho residents don’t get enough exercise.  Skinny, pale, weak, they’re practically collapsing under the weight of their own skin.  Which is why we’re relieved that someone took pity and created a peer reviewed(?) workout routine for them, using common materials found around the ortho workroom.  Get swole!  Is the NIH doing it’s job of funding innovative research and fostering research careers?  Doesn’t sound like it.  And the AMA goes all in on a call to ban the American Dream sale and ownership of assault weapons.

We Want to Hear From You

Are you a gun owner who feels like the AMA goes to far? Do you want advice and don’t want to pay for it?  Call us at 347-SHORTCT anytime, visit our Facebook group, or email theshortcoats@gmail.com.  We’ll talk about it.

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There Will Be No Problems: Confidence and Reassurance

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Photo by Sustainable sanitation

On a recent show, Dave opined that shaving one’s armpit hair might cut down on deodorant failure, and a listener called into vindicate him, much to Mark Moubarek’s shame.  Another listener, PharmD and author Tony (he’s written a book you might want to try if you’re looking for “a relaxed approach” to memorizing pharmacology), wants to know how a medical student gets to the point where they can be confident enough to say to a patient, “There will be no problems.” Mark, Amy Young, John Pienta, and newcomer Julie Gudenkauf weigh in on the acquisition of confidence and the art of reassurance.

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