Tag Archives: Dave Etler

Self-Doubt and Riding the Ethical Railroad

Share

train crash photo
Photo by SMU Central University Libraries
One of our podcasting goals is to encourage others to create their own shows, especially medical learners.  So John Pienta, Irisa Mahaparn, Adam Erwood, and Erin Pazaski were pleased to hear from listener Terel, who got it and launched a podcast of her own!  Go, Terel!  Although perhaps she and her fellow pre-meds should (not) consider the path taken by another undergrad, who decided to skip all the pesky applying and test taking and just declare herself a medical student so she could jump right in and start seeing patients.  On the other hand, if you worked hard getting your MD, and made all the sacrifices medical education requires, then getting married to your degree may be something to think about.   As often happens to medical students, Irisa confesses she’s having to learn what to think about herself when she doesn’t get tippy-top grades in her classes…and she worries that if she had to help someone give birth on a train, surely no one aboard would survive.  And Dave offers his co-hosts some practice at answering health questions they might really hear someday, which he pulled from the saddest place on the internet: Yahoo! Answers.  Listeners, share your thoughts with us each week.  Call us at 347-SHORTCT any time, and email theshortcoats@gmail.com.

Continue reading Self-Doubt and Riding the Ethical Railroad

Real, and Fake, Research Day

Share
public health photo
Photo by Arenamontanus

We’ve got a crowd of M1s in the house rapidly approaching the end of their first year.  This past week, Kylie Jade Miller, Levi Endelman, Adam Erwood, and new co-host Irene Morcuende took their physical exam skills practical exam; and they discussed some research they did at the intersections of medical and society–the public health implications of the American-as-apple-pie cycle of  incarceration, the effects of Medicare expansion have had on access to mental healthcare, what happens when substance abuse sufferers are offered clean needle and Narcan, and whether taxing sugary drinks have an effect on obesity.  Dave, seeing an opportunity to torture his co-hosts, put them through a Pop Quiz: can they discern if the research he presents to them is real or from the depths of Dave’s mind? Kylie uses the occasion to let her secret gunner out.  Listeners, we offer free advice!  Call us at 347-SHORTCT anytime, or email us at theshortoats@gmail.com.

Continue reading Real, and Fake, Research Day

Consumer Genetic Testing, Marmite for Your Brain, and Counting Human Calories

Share
marmite photo
Photo by Stewart Black

Dave is no scientist, but he is ‘science-adjacent.’  This week, after having read of research involving the benefits to brain function conferred by Marmite consumption, he conducts his own experiment on SCP hosts John Pienta, Kaci McCleary, Aline Sandouk, and Nathan Miller. Will they be able to use their new Marmite-based powers to pass Dave’s Pop Quiz and identify actual Amazing Health Products You Can Get?  Listener Hannah wants to know all about the medical science training program lifestyle, and how it differs from the MD student experience, and since Aline is an MSTP student herself, Hannah’s in luck.  And 23andMe has finally received approval from the FDA to offer genetic screenings for defects that either one already knows about or that knowing about might do more harm than good.   Listeners, if you like what you hear today, please leave us a review on iTunes!

Continue reading Consumer Genetic Testing, Marmite for Your Brain, and Counting Human Calories

The Black Mask and Mental Health in Iowa

Share
Dave tries the latest YouTube beauty treatment. (spoiler: it doesn’t make him prettier)

Sometimes, Dave has ideas.  This time Dave’s idea was to get his long-suffering co-hosts to enjoy the YouTube beauty treatment known as The Black Mask.  Because, dermatology!  Which is better, the DIY treatment or the store-bought version?  Kaci McCleary, John Pienta, Adam Erwood, and Lisa Wehr will try to suss it out so you don’ t have to.  Also, we discuss Iowa’s shortcomings with respect to mental health–its recent closures of state mental health hospitals and the reduction of psych beds across the state–as well as Iowa’s recent moves counter to the trend–adding hospital beds and even residency programs!  Meanwhile, is the anesthetic ketamine poised to revolutionize emergency treatment for suicidal depression?  It’s been many years since we had a new class of drugs to treat depression, but as always there are risks and doubts to be considered.  On a related note, Dave attended a meeting of CCOM’s new chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, and John reviews briefly the College’s new class “The Thriving Physician,” both meant as antidotes for medical education’s deleterious effects on mental health. Listeners, share your thoughts with us each week.  Call us at 347-SHORTCT any time, and see our Facebook page where we often broadcast our recording sessions live so you can join in on Fridays.

Continue reading The Black Mask and Mental Health in Iowa

The False Dichotomies in Medical Politics, Physician Lifestyles, and Public Discourse

Share
decision photo
Photo by Steve Webel

This episode is all about false dichotomies–situations or ideas that seem like dilemmas (and thus require a difficult choice to be made) but which really aren’t.   Much of the public discussions of things like the hours that residents work, the funding for medical research, the lifestyles that residents are forced to lead, the choices that prospective medical students make are couched in terms of either/or choices.  Corbin Weaver, Matt Wilson, John Pienta, and Kaci McCleary discuss the alleged dilemmas that we encounter in medicine and medical education, and conclude that these choices are often not mutually exclusive. It is possible to have both shorter hours and safer patient handoffs and quality education, despite rules that seem to indicate otherwise.  It is possible to adequately fund basic science research and fund a sensible national defense, despite presidential budgets that slash NIH funding.  Should listener Justin study during the summer prior to med school to begin medical school on the right foot, or will he struggle if he takes a break to live a little?  And listener Julian is super annoyed at the admissions process. Is his ire justified? Listeners, share your thoughts and questions with us each week.  Call us at 347-SHORTCT any time.

Continue reading The False Dichotomies in Medical Politics, Physician Lifestyles, and Public Discourse

Cardiothoracic Surgery: A Woman’s World, For Dr. Sharon Larson

Share
drum circle photo
Secret weapon for future surgeons. Photo by drumcircles.net

Dr. Sharon Larson is Iowa’s first female cardiothoracic surgeon.  You might be forgiven for thinking that Iowa’s been a bit backwards for not having had this glass ceiling broken sooner, but there aren’t exactly a surplus of women who’ve sought out this demanding career.  In the United States, only 5% of CT surgeons are women in this already-tiny specialty.  When Dave read about her in the local paper, he figured she’d be a great guest for Kylie Miller, Philip Huang, Hadeal Ayoub, and Erin Pazaski to talk with about things like glass ceilings and how women succeed in a man’s world. Turns out, Dave was right–she’s a great guest to talk to about the long road to becoming an attending in her field, what male surgeons should know about female surgeons and vice versa, and how a woman might find she and her friends taking golf lessons to prove a point. Listeners, when you talk to us, we do our best work.  Call us at 347-SHORTCT any time, and email theshortcoats@gmail.com.

Continue reading Cardiothoracic Surgery: A Woman’s World, For Dr. Sharon Larson

Happy Glitches, Research Niches, and Doc Dash Pitches

Share
glitch photo
Photo by PetroleumJelliffe

This week we start with some feedback from listener Paulius, who has a suggestion for a future show on the unsung heroes of primary care.  Thank you!  Dave bats the idea around with John Pienta, Kylie Miller, Tarek Karam and Elizabeth Shirazi.  Meanwhile, as biomedical science grapples with a study-replication crisis perhaps caused by structural problems that discourage repetition in favor of novel findings and breakthroughs, we consider the advice of Ioannis Yannas, one of the inventors of artificial skin.  Are cat lovers really at risk for schizophrenia?  A large UK study says piffle, although cat-lover Kylie points out that there are some caveats.  And though Tarek and Kylie are well-behaved on the mic, their individual approaches to weather-related flight delays reveal some points of contention. Listeners, share your thoughts with us each week.  Call us at 347-SHORTCT any time, and ask us questions on Fridays at noon as we record the show while broadcasting on Facebook Live!

Continue reading Happy Glitches, Research Niches, and Doc Dash Pitches

The Stages of Life: Love, Body Odor, and Body Donation

Share

Love is on the air this week, as Cole Cheney hears a declaration of listener Naomi’s feelings…and then gets a Valentine’s week surprise. Also, Dave, Matt Wilson, Levi Endelman, and newbie Tarek Karam confront the perils of old age (apparently, Dave is emitting 2-Nonenal as we speak).  An article on the lower cost of body donation (as compared to funeral costs) has the group thinking about the contributions their own donors have had on both their education and their understanding of how important it is to do one’s best to honor them.  As Match Week creeps up on us, the potential for confusion is high for US hospitals and residents from countries marked for travel bans/extreme vetting/whatever. To the extent the US healthcare system depends on foreign medical graduates and international medical graduates, there may be trouble ahead. PS: If you’re in the neighborhood of Iowa City, consider entering the UI Doc Dash to support the Iowa City Free Medical Clinic and the University of Iowa Mobile Clinic, both of which deliver free care to the medically under-served.  Listeners, share your thoughts with us each week. Call us at 347-SHORTCT any time, and see our Facebook page for a question to consider every Monday.

Continue reading The Stages of Life: Love, Body Odor, and Body Donation

Putting 2016 behind us…waaaay behind us.

Share
smell photo
Photo by break.things

Dave and the gang (Kaci McCleary, Rob Humble, Elizabeth Shirazi, and later in the show Anthony Hunt (an Iowa pharmacy student to whom Rob is affianced) say goodbye to what many acknowledge was a suppurating, prurient rash of a year.  Fortunately, medical students around the country are working to make medical school a better place, including some Michigan students who have formed a consult service for those who need help not being terrible oral presenters. The gang discuss their favorite lecturers, including Dr. Nathan Swailes who’s got a pretty fun blog about histology, of all things. NASA technology is doing its part, taking Mars Lander technology and using it to detect bed sores, which is a far bigger deal than you might expect.  Another group of researchers has created a cool bit of nanotech that can effectively diagnose 17 different disorders just by ‘smelling’ your breath.  Can today’s co-hosts smell any better than a bunch of high tech nano-whatsis?  We do an experiment to find out.

Listeners, share your thoughts and ideas with us each week: call us at 347-SHORTCT any time, send us emails at theshortcoats@gmail.com, and follow us on Facebook.

Continue reading Putting 2016 behind us…waaaay behind us.

PIMPing and Jamming, Sexist Science, and Salon Samaritans

Share
flight attendant photo
“Oh, sweetie, aren’t you precious! We were looking for a real doctor!” Photo by gbaku

Dave once again forces the group to play a game of questionable relevance to medicine in which his co-hosts ask each other anatomy questions while wearing speech jammer headphones.  Corbin Weaver, Matt Wilson, and Issac Schwantes are good sports, however, which is easy for them seeing as how Dave is the absolute worst at talking while wearing the mind-scrambling headset.  We also discuss a couple recent examples of bias in medicine, including flight attendants’ response to a young, black doctor’s offer to help a distressed passenger in flight, and Delta’s follow up admission that its policies weren’t helpful. Another example: a recent study that seemed to conclude women were better doctors than men, without addressing other, perhaps systemic reasons for the results. And what can hairdressers do about domestic violence?  Illinois lawmakers think they can help quite a bit.

[huge_it_gallery id=”106″]

Listeners, share your thoughts with us each week.  Call us at 347-SHORTCT any time, and see our Facebook page for a question to consider every Monday.

Continue reading PIMPing and Jamming, Sexist Science, and Salon Samaritans