Tag Archives: Happy Kumar

What Does “Perfect” Mean in Med School?

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Why perfect isn’t always the goal

Listener Noah wrote to us from the UK asking–among other things–how he could flourish when he starts medical school. One statement caught our eye, however: that he was determined to do everything right the first time. M4s Matt Engelken, Chirayu Shukla, Happy Kumar, and Jacob Lam discuss their perspective on how that’s not necessarily the right goal to aim for.

Then listener Tiffany, a med student herself, asked the boys how they prepared for the Step 1 licensing exam. That word “licensing,” it turns out, is important–as a pass/fail exam, this isn’t like most exams, where the goal is to get as close to perfection as is possible. Instead, the idea is to demonstrate your general knowledge and pass without losing your mind.

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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AITA? Probably!

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But sometimes everyone’s a jerk.

Self-evaluation is important, especially in medicine, but sometimes you just gotta ask–was I a jerk? Dave Etler, MD/PhD student Miranda Schene, M4 Happy Kumar, and M2 Holly Hemann use Reddit’s ‘Am I the Asshole?’ submissions to exploring feelings of impostor syndrome, the ethics of classroom behavior, fair recognition of achievements, and cases of medical malpractice. Along the way, they provide practical advice for medical school admissions, dissect the delicate balance of maintaining professionalism in the medical field, and what to think when even mom craps on your dreams. Shut up, mom!

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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Programs that will pay for medical school (and one thing not to do)

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[This episode has visual content you might find more enjoyable using YouTube Music, where you can listen with your phone in your pocket as usual, but then watch for the more visual content]

Paying for Medical School is Scary…but it’s totally doable!

Listener Eden is looking ahead to how she’ll finance medical school as someone who is in the disadvantaged category of applicants. One option she asked us to talk about is the Health Professions Scholarship Program offered by the US military, and she wanted to hear from someone who is in that program. M4 Wilson Fitzgerald gave us the details, some ideas about what it’s like to be a physician in the military, the sacrifices he’s decided to make to take advantage of the program, and how it’s working out for him so far. PA faculty member Jeremy Nelson, M2 Fallon Jung, and M3 Happy Kumar helped discuss why it might not be a great idea to wait to start medical school so that you have time to save up tuition. And Dave pulls out a bunch of reels he’s been saving in his drafts because he doesn’t think they’re any good. Spoiler alert: they should have stayed in his drafts–but you can see them on our Instagram anyway!

Mentioned:

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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Continue reading Programs that will pay for medical school (and one thing not to do)

Listener asks: What does Patient Advocacy Look Like? (Recess Rehash)

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[Because of Match Week and Spring Break, we didn’t record a new ep last week. Enjoy this rerun instead, and we’ll be back next week! –Dave]

Speaking up for your patients will have profound impacts

  • Short Coat Savannah’s previous work in mental health settings exposed her to situations where she had to report abuse. She left us a message at 347-SHORTCT asking us to talk about patient advocacy.
  • MD/PhD student Riley, PA1 Faith, M1 Jeff, and M3 Happy–along with some of our faculty–look at what doctors actually do to advocate for their patients in that situation, as well as other more common situations.
  • Plus, Jeff licks an elephant to right an old wrong.

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”). We want to know more about you: Take the Listener Survey We do more things on…

Continue reading Listener asks: What does Patient Advocacy Look Like? (Recess Rehash)

What Patient Advocacy Looks Like

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Speaking up for your patients will have profound impacts

  • Short Coat Savannah’s previous work in mental health settings exposed her to situations where she had to report abuse. She left us a message at 347-SHORTCT asking us to talk about patient advocacy.
  • MD/PhD student Riley, PA1 Faith, M1 Jeff, and M3 Happy–along with some of our faculty–look at what doctors actually do to advocate for their patients in that situation, as well as other more common situations.
  • Plus, Jeff licks an elephant to right an old wrong.

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”). We want to know more about you: Take the Listener Survey We do more things on…

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Urology = Mac & Cheese, and other Thanksgiving Questions Answered

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What Thanksgiving dish will you become?

  • Happy Thanksgiving! Dave and co-hosts Matt, Miranda, Happy, and Chirayu take a moment to acknowledge and call out those they’re thankful for.
  • The gang settles an age-old question: what medical specialty would each Thanksgiving dish be?
  • Listener Thor wants to know: how can he be the best and most “helpful” shadower possible?

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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Zebra Hoofbeats: Rare Compassion for People with Rare Diseases

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“Rare Compassion” links medical students with families living with rare diseases

  • M2s Matt, Happy, and Jacob, and MD/PhD student Levi welcome Rachel Barron and M4 Dao Tran to talk about a program which links medical students with families and patients suffering from rare genetic conditions.
  • Rare Compassion from Global Genes seeks to build mutual understanding between learners and people with untreatable or unknown conditions as they navigate a healthcare system that has difficulty dealing with ambiguity.

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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Today’s Healthcare Careers are More Varied Than Ever. Explore Them Before You Risk Med School

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Schools want to know that you’ve looked at other careers, otherwise they won’t take a chance on you.

TL;DR

  • Listener Preston is weighing PharmD or MD school. How can he choose, and how his process of choosing make schools feel better about him?
  • Brylee didn’t get into med school this time around, is facing a tight turnaround for the next application season, and she hasn’t even got a compelling gap year job lined up yet. Is she risking another rejection by rushing things?
  • M4 Mackenzie Walhof and M1s Happy Kumar, Matt Engelken, and Jacob Hansen try to convey their passion for random, made-up gap year. Can they convince a skeptical interviewer?

We Want to Hear From You

How’d we do on this week’s show? Did we miss anything in our conversation? Did we anger you? Did we make you smile? Call us at 347-SHORTCT anytime  or email theshortcoats@gmail.com.  It’s always a pleasure to hear from you!
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