Tag Archives: Jonah Albrecht

How to Survive The First Semester of Med School

Audio December 11, 2025 Dave Etler

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:06:36 — 92.8MB)

These M1s say it wasn’t easy…but it was FUN?

You know medical school is hard, but what does that mean? That idea has no emotional connection to anything until you are IN IT, and these M1s definitely were.

Jonah Albrecht, Trever Maiers, Alex Johnson, and Chris Ceplecha review the M1 semester and how they survived it. You’ll hear about what habits they had to drop, and which of their experiments in learning were a waste of time. Who did they lean on? What made it possible? What did they trip over, and how did right themselves? Their stories should give hope to future students that while medical school is tough in ways that are unpredictable, by working together–whether teaching each other, admitting when they needed help, and taking advantage of the resources available to them–it’s not only possible, but “fun!”

Episode credits:

Producer: Jonah Albrecht
Co-hosts: Trever Maiers, Alex Johnson, Chris Ceplecha

The views and opinions expressed on this podcast belong solely to the individuals who share them. They do not represent the positions of the University of Iowa, the Carver College of Medicine, or the State of Iowa. All discussions are intended for entertainment purposes only and should not be taken as professional, legal, financial, or medical advice. Nothing said on this podcast should be used to diagnose, treat, or prevent any medical condition. Always seek qualified professional guidance for personal decisions.

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Short Coat Podcast

The Universal Experience that Medicine Hates Talking About Most

Audio November 27, 2025 Dave Etler

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:09:53 — 96.0MB)

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[Content warning: this episode contains frank discussions of death and dying that some listeners may want to skip.]

Doctors need to actually ask patients what a good death looks like to them

Medical students learn so much anatomy and pathophysiology, the social determinants of health, and the practice of medicine. Meanwhile managing death—one of two things every single patient experiences—gets squeezed into a few short lectures. It can sometimes feel like hospice and palliative care are afterthoughts.

Of course, med students train to be healers, to fix what is broken. But a conversation about the end of life, and the patients’ goals for that most solemn event, is so important that it’d be nice if physicians and physician assistants could do that without sweating through their scrubs.

That 89-year-old patient joking about being “ready to kick the bucket” needs a provider who can stop and talk when they’re asked what dying actually looks like. The family demanding “everything be done” deserves someone who stops to explain what “everything” really means. And the chef who refuses the feeding tube isn’t being stubborn—he’s making the most rational decision about quality of life you’ll hear all week.

PA2 Chloe Kepros, M2s Sarah Nichols and Nick Lembezeder, and M1 Jonah Albrecht discuss the economics driving end-of-life care costs, explore why palliative care should start at diagnosis instead of six months before death, and examine how their medical training creates providers who can make speedy life-and-death decisions for their patients, but don’t have time to process watching them die.

Episode credits:

Producer: Chloe Kepros
Co-hosts: Jonah Albrecht, Sarah Nichols, Nick Lembezeder

We Want to Hear From You: YOUR VOICE MATTERS!

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

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Short Coat Podcast

Med School Stereotypes Shattered: What We’re Really Like Inside

Audio October 30, 2025 Dave Etler

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:03:57 — 87.8MB)

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Turns out medical students are regular humans who happen to need to memorize the Krebs cycle

We’ve all got that mental image of medical students – the type-A perfectionists grinding through textbooks even on the porcelain throne, right? Well, our first-year medical students at Iowa are about to blow up every assumption you’ve ever had. Turns out the people memorizing a zillion anatomical structures aren’t exactly who you’d expect.

M1s Chase McInville, Lillian Schmidt, Jonah Albrecht, and Abbie Townsend reveal why your pre-med study plans are probably useless, how a hockey ref’s confidence translates to patient care, and why some medical students refuse to study on Saturdays. We explore the real traits that matter (spoiler: it’s not being a genius), bust the myth about cutthroat competition, and discover why medical school might actually be more collaborative than your average undergrad group project.

Plus, we settle the burning question every pre-med wants answered: can you actually prepare for medical school, or should you just go backpacking in Europe instead? These Short Coats share what non-medical experiences shaped them most, from building houses with Habitat for Humanity to working political campaigns to reffing hockey games to farming vegetables with zero agricultural background.

This isn’t your typical “day in the life” medical school content. We’re talking about the messy reality of learning to learn again, the unexpected diversity of personalities in short white coats, and why the smartest thing these students do might be admitting they don’t know everything.

The episode ends with the Short Coats working together to hash out the vibes of med student life. Hint: there should really only be five nerves.