Tag Archives: match

Step Exams: Ready Or Not Here They Come

Three exams that might drive you crazy.

If you’re a pre-med, you may have heard about Step exams. But what are they? When the hell are you supposed to start studying? Should you be doing Anki cards in the womb? And are your scores actually going to determine your entire future? This episode is basically your reality check from people who’ve either survived these medical licensing exams or are currently drowning in practice questions right now. M4 Zay Edgren and M3 Radha Velamuri help M1 Isa Perez-Sandi and M2 Zach Grissom understand the whole chaotic timeline—from Step 1 going pass fail (RIP to the days when that score mattered) to Step 2 being the new make-or-break moment for your residency application. And let’s not forget Step 3 which comes later and is–some will say–just another expensive box to check during residency.

You’ll hear honest takes on when people actually start medical board exam preparation, how medical school rotations can change everything about studying for these beasts, what those clinical vignette questions are really testing, and why practicing on actual patients beats memorizing the whatever cycle. Whether you’re an pre-med just learning what “shelf exam” means, deep in medical student board preparation hell, or a parent of one of those—we’ve got the insider info, the real timeline, and exactly zero sugarcoating. Plus: hot takes on curly hair management, why being ten years old means you’re already behind, and a very specific discussion about dumpster diving that makes sense in context. But probably not.

Episode credits:

  • Producer: Zay Edgren
  • Co-hosts: Isa Sandi-Perez, Zach Grissom, Radha Velamuri, Zay Edgren

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.

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

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How We’re Preparing for Residency Interviews

What do residency programs really want to hear about?

  • M4s Nathen and Zack, M3 Rick, and MD/PhD student Riley offer their ideas on prepping for residency interviews and the questions they’ll probably be asked.
  • Dave offers up an ‘educational’ improv exercise to help them prepare.
  • Premed listener Emily was told that Family Medicine is a dead end…by her mom who is a Family Medicine doc! That’s not really the case, is it?

[URL template for episode https://media.blubrry.com/theshortcoat/podcast.uiowa.edu/com/osa/CHANGETHIS.mp3]

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

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Requiem for a Meme: Yahoo! Answers will close

Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

TL;DR

  • Should Victoria also get a law degree to facilitate a career in health policy?
  • Shea sends feedback on our recent discussion of options for unmatched MD Seniors
  • We practice answering patient questions with a straight face by visiting Yahoo! Answers for what might be the last time!

The Big News in medical education is that a valuable resource for practicing patient interactions and understanding their concerns is shutting down. That’s right, Yahoo! has decided to shut down it’s beloved, if deeply sad, site that allows people like Dave to post their urgent health-related questions. Will they flock to Quora? Who knows, but for now M4s Sophia Williams-Perez and Marisa Evers, M3 Annie Rempel, and M2 Eric Boeshart celebrate its impact on medical school podcasts with some new questions and revisit some old favs.

Listener Victoria writes in wondering whether an MD/JD degree is right for a health-policy focused career. We can help, and we start by noting that no-one has signed up for this dual degree option at our school in several years.

And listener Shea fact checks (with love!) our recent discussion of options for unmatched senior MDs.

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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Get In Next Time: Our Top Recommendations For Fixing Your Application!

Med school admissions is a numbers game.  Here’s how to increase your chances for the next time.

examine photo
Photo by donna_0622

If you got only rejection letters this application season, you might be thinking your dreams of attending med school are dead.  Well, pick yourself up off the ground, soldier, it’s not over yet because you can apply again.  But don’t go throwing good money and time away by reapplying without taking a close, honest look at what your application was missing.  Amy A’Hearn, our admissions assistant director, visited to discuss what you should think about when re-evaluating your competitiveness, with the help of Aline Sandouk and Irisa Mahapan.  Don’t give up…find out what Amy’s top recommendations are, and get your dream back on track!

Plus we ask the most important question of all–why do men roll up their pants legs?


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

Match week was  great for us here at UI as our students did better than the national average for finding a job after med school.  But all was not perfect this year, as during the Supplemental Offer and Acceptance Program (SOAP), the servers crashed denying unmatched residency programs and applicants critical time to do the same.  In the end, it all worked out…but it was a stressful time for all–but from our viewpoint, especially for SOAPing students!  And it isn’t the first time, either.

We Want to Hear From You

Share your stories–anonymously, if you like–of your rejections and how you fixed it! Call us at 347-SHORTCT anytime, visit our Facebook group, or email theshortcoats@gmail.com.

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Match Day!

The Haugsdals compare their match results.

This week, we talk about Match Day, the big day when medical students find out what they’ll be doing for the next few years after graduation.  It’s a big deal, and to help us make sense of it, CCOM Registrar Damien Ihrig and fourth-years Jaclyn and Michael Haugsdal and Natalie Ramirez sit down to hash it out.  It’s both magical and stressful, but at the end you have a job that you love…hopefully.

Listen now to Episode 021: Match Day!

The opinions expressed in this feed and podcast are not those of the University of Iowa or the Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine.
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