Tag Archives: work-life balance

Short Coat Podcast

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.

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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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Short Coat Podcast

Love, Lobsters, and Loans: The Just Married Game

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In the world of medicine, finding time for love is both an art and a science.

Happy Valentines Day! MD/PhD student Faith Prochaska, and M1s Taryn O’Brien and Fallon Jung share how they navigate relationships amidst their hectic schedules. With quizmaster Jeff Emrich from student financial services, they play The Just Married Game and discuss their personal plans, the balance between work and personal life, and their insights into relationships in med school through a series of questions answered by their partners–can they guess what their partners think of them? The group also touches on the impact of medical school on their personal lives, highlighting the importance of communication and support in maintaining strong relationships.

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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?  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”). Or email theshortcoats@gmail.com.

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Short Coat Podcast

Sleeper Specialties: Nuclear Medicine

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Medicine, Work-Life Balance, and Physics, together at last

Dr. Michael Graham, a seasoned Nuclear Medicine practitioner and professor at the University of Iowa, reached out to us recently because at a national level his specialty is experiencing a shortage of new residents. The reasons for this include a less-than-perfect fit with the way it’s traditionally been lumped into radiology, a field with some parallels but some important training differences.

M1 Fallon Jung, PA1s Olivia Quinby and Noah Vasquez, and M2 Jeff Goddard talk with Dr. Graham about how the field has evolved and changed the dynamics of patient care and medical practice.

Decoding Nuclear Medicine with Dr. Michael Graham

For those in the dark, nuclear medicine is the area of medical practice that uses radioisotopes for diagnosis and, increasingly, treatment. The secret weapon is the ability to see bodily function and metabolism unlike routine imaging.

One reason we think nuke med is a sleeper specialty is lifestyle–compared to some of the more procedural specialties like surgery or OB, there is a more regular schedule on offer. Dr. Graham suggests that those who might find a good fit with nuke med studied engineering or physical sciences, and he offers some pointers for students considering a career in nuclear medicine and how it intersects with the broader field of radiology.

Touching on future trends in healthcare, we discussed newer ‘theranostic’ agents – a combination of therapeutic and diagnostic modalities. This rapid and promising development offers targeted treatment – increasing effectiveness while minimizing side effects.

Ensuring Work-Life Balance

Dr. Graham also helps us answer listener Molly’s question: how do medical students and doctors achieve a balance between their work and their personal lives. The balance in nuke med, as Dr. Graham highlights, can be somewhat smoother than in other medical specialties.

More about our guest:

Website: https://medicine.uiowa.edu/radiology/profile/michael-graham

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Short Coat Podcast

Uncovered! First-Year Students Learn Way More than Medicine

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First year of med school contains many life lessons.

  • We are fortunate to have a friends group of first-year students on the show to look back on their experience and reflect on what they discovered.
  • M1s Olivia and Katie, and PA1 Faith talked with Dave and admissions guru Rachel about how their lives have changed, what they realized about themselves, and their plan for incorporating those lessons into year 2.

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 Continue reading Uncovered! First-Year Students Learn Way More than Medicine →

Short Coat Podcast

Pancakes and Firehoses: How Med Students Decide Where to Focus

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There’s always something more to do, but should you do it? And how much?

  • First, we get something important out of the way: Is “Drinking from the Firehose” the best analogy for medical school’s workload, or is “The (Infinite) Stack of Pancakes” more accurate?
  • M2s Matt and Zay, MD/PhD student Riley and M4 Nathen discuss how they decide how much to do in medical school to become the best doctor they can be.

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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Short Coat Podcast

The Power of Discomfort in Learning Medicine

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If you don’t like what you’re learning, look even closer.

TL;DR

  • Dave asks his co-hosts to think about the role of discomfort in learning. It’s a signal that you need to pay very close attention, both to the topic and to why you feel that way.
  • Listener Michelina, an undergrad mom with a full-time job, asks if her COVID-affected grades mean she should extend her time in college to seek a toxicology degree or just stick with biology.
  • The discussion on working during medical school continues, as Michelina wonders if she can work full time while she balances motherhood and med school.

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

Continue reading The Power of Discomfort in Learning Medicine →
Short Coat Podcast

NOT EVERYTHING NEEDS TO BE MEANINGFUL, Y’ALL.

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The Meaning of Purposelessness

On This Episode:

Join this week’s co-hosts M4 Madeline Cusimano, M3 Nathen Spitz, M3 Mason LaMarche, and M4 Ananya Munjal for the show!

  • Facing a content-free episode, we discuss what medical students do when they’re avoiding purpose and meaning (ie., they want to just have fun).
  • We discuss a more nuanced view of work-life balance in medicine than is usually discussed (referenced: this Medscape article).
  • Madeline challenges the gang to play 5-second rule, Medicine Edition.
  • Bonus: As many tangents and asides as we can fit into an hour.
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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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Short Coat Podcast

Which is More Important: the MCAT or Your Job?

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Should you put your life on hold for the MCAT?

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Photo by Gene Hunt

As a planned parenthood sex educator, listener T’keyah wants to know what medical schools teach about meeting the needs of LGBTQIA+ patients.  Amy Young, Patrick Brau, Liza Mann, and Teneme Konne can’t, of course speak for all medical schools, but they can speak about what they are learning: quite a lot, not least because we have an LGBTQ clinic they can rotate on!  T’keyah snuck a second question in, too: she loves her job, and it’s important work.  So, is the advice she’s gotten to stop working while studying for the MCAT valid?

This Week’s Medical News

A study out of the UK says that men of advanced paternal age (ahem, forty or older) tend to father geekier boys: smart, focused, and unconcerned about what people think of them.  And we took note of an column this week on why doctors swear so much.  Hint: it’s not all sunshine and roses, being a physician.  With this in mind it is only logical that, in the name of science, Dave has his co-hosts stick their hands in ice water and recite Dr. Seuss.  Will they be able to withstand the ethically induced pain?

We want to hear from you

Thank you, T’keyah for your question!  If you have something to say or a question to ask, call us at 347-SHORTCT any time, and email theshortcoats@gmail.com.

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Short Coat Podcast

From Oakland to Iowa City to Silicon Valley: Founding a Tech Startup in Med School

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Terrence Wong
Terrence Wong

Terrence Wong is not your average medical student.  Growing up in Oakland, California, he didn’t have opportunities or connections.  And a lack of resources meant that even as a little tyke he looked for ways to make money, like selling stuff on the Internet.   He’s since realized that there are others out there who could use some information and encouragement–mentorship–to help them achieve what he did: going from poor inner-city kid to student at a top medical school.  So he and some friends with serious coding chops founded MedMentor  to hook up pre-meds with medical students who can serve as mentors, and to bring more diversity to a profession that sorely needs it.   Terrence and Dave talked about what it’s been like to be both a medical student and a startup founder, and how listening to what ‘they’ think of your crazy idea is pretty much the last thing you should do.

Listen to more great shows for medical students on The Vocalis Podcast Network.

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; nor do they reflect the views of anyone other than the people who expressed them.  If you have feedback on anything you hear on the show, positive or not, let us know.