From the lingering effects of the pandemic to ongoing industrial action, it is a turbulent time to be working in healthcare. As medical students about to start working in this profession, it can feel really overwhelming and daunting to think about our future careers in the NHS. 

Today we’re going to be talking about all the things we’re worried about when it comes to the current NHS crisis. Our expert guest, Elisabeth, will pull in evidence from interviews with junior doctors and healthcare leaders to get a broader sense of the current situation. We also reached out to the rest of the panel, and other medical students on social media, to hear more about their concerns too. 

Expert guests:
Elisabeth Mahase is the clinical news reporter for the journalism team at The BMJ. She previously worked at GP magazine Pulse and has a background in Science Communication and Biomedical Science.

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This podcast is produced and edited by Dom Byrne and Duncan Jarvies.

Baptism of fire: starting in the NHS

Bringing together medical students, new doctors and expert guests to discuss everything you need to know to be a good doctor.

Medicine

Science & Medicine

Health & Fitness

Medics, throughout our careers and lives, are surrounded by grief. We grieve in our own lives, we grieve for our patients, we grieve with our patients. In this week's episode, we talk a little about grief in all of its forms.
 
While an early episode of sharp scratch explored coping with death, I think it is fair to say that since the pandemic, the experiences of medical students with regards to loss and grief and death have changed quite a lot. This episode unpacks what it means to grieve, how we can grieve, and how we can support others through their grief too. 
 
The panel are joined by expert guest, Hilary Williams. Hilary is a consultant in medical oncology in south Wales and is Vice President for Wales at the Royal College of Physicians.
 
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Navigating grief

Maybe you've been following BMJ Student for a really long time, or maybe you're new to following us. Perhaps you only know about Sharp Scratch, or you've written and worked with us before. However much you know about BMJ Student, we hope this episode from our archives will be a look behind the scenes at what it means to work at The BMJ. 
 
This episode from 2023 brings together four former editorial scholars, ready to talk all about their experiences of working at The BMJ, as well as how you can get involved via the Editorial Scholarship, the Clegg Scholarship, Sharp Scratch, and writing articles. They delve into any worries they had before joining, and unpick their experiences to hopefully get a better insight into the inner workings of a medical journal. 
 
We have extended the deadline for the 2024/25 Editorial Scholarship until next Friday 26th February, so if you're interested in applying please do check out https://www.bmj.com/content/384/bmj.q685 for all relevant information on the job and application!

Rewind: Behind the scenes at The BMJ

With the rapid unfolding of recent events in medicine, from low pay to staffing crisis’ to the rapid changes to the face of our postgraduate training, it can be easy to lose all hope for the future - but is this really the case? A recent BMJ research paper found that cancer survival has doubled in the last fifty years, and that's one reason to be hopeful.
 
In this episode, the panel talk all about hope. What does 'hope' really mean? Is there any hope for a better future?
 
This week, the panel are joined by Anna Baverstock, a consultant paediatrician and wellbeing lead based in Somerset. 
 
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Reasons to be hopeful

Parenthood and medical school are two very different, each noble, roles. This week, we shed some light on the experiences of those medical students who are parenting at medical school. What is parenthood at medical school like? What challenges do parents encounter at medical school? What can friends and colleagues do to support parents at medical school?
Éabha and Judy are joined by Maz, a medical student and mum, and Luke, an FY2 doctor who became a dad while at medical school. 
Apply to be the next Editorial Scholar, and host of Sharp Scratch, now: https://www.bmj.com/content/384/bmj.q685 
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Parenting at medical school

Perfectionism is medicine’s favourite flaw. It seems that all too often, the very traits that we entered this profession for; wanting to be the best, wanting to do the best by our patients and colleagues, can often lead to burnout, to loneliness, to all those negative consequences we have discussed in previous episodes. In this episode we look a little more at perfectionism; what it is, why we medics are so partial to it, and how we can use it to our advantage rather than falling victim to it.
This week, the panel are joined by expert guest Dr Thomas Curran. Thomas is  a BPS chartered psychologist and Associate Professor in the Department of Psychological and Behavioural Science at the London School of Economics. He is a world-leading expert on perfectionism and in 2023 he published his debut book, 'The Perfection Trap.'
Buy 'The Perfection Trap':  https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/447202/the-perfection-trap-by-curran-thomas/9781847943842
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Baptism of fire: starting in the NHS

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