Sharp Scratch

By The BMJMedicine Health & Fitness

Sharp Scratch episodes

November 24, 2022 I’m a (Phobic) Medical Student… Get Me Out of Here!
Medicine is occasionally like the reality TV show I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! in that some of the things we have to do are just unpleasant, whereas other parts may be phobia-inducing. But how might having a phobia as a medical student affect the ways you are able to work on placement?
In today’s episode, we’re going to be talking all about phobias. We’ll discuss what happens when you have a phobic response to something, the ways that this can impact you whilst studying medicine, and how to tell whether something is just dislike or an actual phobia.
Expert guests:
Dr Digby Quested is a general adult psychiatrist working in Oxford. He works in the community, and has covered many of the GP practices which serve the student population. He self managed blood phobia whilst at medical school
Check us out on social media:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BMJStudent
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bmj_student/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BMJStudent/
This podcast is produced and edited by Dom Byrne and Duncan Jarvies.
45 min
November 10, 2022 Everyone has an accent
Accents and dialects are influenced by so many different things including race, gender, and class. They change frequently depending on where we are, who we are with, and even what we are trying to get out of any given interaction. But why does this happen? Do we gravitate towards a certain accent in order to fit in?
In this episode, we'll find out what an accent actually is, we'll discuss how our accents have changed whilst we've been at university, and we'll also examine the judgement that can arise when you speak in a ‘different’ accent to what someone else is used to.
Expert guests:
Lisa Casey is an Assistant Principal in a secondary school in London with a background in English and literacy. She is one of the hosts of Lexis, a podcast about language and linguistics for A Level students, teachers and anyone else who's interested in language.
Check us out on social media:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BMJStudent
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bmj_student/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BMJStudent/
This podcast is produced and edited by Dom Byrne and Duncan Jarvies.
46 min
October 27, 2022 Compassionate medical schools
Any medical student knows that medical school can be tough. The hours are long, the work is hard, and stress can build quickly. Throughout all of this, we’re taught about compassion - how to be a compassionate medical student, and eventually a compassionate doctor. But do our own medical schools show compassion towards us?
In this episode, the Sharp Scratch team talks about compassionate organisations and the impact that compassion (or a lack of it) can have on students. We also talk more about the struggle that ensues when you have compassionate individuals but not compassionate systems, and what needs to change within our medical schools.
Expert guests:
Dr Rob Jarvis is a senior lecturer and lead for the gateway programme at the University of Dundee. He is a GP by background. For the last ten years he has been lead for student support at Dundee Medical School and also for the ScotGEM (graduate entry) programme.
Check us out on social media:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BMJStudent
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bmj_student/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BMJStudent/
This podcast is produced and edited by Dom Byrne and Duncan Jarvies.
43 min
October 13, 2022 Students, sex work, and stigma
The relationship between our personal and professional identity has always been an important part of the conversations we have here on Sharp Scratch. What doctors and medical students do in their own personal lives is often brought into debates on professionalism.
The Student Sex Work Project (2015) reported that around 5% of students have, at some point, been involved in the sex industry. In this episode, the panel talk to Dr Jessica Simpson about the attitudes towards student sex workers, the GMC’s stance on this, and the concept of the personal-professional identity.
Expert guests:
Dr Jessica Simpson is a lecturer in sociology at the University of Greenwich. Her research area is the sex industry and her doctoral thesis was specifically on the topic of student sex work. She has recently contributed to this book on student sex work: https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-07777-7.
Check us out on social media:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BMJStudent
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bmj_student/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BMJStudent/
This podcast is produced and edited by Dom Byrne and Duncan Jarvies.
40 min
September 22, 2022 Being out of your depth
A career in medicine can sometimes mean stepping outside of your comfort zone. No matter what stage of your career you are in, it is likely that you will have to manage uncertainty, and will occasionally feel out of your depth.
In this episode, the Sharp Scratch panel talks about the reality of never being able to know everything in medicine, and the benefits of acknowledging your strengths and limitations. We also talk about how to recognise that something is beyond the limit of your capabilities, and the importance of asking for help if you need it.
Expert guests:
Dr Jennifer Rasanathan is a primary care physician and clinical editor at the BMJ. She is also a podcaster on Deep Breath In, a podcast for GPs.
Check us out on social media:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BMJStudent
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bmj_student/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BMJStudent/
Thank you to Louise Griffin, final year med student at the University of Birmingham and Clegg Scholar 2022, who proposed this idea to be a Sharp Scratch episode.
This podcast is produced and edited by Dom Byrne and Duncan Jarvies.
41 min
September 12, 2022 Starting university
Starting university can be a really exciting and really nerve-wracking time. There are so many questions you might have before you start. How do you know what to pack? How do you make friends? How do you study? Is it really going to be the best time of your life?!
You might be just about to start university in the next week or two, or simply feel like indulging in the nostalgia of those first few weeks. Either way, join Sharp Scratch panel members new and old as we come together to discuss the sorts of things we were worried about or looking forward to before we started university.
Check us out on social media:
Twitter: twitter.com/BMJStudent
Instagram: www.instagram.com/bmj_student/
Facebook: www.facebook.com/BMJStudent/
This podcast is produced and edited by Dom Byrne and Duncan Jarvies.
47 min
September 01, 2022 Concerns about a colleague
Medicine is a team sport. We work with multi-disciplinary teams to deliver patient care. However, there may be times when you will work with a colleague who worries you professionally. You may find it difficult to address this unprofessional behaviour, especially as a junior member of the team. In this episode, we’ll be talking about when this becomes enough to act and what you can do about it.
Expert guests:
Prof Charlotte Rees (@charlreessidhu on Twitter) is the Head of School of Health Sciences, College of Health, Medicine & Wellbeing at the University of Newcastle, NSW, Australia.
Prof Lynn Monrouxe (@LynnMonrouxe on Twitter) is a Professor and Academic Lead of Health Professions Education Research at The University of Sydney.
They are the co-authors of the book, Healthcare Professionalism: Improving Practice through Reflections on Workplace Dilemmas.
Check us out on social media:
Twitter: twitter.com/BMJStudent
Instagram: www.instagram.com/bmj_student/
Facebook: www.facebook.com/BMJStudent/
Thank you to Louise Griffin, final year med student at the University of Birmingham and Clegg Scholar 2022, who proposed this idea to be a Sharp Scratch episode.
This podcast is produced and edited by Dom Byrne and Duncan Jarvies.
43 min
August 26, 2022 Concerns about a colleague
Medicine is a team sport. We work with multi-disciplinary teams to deliver patient care. However, there may be times when you will work with a colleague who worries you professionally. You may find it difficult to address this unprofessional behaviour, especially as a junior member of the team. In this episode, we’ll be talking about when this becomes enough to act and what you can do about it.
Expert guests:
Prof Charlotte Rees (@charlreessidhu on Twitter) is the Head of School of Health Sciences, College of Health, Medicine & Wellbeing at the University of Newcastle, NSW, Australia.
Prof Lynn Monrouxe (@LynnMonrouxe on Twitter) is a Professor and Academic Lead of Health Professions Education Research at The University of Sydney.
They are the co-authors of the book, Healthcare Professionalism: Improving Practice through Reflections on Workplace Dilemmas.
Check us out on social media:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BMJStudent
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bmj_student/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BMJStudent/
Thank you to Louise Griffin, final year med student at the University of Birmingham and Clegg Scholar 2022, who proposed this idea to be a Sharp Scratch episode.
This podcast is produced and edited by Dom Byrne and Duncan Jarvies.
43 min
July 21, 2022 Prescribed personalities
Have you ever felt like you had to dial up an aspect of your personality in order to fit in on placement? When going on placement, there may be times when you feel like ‘the odd one out’. But do you have to fit in? Are there benefits in being different?
Does medical training shape us into doctors with identical tone and manner and does this bode well with patients?
In this episode, the Sharp Scratch team recounts experiences of displaying different sides of their personality at work, the positives of working with people of different personalities, and the importance of being your true authentic self.
Expert guest:
Miss Clara Munro (@ClaraEMunro on Twitter)is a General Surgical Trainee in the North East of England and was the Editorial Registrar at the BMJ.
Check us out on social media:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BMJStudent
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bmj_student/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BMJStudent/
This podcast is produced and edited by Dom Byrne and Duncan Jarvies.
46 min
July 07, 2022 Understanding your payslip (special segment)
This is a special segment from the Sharp Scratch episode - what med school didn’t teach you about money.
Have you received your first payslip and not sure whether you have been paid correctly? Listen to this short clip where the doctors behind Medics Money will guide you through the key things to check on your payslip and decipher tax codes in under 10 minutes.
If you would like to hear more about how to claim tax rebate, information about income protection and relocation costs, head over to episode 78, titled 'what med school didn’t teach you about money' to find more.
Expert guests:
Dr Tommy Perkins and Dr Ed Cantello are GPs and co-founders of Medics Money.
Useful links that Dr Perkins and Dr Cantelo recommend:
•Free Ebook www.medicsmoney.co.uk/ebook/
•10 top tips for junior doctors podcast www.medicsmoney.co.uk/ep-5-10-financ…unior-doctors/
•Tax code guide - www.medicsmoney.co.uk/is-your-doctor…-code-correct/
•Tax rebate guide - www.medicsmoney.co.uk/free-guide/
Check us out on social media:
Twitter: twitter.com/BMJStudent
Instagram: www.instagram.com/bmj_student/
Facebook: www.facebook.com/BMJStudent/
This episode does not represent any form of financial, legal or accounting advice and tax allowances and rates are subject to change.
9 min