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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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!

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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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. 

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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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We spend a lot of time in medical school working as a part of a team, either in class time, or in clinical teams like the MDT. Yet, medical school can be a very lonely place. We get taught a lot about loneliness and how dangerous it can be for patients and as we age, but lots of us are impacted by loneliness, at every age.

In this episode, we could talk about some of the drivers of loneliness at medical school, asking why so many of us feel so lonely even when we are so often surrounded by our peers, and challenging these drivers of loneliness in meaningful ways.

Clare Dixon is a clinical tutor at Lancaster Medical School and a clinical psychologist. In her work with medical students, she runs a Clinical Psychology Service for medical students in Lancaster. 

Ian Smith is a Clinical Psychologist and the research director of the DClinPsych programme at Lancaster Medical School. He works clinically with medical students in the Clinical Psychology Service at Lancaster Medical School.

Keep in touch, we'd love to hear your thoughts on the show, especially if you feel comfortable sharing your own experiences of loneliness at medical school and what has helped you!

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This week, the panel explore the dynamics of the multidisciplinary teams that come together to look after patients in hospitals and in the community.

Building on previous episodes which have explored the idea of teamwork and multidisciplinary teams from the perspective of medical and nursing students, this episode broadens our horizons and tries to understand a little more about multidisciplinary teamworking.

Expert guest Samantha Holmes is a head and neck cancer specialist speech and language therapist, currently working at The BMJ as the Chief Sustainability Officer's clinical fellow. You can find her on Twitter/X at @SHolmes_SLT

Please keep in touch, I’d love to hear your thoughts on the show, let us know about your experiences of working with the multidisciplinary team!

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We’ve all had those placements where we’ve felt like a real part of the team, where we’ve felt really valued and included, and that we’ve got to know our colleagues even in our short time in a given area. Even in my experience, I know the opposite can also be true. We sometimes experience friction or conflict within and between teams on placement, and that can really impact on our learning experiences and perceptions of placements and even of entire specialties.

In this episode, we talk about what makes a good team, how we as medical students can help to integrate ourselves into teams and why this is so important for our patients and colleagues.

Our expert guest, Professor Michael West, has published over 200 articles and written, edited or co-edited 20 books on teamwork, leadership and culture. A professor of Work and Organisational Psychology at Lancaster University, he is an expert in compassionate leadership and in team and organisational innovation and effectiveness, especially in relation to healthcare services

Articles discussed in the podcast:

Tannenbaum SI., & Cerasoli CP. (2013). Do team and individual debriefs enhance performance? A meta-analysis. Hum Factors. 2013 Feb;55(1):231-45. doi: 10.1177/0018720812448394. PMID: 23516804.

West, M., & Coia, D. (2019). Caring for Doctors Caring for Patients. London: General Medical Council. Available online at: https://www.gmc-uk.org/-/media/documents/caring-for-doctors-caring-for-patients_pdf-80706341.pdf

Morale has been low in medicine recently. With ongoing industrial action and the recent AIMS study finding that almost ⅓ of us students plan to leave the NHS within two years of graduating, it can sometimes be difficult to remain optimistic about the future in medicine. 

But it is a brand new year, and so in this week's episode we start the year reflecting on the things we love about medicine. From patients and colleagues, to the breadth of work we are able to do, there is still so much to love. 

This week, Éabha is joined by panellists Anna, an obstetrics and gynaecology trainee in the North East, and Sarah, a fourth year medical student in Milton Keynes. The panel hear from Jingy Alom BEM, an emergency medicine doctor in North East London, and Mark Williams, a GP.