Board examiners love to test on cancer drugs, because they’re a great way to connect complex disease presentations to basic biochemical mechanisms and the phases of the cell cycle. In this episode, we’ll review various classes of cancer drugs, their mechanisms, and important adverse effects so that you can build a foundation on which to tackle USMLE level questions surrounding this topic.

Do you have trouble hearing and interpreting heart sounds? Systolic vs. diastolic murmurs, S3 vs. S4 gallops? In this episode, we’ll review strategies on how to listen to common heart sounds so you’re no longer intimidated by this topic on board questions or rounds. This episode pairs well with our Season 2 episode on Valvular Heart Diseases, which delves deeper into the physiology of common heart murmurs. Welcome to Season 3 of the podcast!

We’re celebrating our season finale through a collaboration with hosts of a medical humanities podcast, What Brings You in Today! Leigh Burman & Mayra Betancourt Ponce host an interactive episode on bacterial endocarditis, reviewing the pathophysiology, presentation, and management of both acute and subacute presentations of bacterial endocarditis. Tune in for a thorough review of this highly tested topic, and definitely check out the WBYIT podcast for an entertaining and enriching study break!

Electrolyte repletion is a rather well-known task typically assigned to medicine and surgery interns on a patient’s primary team. The specifics surrounding dose and formulation are things you will quickly pick up on the job, but as a medical student it is probably more valuable to understand the importance of managing electrolytes, as well as the consequences of dysregulated electrolyte levels. In this episode we review exactly that, covering the ins and outs of potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, calcium, and sodium. If you have any qualms about handling electrolytes, let’s solve them now!

Cardiac arrest can be a harrowing phenomenon to witness both within and outside of a hospital. Advanced cardiac life support (ACLS) is a set of clinical guidelines used in managing cardiac arrest. Most residency programs will introduce their trainees to the basics of ACLS, but even as a medical student it is very important to understand the purpose of ACLS and the elements involved in delivering life-saving care. The goal of this episode is to review the components of the ACLS algorithm and discuss important considerations surrounding the care of cardiac arrest patients. Disclaimer: the purpose of this podcast is to educate and facilitate discussion, and the contents of this episode should not substitute advice from a qualified, board-certified practicing physician.

Join us for a review of some commonly seen and commonly tested biliary and pancreatic disorders. MS4 Anisha Reddy navigates through some representative vignettes, making sure to highlight key concepts and clinical pearls throughout the episode. This topic is a staple for your GI content review!

If you have a hard time remembering all the hormones as they pertain to menstruation and pregnancy, this episode is a perfect review for you. MS4 Julie Eggleton hosts this comprehensive overview of reproductive physiology in an engaging, Q&A format.

Anisha Reddy is back to host an enlightening episode on the physiology of bilirubin and many of the related disorders! Do you ever get confused by any of the following? Breast milk vs. breast feeding jaundice? Dubin-Johnson vs. Crigler-Najjar? Primary biliary vs. sclerosing cholangitis? This is your time to clarify and solidify these concepts.

Our newest team member Drashti Patel hosts a brief but comprehensive episode reviewing pleural effusions, a commonly encountered phenomenon in practice and on tests. If you’d like to solidify concepts such as Light’s Criteria for transudative vs. exudative effusions, this episode is made for you!

Sepsis is another bread-and-butter topic in medicine, and it is guaranteed to appear on boards as well in the hospital. Patients with sepsis are sick and have the potential to quickly decompensate, so timely and thorough management is key. In this episode, we’ll review the diagnostic criteria for sepsis and discuss strategies for management of sepsis. Let’s make sepsis less scary so you feel confident on your next encounter!