The HippoCampus Podcast

We're back after a short hiatus!

In this episode, the hosts chat about returning to face-to-face teaching in the upcoming academic year (*fingers crossed*). Many of you, particularly those who started their first year at Uni during the pandemic,  will have mixed feelings  about coming back to 'campus'. This can range  from very positive to trepidation, and perhaps anxiety particularly in relation to catching-up up on the social elements of University life missed during this last academic year.

So pull up a chair and join the hosts  as they share their experiences and thoughts on embracing and making the most of the opportunities for making more connections and new friendships, in the coming academic year 

If you enjoy the podcast please do leave us a review on iTunes and you can
follow us on instagram @thehippocampuspodcast and Twitter @hippocampus_pod

You can also email us at [email protected]! We are always open to hearing suggestions for future episodes and future guests!

In this episode we are joined by Dr Tieng Toh and Dr Alex Hammant who are currently Clinical Teaching Fellows at Leicester Medical School.

After working in clinical medicine, Dr Toh and Dr Hammant have been working in medical education for two years.  We discussed their routes into medical education and what they have learned in their time as CTFs. They also reflected on their own learning journey from school to medical school to now.
 
So pull up a chair and join the conversation with insights we are sure will resonate with many of our listeners.

Recommendations from the episode:
The Art of Changing The Brain by James Zull

If you enjoy the podcast please do leave us a review on iTunes and you can
follow us on instagram @thehippocampuspodcast and Twitter @hippocampus_pod

You can also email us at [email protected]! We are always open to hearing suggestions for future episodes and future guests!

In this episode we are joined by Dr Paul Penn, a Senior Lecturer in Psychology at the University of East London and author of the excellent book 'The Psychology of Effective Studying'.

With Dr Penn, we explore a whole host of questions around learning including:
-Why we often make misjudgements of our learning and  how that shapes development of suboptimal learning techniques. 
- What is 'metacognition'? And why is it the most important skill for developing as an effective learner
- What are 'desirable difficulties' and how can we bring them into our study routines
- And why the myth of learning styles, despite evidence contrary to their existence,  remains so pervasive and potentially harmful for our learning...

So pull up a chair and join this fascinating conversation, which is packed full of practical insights and tips which we are sure you'll find helpful!

Recommendations from the episode:
'The Psychology of Effective Studying' Dr Paul Penn's book
Psychology of Effective Studying-Dr Paul Penn's YouTube channel
The Dunning-Kruger effect
Desirable Difficulties-Dr Robert & Elizabeth Bjork
Review of Evidence and Effectiveness of different learning techniques- excellent paper by Dunlosky et al
Easy-read article on myth of learning styles


If you enjoy the podcast please leave us a review on iTunes and you can
follow us on instagram @thehippocampuspodcast and Twitter @hippocampus_pod

You can also email us at [email protected]! We are always open to hearing suggestions for future episodes and future guests!

In this episode we are joined by Dr Jane Burns, who recently retired as the Academic Support Unit Lead at Leicester Medical School.

Having provided academic support to many, many students over 15 years, Dr Burns shares her insights on the sorts of struggles students commonly report over the course of their degree, and the importance of a pro-active approach to developing your skills as a learner. We also explore the impact of the use of technology and social media on students' learning experiences.
 
So pull up a chair and join the conversation with insights we are sure will resonate with many of our listeners.

If you enjoy the podcast please do leave us a review on iTunes and you can
follow us on instagram @thehippocampuspodcast and Twitter @hippocampus_pod

You can also email us at [email protected]! We are always open to hearing suggestions for future episodes and future guests!

In this episode, we talk to Dr. Arun Kirupakaran about OSCEs, where he shares some essential advice on approaching individual  stations, as well as his personal experiences as a student!

Arun is an ST2 Ophthalmology trainee and a Cambridge graduate, who, over the years has dedicated his time to supporting students through their medical school journey, right from personal statements, interviews and admission tests, to the topic of discussion for this episode, OSCEs!

So join us in this episode for some great advice to help improve your OSCE performance and experience!

Recommendations from this episode:

• Arun's Youtube channel  
• The Unofficial Guide To Passing OSCEs
• OSCE stop website (particularly for Finals OSCEs)
• Cases for Paces 

If you enjoy the podcast please do leave us a review on iTunes and if you would like to contact us, you can find us on Instagram (give us a follow!) @thehippocampuspodcast and Twitter @hippocampus_pod. You can also email us at [email protected]!

We are always open to hearing suggestions for future episodes and future guests!

In this 'Exam-special' episode we discuss short answer questions (SAQs), a type of question used in examinations across many medical schools and Universities.

We discuss how using SAQs and an SAQ-style approach to testing yourself throughout your studies as well as during revision can be hugely beneficial for durable learning-whether you sit exams with SAQ type questions or not! We also share some top tips and insights for maximising your scores on these types of questions!

If you enjoy the podcast please do leave us a review on iTunes or your preferred podcasting platform

And if you'd like to contact us you can find us on Instagram (give us a follow!) @thehippocampuspodcast and Twitter @hippocampus_pod
You can also email us at [email protected]! 

We are always open to hearing suggestions for future episodes and future guests!

In this episode we talk to Chandhini Suresh about learning and revising Population and Social Sciences, how Public Health is used in society, and how we can apply the knowledge we learn to our everyday lives as doctors.

Chandhini is not only a current third year medical student, but she also has a Bachelors degree in Molecular Medicine and a Masters degree in Public Health. She discusses her journey to Medicine, and what interested her in pursuing her special interest of Public Health.
 
We think you'll all really enjoy this episode and Chandhini will leave you with a renewed sense of interest and enthusiasm in the topic by the end of the podcast!

Recommendations from the episode:
1. Global Health with Greg Martin
2. The Health Gap - Michael Marmot
3. How Doctors Think - Jerome Groopman
4. Terry Shanefelt's YouTube Playlist
5. Geeky Medics' Statistics Page

If you enjoy the podcast please do leave us a review on iTunes and if you'd like to contact us you can find us on Instagram (give us a follow!) @thehippocampuspodcast and Twitter @hippocampus_pod
You can also email us at [email protected]!

We are always open to hearing suggestions for future episodes and future guests!

In this episode we open a discussion with the incredible Dr Kurren Sandhu. We get to grips with the cliche of work life balance, discuss stress management and also share some of our personal struggles.

Kurren is a Junior doctor, who’s worked flat out during COVID-19. He’s certified in Lifestyle medicine & has pioneered Supernova Student, Productivity Masterclass and Copewell -19; a free course for healthcare workers on the frontline during COVID-19. Kurren is so refreshing to talk to and has some incredible insights into the topic of productivity and lifestyle balance for medics.

Recommendations from the episode:
1. Brendan Burchard's book - High Performance Habits
2. Student Minds
3. Dr Kurren Sandhu's YouTube channel


If you enjoy the podcast please do leave us a review on iTunes and if you'd like to contact us you can find us on Instagram (give us a follow!) @thehippocampuspodcast and Twitter @hippocampus_pod
You can also email us at [email protected]! 

We are always open to hearing suggestions for future episodes and future guests!

In this episode we speak with guest Graham Allcott, to discuss the  little steps that can pay big returns for our productivity! 

Graham is a productivity guru,  a published author (of five books), including 'How to Be a Productivity Ninja' and a podcaster.  He is also the founder of "Think Productive" a world leading productivity training company.

So, if you are one for putting things off, tend to start but never finish tasks... or have ever felt overwhelmed with all that's on your plate then listening to this episode might be the first thing to put on your "to do" list!

*ninja "hiyaaa"*

Recommendations from the episode:
Two fantastic books by Graham from his 'ninja book series mentioned in episode
How To Be a Productivity Ninja
How to Be a Study Ninja

Also have a listen to and subscribe to Graham's podcast 'Beyond Busy' - where he interviews people from all walks of life about productivity and work-life balance.

If you enjoy the podcast please do leave us a review on iTunes and if you'd like to contact us you can find us on Instagram (give us a follow!) @thehippocampuspodcast and Twitter @hippocampus_pod
You can also email us at [email protected]! 

We are always open to hearing suggestions for future episodes and future guests!

We are joined by  special guest Dr Khalid Karim, a Consultant Psychiatrist and Associate Professor in Medical Education, who also works as an academic support tutor, helping students optimise their approaches to studying.

In this episode we discuss "perfectionism"- a trait that many a student will likely identify with. We explore exactly what it is, what drives it and how it can cause problems . We also explore how perfectionism relates to procrastination and share some TOP TIPS on how to tackle the tendency to 'put things off'...

Recommendations from the episode:
Books recommended by Dr Karim, with great practical tips to tackle procrastionation and 'get things done'
Eat That Frog (Brian Tracy)
Anti-procrastination mindset

If you enjoy the podcast please do leave us a review on iTunes and if you'd like to contact us you can find us on Instagram (give us a follow!) @thehippocampuspodcast and Twitter @hippocampus_pod
You can also email us at [email protected]! 

We are always open to hearing suggestions for future episodes and future guests!