The Short Coat (Audio): An Inside Look at Getting Into and Getting Through Medical School

Photo by Dr. Partha Sarathi Sahana

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Listener Jen sent an email to [email protected] asking M4 Irisa Mahaparn, and M1s Nick Lind and Madeline Slater about the doubts they’ve experienced in their journey through medical education.  Oh, Jen.  The doubts they have experienced!  We discuss them, along with the sources of doubt and how they are learning to overcome them to achieve their goals.  Also, we try to give listener Ryan some ideas about his genetics course assignment.

We also visit the worst place on the internet to get medical advice, Yahoo! Answers, and discover a potential new treatment for desert-based constipation.  All it needs is a good clinical trial and a few not-squeamish human subjects!

This Week in Medical News

As the measles outbreaks in the northwestern US and elsewhere continue, Clark County in Washington has experienced a jump in vaccination rates of 500%, almost as if people are starting to trust science.  Inventors at MIT and Harvard are both working on swallowable injectors, which sounds worse than it is.  And is Wikipedia good enough for med schools to use it in some way?  It depends, of course.

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The opinions expressed in this feed and podcast are not those of the University of Iowa or the Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine; nor do they reflect the views of anyone other than the people who expressed them.  If you have feedback on anything you hear on the show, positive or not, let us know.

[Purchase an SCP T-shirt to contribute to our Charity of the Semester, the National Alliance on Mental Illness. Visit http://theshortcoat.com/store. Thank you!] Listener Renee writes in to ask Aditi Patel, Maddie Mix, Nick Lind, and guest Dr. John Pienta whether she can legitimately hope for admission to an MD/PhD program without a strong science background. Luckily, Maddie rolls MSTP style, so she helps us answer. Another listener, Sarah, wrote to us hoping for some suggestions on how to prepare and strategize for her physician shadowing experiences. And Ellen writes to give us some feedback on a recent episode. Plus, Dave's Pop Quiz on undeniably dangerous drinking games--inspired by a case study involving Dutch men, booze, MDMA, and a drinking game of fish swallowing which no one should ever play--is suspiciously easy for his co-hosts. Want to skip med school and go straight to treating patients in your very own pre-fab hospital room? Well you mustn't do that...but with this product on Amazon, you could. Contribute your ideas to the show! Call us at 347-SHORTCT anytime, visit our Facebook group, or email [email protected]. Do all three!

This week, we're winging it on SCP--life was a bit more complicated for Dave than usual--but we have some great questions to address from some non-US listeners. Nice to have confirmation that we have more than a couple of those! Luke from Australia wants to come to America, either to study medicine or after his Australian medical education is complete. Which should he choose, and what will he think of our Australian accents after he listens? And Justin, listening in the Philippines, wants to know what story our co-hosts tell themselves when they think about why they're studying medicine. Justin Hababag, Aditi Patel, and Kylie Miller are on hand to discuss. What story do you tell yourself about your interest in medicine? Call us at 347-SHORTCT anytime, visit our Facebook group, or email [email protected]. Do all three!

But what's this? Podcast merch? Dave has a special announcement, what we're going to use the money for (it's *not* for the show or to line Dave's pockets), and how you can get a special offer and help do some good at the same time. Everybody knows about med school tuition. And then there's the cost of student loans. But there's so much more, and listener Richard wrote in to [email protected] ask: what are the hidden costs of attending medical school? Luckily Dave has a crew of people on hand who've figured that out: Aline Sandouk, Nick Lind, Maddie Mix, and LJ Agostinelli. Get prepared with their list of things you need to spend money on, and a couple things you shouldn't spend on. Another listener, Sarah, would like some idea of what kinds of extracurricular activities med students can get into, and how to find them. We got you, Sarah! And after pondering what the point is of the case study in medical literature (aside from amusing Dave to no end), the crew takes a pop quiz on weird cases found on the internet. The Gates Foundation may be throwing it's considerable weight and funding behind reducing maternal deaths in the US. What hidden costs of medical school did we miss? Call us at 347-SHORTCT anytime, visit our Facebook group, or email [email protected]. Do all three!

When thinking about a career in medicine, those who are leaning towards getting an MD often consider the Physician Assistant path; and if they're leaning towards a PA career they often consider the Medical Doctor path. On this show, PA students Steffanie Robertus and Terry Hayes join MD students Emma Barr and Katie Christel explore the similarities between their educational journeys, the exams they'll take, the career paths, and the lifestyles they'll enjoy. Then, Dave pits the two teams against each other in a fight to the death. Or was it a trivia contest? Have you ever wondered if "defecation postural modification devices" (i.e., those potty stools recommended by unicorns to help you poop) really work? So do gastroenterologists and their friends. Cancer rates have dropped a whole bunch in the last few decades. And a Chinese researcher who edited the genomes of twin baby girls is either in danger of being put to death or is doing just fine thank you. Love or hate the Squatty Potty? Need advice? Have questions? Call us at 347-SHORTCT anytime, visit our Facebook group, or email [email protected]. Tell us all about it.

Former co-host and now PM&R Doctor Cole Cheney returns for a discussion of what he's discovered about the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program, which rewards careers in public service by forgiving student loans after 10 years of qualifying work. The first 11 years have passed since its inception, and you'll never guess how many people have had their loans forgiven. Aline Sandouk, Dylan Todd, Brady Campbell, and financial aid counselor Chris Roling were on hand for a discussion of why you'll want to have a backup plan to pay off your med school debt. A study looks at whether we're ready for whole genome sequencing as a screening tool for newborn babies. We discuss whether teenagers are capable of withstanding the rigors of medical school. And an we explore the 'confidence gap' between men and women in medicine and whether it's even important. Are you a woman who has been counselled to lean in and act more confident? Call us at 347-SHORTCT anytime, visit our Facebook group, or email [email protected]. We'd love to hear from you!

Happy New Year! With the holidays slowing down the pace of listener questions, Dave asks new co-host LJ Agostinelli and old hands Rob Humble and Hillary O'Brien to discuss the harsh truths and pleasant realities of studying medicine. Plus, Yahoo! Answers gets another visit, and manages to live up to Dave's characterization of it as the saddest place on the internet. Scientists make themselves chuckle while proving a point about the gold standard of research, the randomized controlled trial, by elaborately studying whether parachutes save lives. Expensive drugs eek out a win over cheap exercise in treating high blood pressure, causing doctors and patients everywhere to cry, "Meh." And in the battle to curb the ever-increasing national sleep debt, Dave gets a weighted blanket for Christmas.

Madeline called to ask: it's finals week and you're stricken with seasonal depression--what's a med student to do? We feel you, Madeline. Luckily, Aline Sandouk, Nick Lind, Derek Bradley, and Hillary O'Brien are ready to throw open the curtains on their ideas to help. And Jeannet-tello hit us up on our Instagram to find out what she should do about impostor syndrome. Dave shares the recent video that UIHC Marketing and Communications unwisely allowed him to be in. Healthcare providers, if you want to take the Surgeon General's advice and save people from dying of opioid overdoses, you might kiss your ability to get health insurance goodbye. And a Tennessee physician starts off his new job as a US Representative by promising--for no reason at all--to dig up the dirt the CDC has been hiding about vaccines and autism. Thank goodness, we're all saved. Are you nervous about starting med school? Call us at 347-SHORTCT anytime, visit our Facebook group, or email [email protected]. Share your fears!

Aline Sandouk discusses with her co-hosts the recent breakthrough in her research--which is pretty much that she's experiencing the exact opposite of what PhD students fear, and that her research may just have a path forward. Whew! And while we couldn't answer any listener questions this week--hang in there, Madeline and Tiana, you're on the list!--we did answer anatomy questions asked with dental mouth spreaders in our mouths. Warning: this episode contains more than the usual amount saliva-based sounds. Plus, Kylie Miller explains to Aline, Madeline Slater, and Nick Lund that she is a compulsive licker. This Week in Medical News: A DNA study determines that stethoscopes are gross. More doubts expressed at the validity of research in light that many top docs aren't disclosing conflicts of interest in their publications. And docs (plus Dave) are learning that women might actually need uteruses for more than housing and then expelling babies. Are you a compulsive licker? Call us at 347-SHORTCT anytime, visit our Facebook group, or email [email protected]. Do all three!

Are you buying what med student Instagrammers are selling? You've probably noticed them. Cute med students hawking makeup and study guides on Instagram, posting photos of their fav study beverage, and composing carefully arranged shots of the contents of their backpacks, #medstudentlife #sponsored. Well, who can blame them--med school's expensive! But is it a slippery slope, just waiting for some unsuspecting student to lose their ethical footing? Short Coats Sam Palmer, Miranda Schene and newbies Allie Fillman and Allison Klimesh take a look. Funny thing: that stuff you learned about mitochondria? Wrong. And with the news that there are now real live genetically engineered babies in the world--thanks to a Chinese scientist with his own ethical problems--we wonder why it was even necessary, what the dangers are to the family who 'benefited,' and just where the heck is this young mad scientist, now, anyway? Would you be a med student influencer if you could? Why, and what limits would you set? Call us at 347-SHORTCT anytime, visit our Facebook group, or email [email protected]. Do all three!