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

The war in Syria continues, and while West Africa's Ebola outbreak has receded, Doctors Without Borders is still in West Africa as it works to transition from caring for survivors to rebuilding and supporting local healthcare systems to do the work. Med students Ethan Forsgren, Nick Dimenstein, Amelia Hurst and Sean Wetjen spoke with Dr. John Lawrence, vice president of the aid organization's US board of directors, about some of the future directions that MSF might consider in a world where humanitarian crises seem to happen every day.

Prince has left the building, so The Short Coats take a moment to eulogize the Purple One. Listener Rayhaan is looking for advice on preparing for the dreaded multiple mini interview, and of course we have ideas for him to consider. Of course, some wackadoos think that if only he'd begun preparing for medical school in high school, perhaps he'd have it in the bag. And if you're worried that the over 40 crowd are too addled to work more than 25 hours a week, you're not alone--the University of Melbourne has the research to back it up.

As Alison Pletch and Deep Bhatt prepare to leave CCOM and begin residency, they share with Kaci McCleary and Corbin Weaver their thoughts on leaving Iowa and beginning their new chapters. LIstener Todd calls the Short Coat Hotline with a question on studying for the MCAT. We aren't much impressed by a study that says people view scientists as trustworthy murderers. Iowa's Board of Medicine considers a ban on conversion therapies. And are docs shrinking 'tumors' by deciding they don't get paid enough to remove them?

From inner-city Oakland, Cali to medical school; that's an unlikely journey. Unlikely because inner city poor kids don't even hear about opportunities, never mind have access to them. UI med student Terrence Wong was one of those kids, but he eventually found an advantage that most such children don't have: a mentor. Today he's not just a medical student, but he's a startup founder. His company, MedMentor, is about to launch its app to connect those who need mentorship to those who can provide it. Dave and Terrence spoke about his journey, how he deals with critique, why he's doing it, and how he manages the crazy med student slash startup life.

Today's show features empathy--having too much or too little, or what happens when it's switched on very suddenly. Aline Sandouk, Marc Toral, Amy Young, and Kaci McCleary discuss an autistic man whose ability to sense the feelings of others is activated suddenly; why ignoring what others think might help you win at life; and how incorrect beliefs about the biology of black people can lead you to misinterpret their pain just when they need you most. Plus a listener's plight gives us an opportunity to empathize with the lack of Short Coat Podcast episodes for her to listen to...and provide a solution.

The understanding of the twin epidemics of obesity and diabetes is changing. The "calories in, calories out" model is giving way, faster and faster, to a more nuanced view. The brain, molecular medicine, hormonal differences, and genetics are all coming into play as we consider this new paradigm. Drs. Dale Abel and Miguel Lopez are two researchers--one in Iowa, one in Spain--working to advance the science of these world-wide epidemics, and Taz Khalid, Aline Sandouk, and Eric Wilson want to know: where is this train headed?

Listener Oscar's having the pre-med/post-acceptance jitters; luckily Aline, Marc, Dylan, and Lisa are on hand to offer some advice on this all-too-common case of impostor syndrome. Plus, now that Match Week has concluded, we discuss what the Match 2016 stats reveal, and ask ourselves what options exist for those who don't match. And we play One-Word Medicine--can the good doctor treat an embarrassing problem in the emergency room?

Are board exams a waste of resources? Is electrocution an antidote to boredom? This week we discuss the petition, created by medical students at Harvard, to zap the USMLE Step 2 exam, and opine on whether it (and other such exams) actually accomplish anything. Next, according to one study, people are happier self-administering electrical shocks than they are being alone with their thoughts. And we once again visit Yahoo! Answers Health to practice patient education.

Listener Mitch writes in to ask what this week's co-hosts (Tony Rosenberg, Alex Volkmar, Rob Humble, and Nicole Morrow) wish they knew before they got to medical school. What should Mitch think about debt? Seeking honors? Voluntourism? And with the news that an artificial fingertip was successfully wired to an amputee's nerves allowing him to detect rough and smooth surfaces, Dave decides it's time to test the amazing sense of touch. This may or may not be an excuse for Dave to get his co-hosts to wear bags on their heads. Speaking of touching, the CDC and Consumer Reports isn't real happy with hospitals and their C. diff infection rates. Not. At. All. West Virginia lawmakers get excited (and pretty nauseous) about a new law there allowing the consumption of raw milk. The first US uterus transplant took place, and failed. And, health app makers tend to play fast-and-loose with the health data they collect, lacking things like robust privacy policies.

Kaci McCleary, Dylan Todd, Amy Young and Corbin Weaver are on hand this time to talk about the two-week specialty rotations, like Ophthalmology and Radiology.  You see, as Kaci entered her clinical clerkships, she had four of these short rotations in a row, and found herself hating them.  They seemed like a waste of time, and weren't offering her much in the way of hands-on experience.  While her experience isn't universal, we thought some might question the utility of these short rotations, especially if one isn't going into a specialty but is more focused on primary care.  Fortunately, there's some hope on the horizon in the form of instant learning through brain stimulation.  Will future med students even need two-weekers?  This leads us into a discussion on the place of rebellion in medical school.  Does medicine need people who buck the system?   How should someone who sees herself as firmly outside the box react when they're surrounded by it?