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

By The Students of the University of Iowa Carver College of MedicineScience Medicine Health & Fitness Education Life Sciences

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

September 11, 2025 Feedback is Data, Not Devastation.
How to Take Negative Feedback And Use It to Win in Med School! Recently, our admissions coordinator Rachel was surprised by the reaction from an applicant CCOM chose not to admit. She’d set aside time to give the applicant some feedback on their application–an extra service we provide those who weren’t successful in their bid to study medicine here. But instead of a thoughtful reaction to her notes, the unsuccessful applicant told her that they “didn’t agree with any of that.” The problem with this attitude is that in medical school feedback is never ending! Students get notes on interpersonal skills, professional behaviors, clinical skills, your knowledge base. And the feedback comes from everyone involved: simulated patients, actual patients, faculty, residents, nurses, even each other! Sometimes the feedback is formal and written; sometimes it’s verbal; and sometimes all you get is a raised eyebrow or a smile. Sometimes it’s rough, other times it’s SMART. So M2s Zach Grissom, Sahana Sarin, Srishti Mathur, and Jay Miller give their take on this vital skill in medicine: using feedback as data, as fuel for growth. They share stories of getting useful and useless feedback. And whether you love it or hate it, you’ll leave with a playbook for using feedback to boost your success in medical school and your career. Also, we discuss a study on AI “de-skilling,” and recent shifts in the amount of research medical students are doing versus the number of service and humanities experiences they’re doing.
Episode credits:
Producer: Dave Etler
Co-hosts: Zach Grissom, Srishti Mathur, Sahana Sarin, Jay Miller
We Want to Hear From You: YOUR VOICE MATTERS!
We welcome your feedback, listener questions, and shower thoughts. Do you agree or disagree with something we said today? Did you hear something really helpful? Can we answer a question for you? Are we delivering a podcast you want to keep listening to? Let us know at https://theshortcoat.com/tellus and we’ll put your message in a future episode. Or email [email protected].
We need to know more about you! https://surveys.blubrry.com/theshortcoat (email a screenshot of the confirmation screen to [email protected] with your mailing address and Dave will mail you a thank you package!)
The Short Coat Podcast is FeedSpot’s Top Iowa Student Podcast, and its Top Iowa Medical Podcast! Thanks for listening!
We do more things on…
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theshortcoat
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/theshortcoat
You deserve to be happy and healthy. If you’re struggling with racism, harassment, hate, your mental health, or some other crisis, visit http://theshortcoat.com/help, and send additions to the resources there to [email protected]. We love you.
1 hr 11 min
September 04, 2025 They Way Most Docs are Paid Doesn’t Lead to Healthier Patients
How the system pays doctors can change healthcare outcomes—sometimes in scary ways. The way docs are paid can make patients sicker…or can lead to healthier ones. The payment schemes most docs work under incentivize them to fix patients, while others motivate them to prevent illness—and geriatrician Dr. Jonathan “Nathan” Flacker is here to explain why. This episode rips the curtain off RVUs, fee-for-service traps, and the real reason your doc is rushing through your visit (hint: it’s not personal, it’s math). We dig into ChenMed’s wild idea: what if clinics got paid to keep you out of the hospital? Turns out, when money flows toward health instead of procedures, everyone wins. Except maybe the $400M proton beam facility (for the record, we love proton beams, but you might not need them if you can avoid cancer altogether). Is concierge-style medicine only for the wealthy? What happens when you build “rich person care” for low-income seniors? And how many patients can a doc see well before it all breaks? If you’re dreaming of a career where you actually help people instead of just clicking boxes—this one’s a wake-up call. Also: Love calls, RVU debt, and why pajama time should be illegal.
Episode credits:
Producer: Jeff Goddard
Co-hosts: Riley Behan-Bush, Zach Grissom, Alex Nigg
Guest: Dr. Jonathan “Nathan” Flacker, ChenMed
We Want to Hear From You: YOUR VOICE MATTERS!
We welcome your feedback, listener questions, and shower thoughts. Do you agree or disagree with something we said today? Did you hear something really helpful? Can we answer a question for you? Are we delivering a podcast you want to keep listening to? Let us know at https://theshortcoat.com/tellus and we’ll put your message in a future episode. Or email [email protected].
We need to know more about you! https://surveys.blubrry.com/theshortcoat (email a screenshot of the confirmation screen to [email protected] with your mailing address and Dave will mail you a thank you package!)
The Short Coat Podcast is FeedSpot’s Top Iowa Student Podcast, and its Top Iowa Medical Podcast! Thanks for listening!
We do more things on…
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theshortcoat
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/theshortcoat
You deserve to be happy and healthy. If you’re struggling with racism, harassment, hate, your mental health, or some other crisis, visit http://theshortcoat.com/help, and send additions to the resources there to [email protected]. We love you.
1 hr 12 min
August 28, 2025 Family expectations, culture clashes, and career priorities: Who’s the A-Hole?
When your boyfriend’s an OB/GYN and your friends can’t chill, we’re passing judgment—because someone has to. This week’s Reddit-fueled medical panel takes on uncomfortable questions that your group chat definitely isn’t ready for: Is dating an OB-GYN inherently weird? Should your partner be your #1 even when you’re literally delivering babies at 3 AM? And what happens when your parents think taking three days off is career suicide? We drag a few well-meaning but very misinformed relatives, unpack how culture collides with medicine, and dissect how med students actually keep their relationships alive. Plus, one brave listener dares to ask: “Can I move out of my family’s one-bedroom and still be a good daughter?” Expect spicy, real talk, and a few questionable ideas we’re choosing not to redact.
Episode credits:
Producer: Holly Hemann
Co-hosts: Srishti Mathur, Samantha Gardner, Kate Timboe, Alexis Baker
We Want to Hear From You: YOUR VOICE MATTERS!
We welcome your feedback, listener questions, and shower thoughts. Do you agree or disagree with something we said today? Did you hear something really helpful? Can we answer a question for you? Are we delivering a podcast you want to keep listening to? Let us know at https://theshortcoat.com/tellus and we’ll put your message in a future episode. Or email [email protected].
We need to know more about you! https://surveys.blubrry.com/theshortcoat (email a screenshot of the confirmation screen to [email protected] with your mailing address and Dave will mail you a thank you package!)
The Short Coat Podcast is FeedSpot’s Top Iowa Student Podcast, and its Top Iowa Medical Podcast! Thanks for listening!
We do more things on…
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theshortcoat
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/theshortcoat
You deserve to be happy and healthy. If you’re struggling with racism, harassment, hate, your mental health, or some other crisis, visit http://theshortcoat.com/help, and send additions to the resources there to [email protected]. We love you.
1 hr 6 min
August 21, 2025 From Ecuador to Iowa, Ortho to Community Healthcare: the Last of the Summers
Summer in med school: is it beach vibes or big-doings? Turns out, it’s a weird mix of both—and these M2s made the most of their last summer “break.” In this episode, we get a look at that from second-year med students Tyler Pollock, Cara Arrasmith, Anjali Puranam, and Sophia Nopoulos on how they spent their first “break.” Spoiler: it includes orthopedic research, global health rotations in Ecuador, community hospital crash courses, and teaching the next wave of M1s! We’re also talking about gap years. Yep, those mysterious in-between years that admissions committees don’t actually hate. In fact, they might be your greatest flex. Whether you’re curious what a summer research fellowship really looks like or wondering if you’ll be the only 27-year-old in your class (you won’t), this episode proves you’ve got options—and none of them are bad. Stick around for pediatric murmurs, shoulder anatomy, and why some med students literally dream in Spanish.
We need to know more about you! https://surveys.blubrry.com/theshortcoat (email a screenshot of the confirmation screen to [email protected] with your mailing address and Dave will mail you a thank you package!)
Episode credits:
Producers: Cara Arrington, Dave Etler
Co-hosts: Cara Arrington, Tyler Pollock, Anjali Puranam, Sohphia Nopoulos
We Want to Hear From You: YOUR VOICE MATTERS!
We welcome your feedback, listener questions, and shower thoughts. Do you agree or disagree with something we said today? Did you hear something really helpful? Can we answer a question for you? Are we delivering a podcast you want to keep listening to? Let us know at https://theshortcoat.com/tellus and we’ll put your message in a future episode. Or email [email protected].
The Short Coat Podcast is FeedSpot’s Top Iowa Student Podcast, and its Top Iowa Medical Podcast! Thanks for listening!
We do more things on…
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theshortcoat
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/theshortcoat
You deserve to be happy and healthy. If you’re struggling with racism, harassment, hate, your mental health, or some other crisis, visit http://theshortcoat.com/help, and send additions to the resources there to [email protected]. We love you.
1 hr 7 min
August 14, 2025 DNP Doubts, Prepping for Patients, and Smarts Self-Doubt–listener questions answered!
Real answers for your real med school dilemmas. We’ve had some listener question stacking up like it’s the ER waiting room at shift change—and now we’re finally calling some names. This week, we’re clearing the board and giving straight talk on everything from whether Rainey might regret her choice of DNP over med school, Worried Traveler’s fears of surviving their first clinical rotations, and Zion’s untested study habits. You’ll hear why reputation beats job title, the art of asking questions without tanking the vibe, and some ideas on making the transition from an easier undergrad education to med school madness. M4s Hend Al-Kaylani, Maryam Ahmad, and Madeline Ungs confront the awkward task of making friends in med school and why it’s okay if you’re not instantly every resident/faculty favorite.
Bonus web feature! If you fear you never learned to study, visit this episode’s webpage (https://theshortcoat.com/dnp-doubts-prepping-for-patients-and-smarts-self-doubt-listener-questions-answered/) for a video series by Dave and friends–Zion, this one’s for you, and everyone else out there who needs to upgrade their study techniques!
Episode credits:
Producer: Dave Etler
Co-hosts: Hind Al-Kaylani, Maryam Ahmed, Madeline Ungs
We Want to Hear From You: YOUR VOICE MATTERS!
We welcome your feedback, listener questions, and shower thoughts. Do you agree or disagree with something we said today? Did you hear something really helpful? Can we answer a question for you? Are we delivering a podcast you want to keep listening to? Let us know at https://theshortcoat.com/tellus and we’ll put your message in a future episode. Or email [email protected].
The Short Coat Podcast is FeedSpot’s Top Iowa Student Podcast, and its Top Iowa Medical Podcast! Thanks for listening!
We do more things on…
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theshortcoat
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/theshortcoat
You deserve to be happy and healthy. If you’re struggling with racism, harassment, hate, your mental health, or some other crisis, visit http://theshortcoat.com/help, and send additions to the resources there to [email protected]. We love you. Music provided by Argofox. License: bit.ly/CCAttribution
DOCTOR VOX – Heatstroke: youtu.be/j1n1zlxzyRE
Catmosphere – Candy-Coloured Sky: youtu.be/AZjYZ8Kjgs8
Hexalyte – Wandering Hours: youtu.be/FOAo2zsYnvA
1 hr 1 min
August 07, 2025 What Residency Program Directors Actually Want
Why is it hard to get clear advice about applying to residency? Listener Baffled J. Whoseadaddy (not his real name) asked us why his med school kids complain that the residency application process is confusing and “a black hole.” This week, hosts Dave Etler, Chase Larsson, Zach Grissom, and Madeline Ungs unpack why no one can seem to agree on what residency programs want… and what they actually do. Spoiler: it’s not a first-author publication, committee position, or flawless grades. They’re joined by recent Carver College of Medicine grad Dr. Teneme Konne, now a full-fledged family medicine attending (and “professional yapper”), who spills the truth on how programs really evaluate applicants. From what happens behind closed doors during interview debriefs to how introverts can still stand out, we break it all down. If you’re sick of performative CV-building, tired of mixed signals (literally), and unsure how to be “authentic” without sounding like a TED Talk… this one’s for you.
Episode credits:
Producer: Dave Etler
Co-hosts: Chase Larsson, Zach Grissom, Madeline Ungs
Guest: Teneme Konne, MD, CCOM ’22
We Want to Hear From You: YOUR VOICE MATTERS!
We welcome your feedback, listener questions, and shower thoughts. Do you agree or disagree with something we said today? Did you hear something really helpful? Can we answer a question for you? Are we delivering a podcast you want to keep listening to? Let us know at https://theshortcoat.com/tellus and we’ll put your message in a future episode. Or email [email protected].
The Short Coat Podcast is FeedSpot’s Top Iowa Student Podcast, and its Top Iowa Medical Podcast! Thanks for listening!
We do more things on…
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theshortcoat
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/theshortcoat
You deserve to be happy and healthy. If you’re struggling with racism, harassment, hate, your mental health, or some other crisis, visit http://theshortcoat.com/help, and send additions to the resources there to [email protected]. We love you. Music provided by Argofox. License: bit.ly/CCAttribution
DOCTOR VOX – Heatstroke: youtu.be/j1n1zlxzyRE
Catmosphere – Candy-Coloured Sky: youtu.be/AZjYZ8Kjgs8
Hexalyte – Wandering Hours: youtu.be/FOAo2zsYnvA
53 min
July 31, 2025 Placentas, Prostates, and Purple Goggles (Recess Rehash)
[We're on vacation, so enjoy this recent show in case you missed it!]
Medical students share insights on hitting milestones and navigating transitions. The rollercoaster of medical school transitions is hitting some peaks, from the first nerve-wracking days of clerkships to the unglamorous realities of OB-GYN rotations. M3 Elvire Nguepnang, M2 Gizzy Lundquist, M3 Jeff Goddard, and M1 Katherine Yu open up about the leap from textbooks to patient care, beginning advanced clerkships, and just staying on the path—and why it’s okay to feel a little lost. Along the way, they share their experiences with delivering placentas, unpack how seemingly minor lessons from preclinical years suddenly become crucial in the real world, and the new sensory ability they’d choose if they could.
We Want to Hear From You: YOUR VOICE MATTERS!
We welcome your feedback, listener questions, and shower thoughts. Do you agree or disagree with something we said today? Did you hear something really helpful? Can we answer a question for you? Are we delivering a podcast you want to keep listening to? Let us know at https://theshortcoat.com/tellus and we’ll put your message in a future episode. Or email [email protected].
We do more things on…
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theshortcoat
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/theshortcoat
You deserve to be happy and healthy. If you’re struggling with racism, harassment, hate, your mental health, or some other crisis, visit http://theshortcoat.com/help, and send additions to the resources there to [email protected]. We love you. Music provided by Argofox. License: bit.ly/CCAttribution
DOCTOR VOX – Heatstroke: youtu.be/j1n1zlxzyRE
Catmosphere – Candy-Coloured Sky: youtu.be/AZjYZ8Kjgs8
Hexalyte – Wandering Hours: youtu.be/FOAo2zsYnvA
1 hr 2 min
July 24, 2025 Slap Some Moldy Bread On It: Blechardy! (Recess Rehash)
[We're on vacation, so enjoy this recent show in case you missed it!]
They might know the citric acid cycle, but do med students know what ancient doctors used for pain relief, or the shape of wombat poop? Join us for Blechardy! the trivia game show that involves a certain amount of suffering! Contestants answer medical and pop culture questions—but with potentially disgusting jellybeans that make any actual knowledge meaningless. This week’s medical student co-hosts: M3 Jeff Goddard, and M1s Cara Arrasmith, Tyler Pollock, and Keeley Carney, with quizmaster Audra King, battle through ancient medicine facts, Iowa trivia, and the weirdest animal knowledge. Who will emerge victorious, and who will regret every bite? We don’t even know, and we were there! Along the way, we discuss podcast rivalries (should we start fake beef with Joe Rogan?) and the questionable benefits of coffee beans digested by animals. Come for the trivia, stay for the suffering.
We Want to Hear From You: YOUR VOICE MATTERS!
We welcome your feedback, listener questions, and shower thoughts. Do you agree or disagree with something we said today? Did you hear something really helpful? Can we answer a question for you? Are we delivering a podcast you want to keep listening to? Let us know at https://theshortcoat.com/tellus and we’ll put your message in a future episode. Or email [email protected].
The Short Coat Podcast is FeedSpot’s Top Iowa Student Podcast, and its Top Iowa Medical Podcast! Thanks for listening!
We do more things on…
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theshortcoat
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/theshortcoat
You deserve to be happy and healthy. If you’re struggling with racism, harassment, hate, your mental health, or some other crisis, visit http://theshortcoat.com/help, and send additions to the resources there to [email protected]. We love you. Music provided by Argofox. License: bit.ly/CCAttribution
DOCTOR VOX – Heatstroke: youtu.be/j1n1zlxzyRE
Catmosphere – Candy-Coloured Sky: youtu.be/AZjYZ8Kjgs8
Hexalyte – Wandering Hours: youtu.be/FOAo2zsYnvA
53 min
July 17, 2025 Medfluencers and Patient Education: Helpful or Risky? (Recess Rehash)
[We're on vacation, so enjoy this recent show in case you missed it!]
How future doctors are navigating social media’s impact on public education. How can a well-meaning medfluencer be sure they’re actually helping? M1 Zach Grissom, M2 Fallon Jung, M3 Jeff Goddard, and M4 Matt Engelken sit down with third-year DO student Nik Bletnitsky to discuss the role of social media in medical education. Current and Future doctors are increasingly using these platforms to share medical knowledge—but, even if you’re careful to offer the best information, what are the hidden dangers?
The conversation covers the sometimes blurry line between education, misinformation, and contradicting someone’s doctor’s advice. How disclaimers work (or don’t), and why the Dunning-Kruger effect can turn a curious patient into an overconfident self-diagnoser.
Should doctors be influencers? Can patients trust what they see online? And is it possible to make medical knowledge accessible without accidentally making things worse?
More about our guest:
@nikbletnitsky https://www.tiktok.com/@nikbletnitsky
We Want to Hear From You: YOUR VOICE MATTERS!
We welcome your feedback, listener questions, and shower thoughts. Do you agree or disagree with something we said today? Did you hear something really helpful? Can we answer a question for you? Are we delivering a podcast you want to keep listening to? Let us know at https://theshortcoat.com/tellus and we’ll put your message in a future episode. Or email [email protected].
The Short Coat Podcast is FeedSpot’s Top Iowa Student Podcast, and its Top Iowa Medical Podcast! Thanks for listening!
We do more things on…
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theshortcoat
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/theshortcoat
You deserve to be happy and healthy. If you’re struggling with racism, harassment, hate, your mental health, or some other crisis, visit http://theshortcoat.com/help, and send additions to the resources there to [email protected]. We love you. Music provided by Argofox. License: bit.ly/CCAttribution
DOCTOR VOX – Heatstroke: youtu.be/j1n1zlxzyRE
Catmosphere – Candy-Coloured Sky: youtu.be/AZjYZ8Kjgs8
Hexalyte – Wandering Hours: youtu.be/FOAo2zsYnvA
1 hr 6 min
July 10, 2025 She Got Into Med School… But Now She’s Not Sure (Recess Rehash)
[We're on vacation, so enjoy this recent show in case you missed it!]
Turning down that med school acceptance might cost more than you think. Listener “my initials are ARM” got into medical school—cue the confetti—but now that reality’s set in, she’s not feeling great about her only acceptance. The school is small, expensive, and far from home. Should she go anyway or risk reapplying in hopes of a better fit next year? MD/PhD students Michael Arrington, Shruthi Kondaboina, Jessica Smith, and M1 Maria Schapfel weigh the real costs of walking away from an acceptance, from the red flags admissions committees look for to the gamble of getting in again. They get honest about finances, family, and the very unsexy truth about how much the campus “vibe” actually matters. Plus, what to say if you do it anyway. Bonus: the MD/PhD students dish about why they took that road, while Maria counters with why MD is better for her.
We Want to Hear From You: YOUR VOICE MATTERS!
We welcome your feedback, listener questions, and shower thoughts. Do you agree or disagree with something we said today? Did you hear something really helpful? Can we answer a question for you? Are we delivering a podcast you want to keep listening to? Let us know at https://theshortcoat.com/tellus and we’ll put your message in a future episode. Or email [email protected].
The Short Coat Podcast is FeedSpot’s Top Iowa Student Podcast, and its Top Iowa Medical Podcast! Thanks for listening!
We do more things on…
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theshortcoat
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/theshortcoat
You deserve to be happy and healthy. If you’re struggling with racism, harassment, hate, your mental health, or some other crisis, visit http://theshortcoat.com/help, and send additions to the resources there to [email protected]. We love you. Music provided by Argofox. License: bit.ly/CCAttribution
DOCTOR VOX – Heatstroke: youtu.be/j1n1zlxzyRE
Catmosphere – Candy-Coloured Sky: youtu.be/AZjYZ8Kjgs8
Hexalyte – Wandering Hours: youtu.be/FOAo2zsYnvA
1 hr 9 min

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

From the publisher's feed

The HONEST guide to medical school, featuring real students from the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine–skip this show if you’d rather not know (and hate laughter)!