Primary Cast – Details, episodes & analysis

Shock, DIC and the coagulation cascade!  Dr. Ben Wingrove joins me today for a feature length random mash-up of things that happen in the circulation. We cover a range of topics here which feels similar to what you will be exposed to in the exam. Some of the diseases are covered in a lot of detail, but don't be intimidated as many of the questions just require a few key words to get the marks. You might need to listen to this a few times to get your head around the wordy-ness of these answers but have a look at the show notes where I have tried to give them a bit of structure. 

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Renal failure, diabetes and thyroid storm! Jacqui Downey joins me for this 2-in-1 episode covering all the key elements of renal/endo pathology. Some of these questions are from waaaay back so take them with a grain of salt (no renal pun intended).  

Jacqui is an awesome human being who navigates work-life balance in a way that is inspiring. We had a lot of fun recording this one and I hope you enjoy it. Nearly finished the content now! If there is something extra you want to hear please email me at charlottedurand@icloud.com or message me on Twitter/insta. 

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Orbits, neck triangles and more foramina than you can handle...Dr. Sophie Richards is in the podcast studio to discuss all things head and neck anatomy.  Another HUGE topic and one that I found particularly challenging. Listen to the end to find out which of these questions literally brought me to tears, then learn how to answer it!

Study notes are available at https://www.acemprimarypodcast.com/episode20 and include ALL my hand drawn stuff from these weeks.

Don't forget you can now support the podcast at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/primarycast :) 

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It happens to most of us at some point in our careers, but what is it actually like to fail the Primary Exam? The enigmatic Dr. Sarah Stewart was kind enough to join me on this episode to discuss her experience failing the MCQ. We discuss how she navigated the path to re-sitting as well as some of the mental gymnastics that goes along with that. Sarah is the kind of person you want in your corner when life is not going how you planned it, so this is essentially the pep talk we all need right now. For those who have failed, who know someone who has failed or who just need some reassurance that everything will come out in the wash. 

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Action potentials, neurotransmitters and nystagmus! Dr. Aruna Shivam is back for Episode 18 to chat about her favourite subject. We cover all of the 'must know' bits as well as a few of the more obscure but still possible questions from this area. I also give an update on how you can help support the podcast in order to keep it online as a free resource - check out more at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/primarycast

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Staph, Strep and maybe even COVID...? Josh is BACK to cover the infectious diseases section of pathology. Most of these questions are about pathogenesis, clinical features and outcomes. There are quite a few 'regulars' in this topic - that is, many of these questions have come up across multiple years. We also reckon that the structure and clinical features of COVID might be far game within the next few years given *all of this* going on right now. 
Check out the transcript and study notes from this episode at https://www.acemprimarypodcast.com/episode17

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Ibuprofen, paracetamol and fentanyl! Dr. Shireen Gujral joins me today to discuss some pharmacology. This is Shireen's second visit to the podcast after joining me back in episode 8.
It's a bit of a shorter one this time around because it's the week before the exam and I'm sure everyone's attention span is waning. You might hear that we kept in a bit more from the recording than I had originally intended...because who needs to take themselves too seriously these days? I hope it brings you all a bit of a laugh and some comfort in the week leading up to the exam.
Keep up the good work and don't forget to be kind to yourself. - Charlotte :)
Find the study notes for this topic on the blog at https://www.acemprimarypodcast.com/episode16

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Menisci, cruciate ligaments and the muscles of the leg! Dr. Anna Morgan is back for the long awaited (at least by me) second instalment of Lower Limb Anatomy. Despite my persisting inability to say 'fibula trochlear' as part of an answer, we managed to get this one done just in time for those sitting their vivas this month.  

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Hepatitis, cholecystitis and ischaemic gut! Episode 14 is jam-packed full of high yield path that is not only super relevant for the exam but is also kind of handy for your clinical life, too. I was joined by the effervescent & charming Dr. Kristian Heise, who divides his time between being an emergency registrar, an obstetric registrar and a fabulous 70's DJ at all our parties. 

For the transcript and study notes from this episode visit https://www.acemprimarypodcast.com/episode14

Please leave a review if you enjoy the podcast :) 

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Blood pressure, ECGs and the cardiac cycle! For this episode I am joined by Dr. Nicola Pearson, an ACEM trainee who has passed her primaries and is currently rotating to ICU. There are a few important diagrams to know in this topic so don't forget to check out the study notes on the website at https://www.acemprimarypodcast.com/episode13

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