Who’s off limits when it comes to dating, how renal physiology can ruin your chance of romance, and whether you should put that you’re a doctor on your tindr profile.

Dating as a newly qualified doctor brings some challenges that we don’t face as med students: unpredictable hours, exhaustion from night shifts, and professional boundaries with colleagues. Are some lines we should not cross? How hard is it to find romance while adjusting to life as a doctor?

Join medical students Laura and Declan and new doctor Divolka as we discuss how new doctors can join in the fun part of life that is dating. Featuring three doctors - Alyssa, Dipesh, and Amy - who share their awkward moments from their dating lives. Plus, Rob from Medical Protection gives advice on who’s off limits, and our Sharp Scratch regular Ryhan calls in to tell us how his medical elective is going.

Tell us what you think about the episode and your ideas for topics to cover later in the series by leaving a review or by using #SharpScratch on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

For more on the podcast, including how to follow Laura, Declan, Ryhan, Alyssa, Dipesh, and Rob on social media, visit www.bmj.com/sharpscratch.

Have you ever had a really bad day at placement? Perhaps something really awful has happened, or something has upset you, or another member of the team, or maybe you’ve made a mistake. This year, many episodes of sharp scratch have touched on the idea of debriefing after events like these, but in this episode, we talk a little more about debriefing. What is it? When is it useful? And who can we debrief with? 

 

This week, Éabha is joined by Nikki and Inez, and expert guest Jo Flowers, a senior resuscitation officer in the north of England. 

 

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**This podcast was recorded before the extraordinary circumstances due to the covid-19 outbreak.** Following on from our episode on what to wear on the wards, this week the Sharp Scratch team and expert guest take a closer look at the stereotypes around what doctors look like. This week's expert guest Dr Devina Maru is a GP specialty registrar in London, who has loved fashion from a young age, having grown up with a grandfather who is a tailor and a cousin who is an international fashion designer. You can follow her on Twitter: @Devina_Maru

To read the BMA's dress code click here. https://archive.bma.org.uk/advice/employment/contracts/consultant-contracts/dress-codes

We're joined by Professor Colin Melville from the General Medical Council (GMC) on this slightly unusual episode of Sharp Scratch. We talk about the role of the GMC in regulating new doctors and plans for interim FY1 posts and beyond. Our expert guest: Professor Colin Melville is the Medical Director and Director of Education and Standards at the GMC. Colin leads the GMC's regulation of all stages of medical education, having previously worked in senior roles at a number of medical schools. Colin trained as a doctor and worked as a consultant in intensive care medicine before moving into medical education.

The GMC have a new online hub for newly qualified doctors moving into interim FY1 posts https://www.gmc-uk.org/registration-and-licensing/provisional-registration

This week on Sharp Scratch, we interrupt our scheduled podcasts to bring you a special bumper episode where we discuss the topic on everyone's minds: covid-19. We hear from medical students and junior doctors who have been disrupted by the pandemic. Our guests Chris Smith is a medical student in Southampton and Co-Chair of the BMA's Medical Student's Committee Stephen Naulls is a brand new doctor and Deputy Chair for Welfare on the BMA Medical Student's Committee Tanya Ta is another early-graduated new doctor from Norwich Medical School, who has been working on the wards as senior medical student assistant.

Cassandra Baiano is a second year medical student on the ScotGEM graduate entry to medicine programme. Cassandra and her colleague Ronald Macdonald, a first year student on the same programme, have built an app called 'HealthSHIP' that connects up medical students who want to help out with healthcare professionals who need an extra pair of hands.

**This podcast was recorded before the extraordinary circumstances due to the covid-19 outbreak.** Picking out clothes to wear on the wards is less straightforward than you might think. This week, we talk balancing fashion and function, the perils of noisy shoes, and the best colour shirts to wear if you're a nervous sweater... This week's expert guest Dr Devina Maru is a GP specialty registrar in London, who has loved fashion from a young age, having grown up with a grandfather who is a tailor and a cousin who is an international fashion designer. You can follow her on Twitter: @Devina_Maru

To read the BMA's dress code click here. (https://www.bma.org.uk/advice/employment/contracts/consultant-contracts/dress-codes)

Anxiety's a natural part of life - under certain circumstances. And we know that med students and junior docs are more likely than other groups to suffer from anxiety disorders and depression. This week, the Sharp Scratch team talk about their anxieties, and hear from some expert guests on how we can manage anxiety day to day, and how to recognise when we might need a little extra help. This week's expert guests and contributors: Dr Stania Kamara is an ST6 Specialist Registrar in Forensic Psychiatry, and current Medical Director's Clinical Fellow at the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges with NHS England and NHS Improvement. She is passionate about trying to improve access to good quality mental health care across the globe and has worked to develop services and build the capacity of the mental health workforce in a number in number of low and middle income countries. In 2015 she was shortlisted for the Royal College of Psychiatrists Core Trainee of the Year award and awarded the Queen's medal for service during the Ebola outbreak in West Africa. Stephen Buckley is Head of Information at Mind, the mental health charity. For the resources Stephen mentions, check out the Mind website. https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mental-health-problems/anxiety-and-panic-attacks/about-anxiety/ If you are struggling with anxiety, you can get help by contacting your GP, university services or local services. If you need someone to talk to, one to one and confidentially, you can call the Samaritans for free at 116 123. Find more information on their website.

https://www.samaritans.org/how-we-can-help/contact-samaritan/

In this week's special episode of Sharp Scratch, we've got something a little different for you! Last week the panel talked microaggressions, so this week we're hearing from an expert guest who is leading the work the NHS is doing to combat inequality in healthcare. If you like this special edition, let us know on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter using #SharpScratch This week's special guest: Yvonne Coghill, CBE is the director of Workforce Race Equality Standard (WRES) at NHS England and NHS Improvement. Yvonne has over 20 years’ experience in nursing, before taking up operational and strategic leadership posts. During her 40 plus years career, she has held a wide variety of clinical and managerial roles at the Department for Health and NHS Leadership Academy. In 2013 she was voted by colleagues in the NHS as one of the top 50 most inspirational women, one of the top 50 most inspirational nurse leaders and one of the top 50 black and minority ethnic (BME) pioneers, two years in a row. In July 2015 Yvonne joined NHS England as director for WRES Implementation. She was awarded an Order of the British Empire for services to healthcare in 2010 and Commander of the British Empire in 2018. Yvonne was elected deputy president of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) in November 2018. Some of the resources Yvonne mentions during the interview: https://www.england.nhs.uk/2020/02/nhs-publishes-new-workforce-race-equality-data-ahead-of-nhs-and-race-summit/ https://www.england.nhs.uk/about/equality/equality-hub/equality-standard/resources/

https://www.england.nhs.uk/2019/01/race-equality/

In an episode to coincide with The BMJ's themes issue on racism in medicine, this week we talk people getting your name wrong, other microaggressions, and how racism can literally break your heart. We also hear from Professor David Williams on the physiological impact of discrimination and being a person with prejudices. You can hear David's full interview in The BMJ podcast. This week's expert contributor: David Williams is a Professor of Public Health at the Harvard School of Public Health, as well as a Professor of African and African American Studies and of Sociology at Harvard University.

His research has focussed on the health effects of racial discrimination, as well as the public health implications of marginalisation.

Every day hundreds of patients give up their time to help train medical students. Some work closely with medical schools, as expert patients who lead hands on teaching sessions, or helping develop the curriculum. As medics, we rely on the good will of patients for our learning. But what's it really like to be a patient who's used as a learning opportunity? This week, we speak to three patients who have experienced just this - and find out the key things to avoid doing and saying! Our expert guests and contributors: Amy Price is a research scientist at Stanford University and part of The BMJ Patient advisory panel. She has worked closely with medical students in a number of different settings. Mike Scott is a member of the Patient Educator team at King's College London School of Medicine, where he's been examined by many medical students as part of his work. Sarah Markham is a mathematician, a researcher at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience. She's a member of The BMJ Patient advisory panel and has lived experience of inpatient mental health services, throughout which she interacted with many medical students.

If you'd like to read Ruth Tapp's piece that Anna mentions, you can find it on BMJ.com

We've spoken before on Sharp Scratch about how med students and junior docs can make friends with more senior doctors (like in episode two, when we talked about referrals). But there's a host of other professionals that work together to make patient care safe and effective - the multidisciplinary team - and we want to be friends with them too. As a medical student you often only get a short amount of time on a new ward, so this week we're talking about how we can make sure we build good relationships with the rest of the team, as quickly as possible. Our expert guests and contributors: Helga Lawrence is a student mental health nurse at Anglia Ruskin University. This week we chat with her about the annoyance of having medical students on the ward, and how a student nurse could be your best friend on placement. Wendy Preston is a Consultant Nurse in respiratory medicine and is Head of Nursing Practice at The Royal College of Nursing. You can find her on Twitter. Carolyn Cairns was previously a manager in the NHS, but is now a second year medical student! She's on Twitter.

If you're interested in the work done by Civility Saves Lives, you can find out more at their website.

January is traditionally a time when people make all sorts of promises to themselves - often around food, exercise or work. But sometimes these New Year's Resolutions might put us at risk of putting ourselves under too much pressure. In this episode, we discuss the resolutions you might like to make to protect your physical and mental wellbeing in 2020. Our expert guests and contributors: Abi Rimmer is Careers Editor at The BMJ and has been heavily involved in The BMJ's wellbeing campaign. You can find her on Twitter. Juliet Laycock is a surgical trainee, who provides us with some advice about making the most of a long commute. Abbie Tutt is a graduate entry medical student in Warwick, who has an unusual source of support at university! She's on Twitter and also runs a blog. Isra Husain is a final year medical student in London who loves to sing! You can follow her on Twitter.

To read the article Abi mentioned about gardening, take a look at BMJ Careers' 'Why I' series.

Perfectionism is medicine’s favourite flaw. It seems that all too often, the very traits that we entered this profession for; wanting to be the best, wanting to do the best by our patients and colleagues, can often lead to burnout, to loneliness, to all those negative consequences we have discussed in previous episodes. In this episode we look a little more at perfectionism; what it is, why we medics are so partial to it, and how we can use it to our advantage rather than falling victim to it.

This week, the panel are joined by expert guest Dr Thomas Curran. Thomas is  a BPS chartered psychologist and Associate Professor in the Department of Psychological and Behavioural Science at the London School of Economics. He is a world-leading expert on perfectionism and in 2023 he published his debut book, 'The Perfection Trap.'

Buy 'The Perfection Trap':  https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/447202/the-perfection-trap-by-curran-thomas/9781847943842

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Christmas bells are ringing! It's a day that comes for all those who work shifts: your first holiday season at work. How can you bring a little festive cheer to the ward? We hear from some clinicians about their working Christmases and discuss how you can make the most of the holiday period in the hospital, as we try to convince Declan that working Christmas Day might not be as bad as he thinks... Our expert guests and contributors: Jo Talbot Bowen is a consultant psychiatrist and psychotherapist with a special interest in stress in clinicians. Sally El-Ghazali is an anaesthetics trainee who has actually chosen to work over Christmas in the past!

Rahul Pankhania is a surgical trainee whose Christmas day on the ward was once saved by a gift of a mince pie...

It's happened to every medic: relatives start telling you off for your dinnertime topic choices; non-medical friends probe and then sit in shock as you tell your latest morbid hospital joke. Some people - like Adam Kay - have even made a career of it. How much is too much gallows humour? And in a time of overstretched resources and clinician burnout, is dark humour an important way of bringing together people who have seen the best and worst of the healthcare system? Our expert guests and contributors: Benji Waterstones is a senior psychiatric trainee and stand up comedian. He's performed his comedy at the Edinburgh Fringe in the past, and joins us this week to unpick the art of medical comedy. Brian Goldman is an emergency physician, author and radio host. He wrote a book called 'The Secret Language of Doctors' and hosts show 'White Coat Black Art' on Canadian Broadcasting Company Radio 1

www.bmj.com/sharpscratch

Sharp Scratch is all about bringing the hidden curriculum to light - so it's time to get real about another hidden aspect of medicine: the financial commitments of studying and being a junior doc. Hidden costs are everywhere: so how do you anticipate them and how can you weather financial storms? Join the team as we hear from med students and junior docs about their moey worries, and quiz our expert guest about where we can get help. Our expert guests and contributors: We heard from some medical students and junior docs: Nishita Gadi Instagram: nishitagadix Oliver Arscott Twitter: @OArscott Pedra Rabiee Twitter: @pedrarabiee Lewis Hughes: @LewyHughey

Kathryn Runswick is an employment advisor for the BMA and Liverpool Medical School, and the mother of a newly qualified doctor. For advice on managing your money at medical school, the BMA produces gudies which can be found here https://www.bma.org.uk/advice/work-life-support/your-finances-and-protection/medical-student-finance. The Royal Medical Benevolent Fund also provides money advice and signposting to hardship funds https://rmbf.org/.

Med students and doctors of the 21st century often use social media for work and leisure. We all hear the same spiel from our med schools about being safe online - but social media can also be used for good! Join Laura, Anna, Ryhan, and our expert guest Dr Dominique Thompson as we discuss all the 'dos' of social media, rather than the 'don'ts.' Tell us what you think about the episode and your ideas for topics to cover later in the series by leaving a review or by using #SharpScratch on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

For more on the podcast, including how to follow Laura, Anna, Ryhan and Dominique on social media, visit www.bmj.com/sharpscratch.

As med students and junior doctors, we encounter death more than the general population. But what do you actually do when you're called to the ward to see a patient who has died - and what happens after you've confirmed a patient death? Join Laura, Anna, Declan and our special guest, Robert Cast, anatomical pathological technologist, as we take a dive into the world beyond the wards, to find out how we can keep caring for our patients after they die. Tell us what you think about the episode and your ideas for topics to cover later in the series by leaving a review or by using #SharpScratch on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

For more on the podcast, including how to follow Laura, Anna, Declan and Robert on social media, visit www.bmj.com/sharpscratch.

As med students and junior doctors, we'll encounter death more than the general population. So how do we cope with the emotional strain this can bring? How do you support colleagues who are grieving? And is it ever ok to cry in front of a patient? Join medical students Laura and Ryhan, and junior doctor Chidera as they talk about coping with death, and hear from Stephen Barclay, GP and palliative care doctor, and who taught Laura and Chidera about death and dying. Tell us what you think about the episode and your ideas for topics to cover later in the series by leaving a review or by using #SharpScratch on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

For more on the podcast, including how to follow Laura, Chidera, Ryhan and Stephen on social media, visit www.bmj.com/sharpscratch.

Last time we talked about getting ill, and taking some sick days - but what happens when you realise that your illness doesn’t have an end date, and if you’re going to return to work at all, then you’re going to return to work with your illness. What is it like? How to do you talk to colleagues or patients about it. Can you come to terms with yourself as a doctor with a long term illness? And how can you access support to continue working? Join medical students Laura and Anna, and new doctor Declan as they talk about being ill, and quiz Anne de Bono President of the Faculty of Occupational Medicine about adapting your ways of working. Tell us what you think about the episode and your ideas for topics to cover later in the series by leaving a review or by using #SharpScratch on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

For more on the podcast, including how to follow Laura, Anna, Declan, and Anne on social media, visit www.bmj.com/sharpscratch.

Med students and docs face pressure to keeping working when they are poorly - compulsory classes, stretched rotas and knackered colleagues, and pride or stigma masquerading as self discipline or resilience. So against the tide of pressure, how sick is sick enough? And what are the costs of working while poorly? Join medical students Laura and Declan and new panel member Anna Harvey and welcome back Sharp Scratch alumni James Macguire. We also talk to microbiologist Sarah Wylie about why throwing up between patients means you definitely need to go home. Tell us what you think about the episode and your ideas for topics to cover later in the series by leaving a review or by using #SharpScratch on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

For more on the podcast, including how to follow everyone on social media, visit www.bmj.com/sharpscratch.

Who’s off limits when it comes to dating, how renal physiology can ruin your chance of romance, and whether you should put that you’re a doctor on your tindr profile. Dating as a newly qualified doctor brings some challenges that we don’t face as med students: unpredictable hours, exhaustion from night shifts, and professional boundaries with colleagues. And maybe there are some lines we should not cross. How hard is it to find romance while adjusting to life as a doctor? Join medical students Laura and Declan and new doctor Divolka as we discuss how new doctors can join in the fun part of life that is dating. Featuring three doctors - Alyssa, Dipesh, and Amy - who share their awkward moments from their dating lives. Plus, Rob from Medical Protection gives advice on who’s off limits, and our Sharp Scratch regular Ryhan calls in to tell us how his medical elective is going. Tell us what you think about the episode and your ideas for topics to cover later in the series by leaving a review or by using #SharpScratch on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

For more on the podcast, including how to follow Laura, Declan, Ryhan, Alyssa, Dipesh, and Rob on social media, visit www.bmj.com/sharpscratch.

The secrets of true love, how being a new doctor affects your sex life, and whether it’s a good idea to date a medic in the first place. Becoming a doctor brings new challenges to romantic relationships: shift work, commutes, and emotional burdens from work. How can we prepare to carry relationships through this transition? Are linked job applications wise? Is it tougher (as a junior doctor) to date someone who is a junior doctor too than someone in another career? Join medical student Laura, new doctor Chidera, and Julia Bland from DocHealth which offers medical psychotherapy for doctors. We discuss how to keep a romantic relationship alive in the transition between medical school and your first job as a doctor. Featuring three medical students - Michael, Catriona, and Richard - who bare themselves and reveal what they’re worried about as they consider the future of their relationships. Tell us what you think about the episode and your ideas for topics to cover later in the series by leaving a review or by using #SharpScratch on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

For more on the podcast, including how to follow Laura, Chidera, Michael, Catriona, and Richard on social media, visit www.bmj.com/sharpscratch.

We spend a lot of time in medical school working as a part of a team, either in class time, or in clinical teams like the MDT. Yet, medical school can be a very lonely place. We get taught a lot about loneliness and how dangerous it can be for patients and as we age, but lots of us are impacted by loneliness, at every age.

In this episode, we could talk about some of the drivers of loneliness at medical school, asking why so many of us feel so lonely even when we are so often surrounded by our peers, and challenging these drivers of loneliness in meaningful ways.

Clare Dixon is a clinical tutor at Lancaster Medical School and a clinical psychologist. In her work with medical students, she runs a Clinical Psychology Service for medical students in Lancaster. 

Ian Smith is a Clinical Psychologist and the research director of the DClinPsych programme at Lancaster Medical School. He works clinically with medical students in the Clinical Psychology Service at Lancaster Medical School.

Keep in touch, we'd love to hear your thoughts on the show, especially if you feel comfortable sharing your own experiences of loneliness at medical school and what has helped you!

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Your first day of being a doctor is very different to anything in medical school. What can we learn from those who have just finished their first year? What do they wish they had known? Join medical students Laura and Declan, and surgical registrar Greta as we discuss the tips for new doctors sent in by eight Sharp Scratch listeners who have just finished their first or second year of being a doctor. Looking for more tips? Read nine pieces of advice for new doctors from Abraar Karan, an internal medicine resident at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital/ Harvard Medical School: https://blogs.bmj.com/bmj/2019/07/09/abraar-karan-advice-to-new-doctors/. Plus, more tips from doctors who have just finished their first year of being a doctor: https://blogs.bmj.com/bmj/2018/07/20/tips-for-new-doctors-advice-for-trainees-starting-in-fy1/ Tell us what you think about the episode and your ideas for topics to cover later in the series by leaving a review or by using #SharpScratch on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

For more on the podcast, including how to follow Laura, Declan, Greta, and our eight listeners who gave us their tips on social media, visit www.bmj.com/sharpscratch

You've made a mistake. What goes through your mind? How do you share this with your team? Why is it important to recognise the role of systems and human factors in making mistakes? And how do you move on to become a better clinician? Join medical student Laura, new doctor Chidera, and consultant obstetrician / chief operating officer / quality and safety geek Andy Heeps as we figure out exactly what to expect after making your first mistake. Featuring an interview with Jenny Vaughan, a neurologist and leading medical law campaigner, and Rob Hendry, medical director at Medical Protection. Tell us what you think about the episode and your ideas for topics to cover later in the series by leaving a review or by using #SharpScratch on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

For more on the podcast, including how to follow Laura, Chidera, Andy, Jenny, and Rob on social media, visit www.bmj.com/sharpscratch

What happens when you’re treating a patient, and they say something offensive - do you have a duty to continue treating them? Is it OK to walk away? And whatever you choose, will there be consequences on your colleagues or your organisation? Join medical students Laura and Ryhan, newly qualified doctor Chidera, and Nadeem Moghul, nephrologist and Senior Clinical Fellow at The Nuffield Trust - who changed the way in which his hospital dealt with a racist patient. Tell us what you think about the episode and your ideas for topics to cover later in the series by leaving a review or by using #SharpScratch on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

For more on the podcast, including how to follow Laura, Ryhan, and Chidera on social media, visit www.bmj.com/sharpscratch

You’re on the ward round. Doctor shouts at med student. What happens next? Join medical students Laura and Ryhan, newly qualified doctor Chidera, and Simon Fleming, orthopod reg and founder of #HammerItOut - which is a campaign to stop bullying in the NHS. We also have an interview with Anne Stephenson - GP, who teaches undergraduate medical students professionalism at Kings College London.. We’ve all met doctors and med students on placement who we just can’t stand - or who make us feel >thisFor more on the podcast, including how to follow Laura, Ryhan, Declan, Cat and Sophie on social media, visit www.bmj.com/sharpscratch

Join medical students Laura and Declan, newly qualified doctor Chidera, and CEO of Resuscitation Council UK Sue as we figure out what to expect the first time that we observe or take part in a CPR event—and why it’s not like what we see on TV. Featuring an interview with newly qualified doctor and Youtuber Ali Abdaal, who faced CPR events on his very first day of being a doctor. It feels inappropriate to observe a CPR event as a medical student, especially as we may not be able to help the team within our competency. But as a new doctor, we will be expected to be competent, whether we’re the first on the scene or joining a team already in action. How do we prepare for the real thing? Tell us what you think about the episode and your ideas for topics to cover later in the series by leaving a review or by using #SharpScratch on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

For more on the podcast, including how to follow Laura, Ryhan, Declan, Cat and Sophie on social media, visit www.bmj.com/sharpscratch

Why projects fail, how one med student transformed her local emergency department, and why you should go looking for the people in the hospital basement. Join medical students Laura, Ryhan, Declan, and quality improvement editor Cat as we figure out how to start a project that could actually change something. Featuring an interview with Dundee med student Sophie, who completed a successful project that led to change. It seems like loads of med students are rushing to get a publication out before they apply for foundation posts, and sometimes audits or small local projects seem like easy pickings. But such projects have the potential to change the environment—right? If you want to learn more after this episode, check out Cat’s recommendation, How to get started in quality improvement, at https://www.bmj.com/content/364/bmj.k5437. Tell us what you think about the episode and your ideas for topics to cover later in the series by leaving a review or by using #SharpScratch on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

For more on the podcast, including how to follow Laura, Ryhan, Declan, Cat and Sophie on social media, visit www.bmj.com/sharpscratch

Why the hospital switchboard is the friend you never knew you had, how using emotions can help you refer a patient, and what it takes to make a med reg hang up the phone on you. We learn management for many of the cases will see - but often our algorithms end with ‘refer to seniors’ or ‘refer to specialists’. How do we refer our patients to other doctors? What must we include, what could we include, how are we most likely to make a successful referral? Follow the guests on social media James Maguire on Twitter: https://twitter.com/jamesma9uire LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/dr-james-maguire-84717a170 Charlotte Durand on Twitter: https://twitter.com/char_durand

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chardurand/

Why nights shifts mess with your brain, how astronauts will cope with the time difference on Mars, and the power of frozen grapes when you need a boost. Join medical students Laura, Ryhan, Declan, and newly qualified doctor Chidera as we figure out how to survive the night shift. Featuring a guest interview with NASA researcher Erin, leader of the Fatigue Countermeasures Group. As a student, you may work late but (in the UK) it is unlikely you stay in hospital overnight unless you expressly seek out to do so. So how do you adjust and prepare for night shifts as a new doc? Tell us what you think about the episode and your ideas for topics to cover later in the series using #SharpScratch on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram Leave a review and let us know on social media by tagging BMJ Student and including your reviewer username to be in with a chance to win a free subscription to OnExamination - BMJ’s question bank for medical exams.

For more on the podcast, including how to follow Laura, Declan, Ryhan and Chidera on social media, visit https://www.bmj.com/sharpscratch

What is Sharp Scratch. Laura Nunez-Mulder is here to introduce Sharp Scratch, the new podcast from The BMJ. We're here to talk about the "hidden curriculum" all of those things that new medics are supposed to just pick up on the job - but that no-one actually explains.

In the coming months we'll talk about how to survive your first night shift, how to not piss off your med-reg, why CPR isn't like it is on TV, and what it can be like to be moved far from friends, family and partners.

This week, the panel explore the dynamics of the multidisciplinary teams that come together to look after patients in hospitals and in the community.

Building on previous episodes which have explored the idea of teamwork and multidisciplinary teams from the perspective of medical and nursing students, this episode broadens our horizons and tries to understand a little more about multidisciplinary teamworking.

Expert guest Samantha Holmes is a head and neck cancer specialist speech and language therapist, currently working at The BMJ as the Chief Sustainability Officer's clinical fellow. You can find her on Twitter/X at @SHolmes_SLT

 

Please keep in touch, I’d love to hear your thoughts on the show, let us know about your experiences of working with the multidisciplinary team!

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Morale has been low in medicine recently. With ongoing industrial action and the recent AIMS study finding that almost ⅓ of us students plan to leave the NHS within two years of graduating, it can sometimes be difficult to remain optimistic about the future in medicine. 

But it is a brand new year, and so in this week's episode we start the year reflecting on the things we love about medicine. From patients and colleagues, to the breadth of work we are able to do, there is still so much to love. 

This week, Éabha is joined by panellists Anna, an obstetrics and gynaecology trainee in the North East, and Sarah, a fourth year medical student in Milton Keynes. The panel hear from Jingy Alom BEM, an emergency medicine doctor in North East London, and Mark Williams, a GP.

The festive season is officially here! This time of year is all about spreading peace and goodwill, and if you’re looking for good will, one place you’re almost certain to find it is the NHS. 

 

While working throughout the Christmas period is often an intimidating prospect for new doctors, and often we would rather *not* spend our holidays at the hospital. Yet, the wards are a pretty unique place to spend the holidays, or at least some of them, so in this Christmas special episode we could talk to some of our panellists who have already been doctors for a Christmas (or more) about their experiences of being on the wards during the holidays and about any advice they might have for those of us about to have our first holiday season in the hospital.

 

This week, Éabha is joined by Laura, an internal medicine trainee in Cambridge, and Kayode, a foundation year 2 doctor in London. 

 

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Starting medical school can be a shock to the system. From day 1, there is so much to learn, there’s exams to pass and all these new practical skills to get your head around. This podcast is all about how you can learn best and boss those exams without letting them take over your whole life. 

 

In this episode, we talk all about how to do the best you can do in exams, about learning and the study tips and tricks that have and have not worked for us. Sarah, our expert guest, is an educational psychologist who works in the South West of England. 

 

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This podcast is produced and edited by Geoff Marsh and Duncan Jarvies

They say nobody parties harder than medical students, but is that really true? What do our panellists think? Long-time listeners of sharp scratch may remember the fresher’s firsts: socialising episode recorded in the middle of the pandemic, so we are happy to be revisiting this topic now that medical school, and University, feels a little more normal. 

 

In this episode, the panel talk all about socialising at medical school; from freshers' weeks, to sports and societies, to all the friends they made along the way. 

 

Expert guest Christina Aaliyah is a final year medical student at Newcastle University and a content-creator who’s content about studying medicine and university life has amassed a following of over 140,000 on TikTok.

 

You can find Christina’s social media here:

Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@christina.aaliyah?lang=en 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chrstinna/

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This podcast is produced and edited by Geoff Marsh and Duncan Jarvies.

Transitioning from school to university is challenging for everyone, but is perhaps even more so when that transition involves moving to a whole new country. International medical students are those of us in medical training who undertake their studies in a different country to the one they call home. Whether that’s a short hop across borders or moving to the other side of the world, studying in a new country comes with a unique of challenges.  

In this episode, the sharp scratch panel explore the journey of an international medical student. What is it like to get into, and get through medical school in a different country to the one you grew up in? How can you adjust to a new country and a new healthcare system? How does that impact students? Is there anything students studying closer to home can do to support their international friends and colleagues.

The panel is joined by expert guest Nitin Shroti, a consultant urologist and BMA council member. Nitin has written extensively and campaigned for better support of ethnic minorities in UK health institutions. With 30 years of experience in the NHS as an international medical graduate, he brings both personal and professional insights into the systemic issues faced by medics coming from overseas.

 

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You can now receive the BMJ Student monthly roundup via email, sign up now: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc9djp8xBRKKenGqn-0RbNSl4qUx0Erg7hJ4jdP1vC8sRfrQA/viewform?usp=sf_lin

Spooky season is here, and sometimes there is nothing scarier than a medical degree. From broken bones, to early morning buses, we medics are fond of a horror story.

 

This episode, to celebrate halloween, we are sharing some of our spookiest medical school scaries - the good, the bad and the funny. We talk about some of the things we find scary about medical school, and why we find these things so scary.

 

In this episode the panel are joined by Dr Megan Brown, a ‘doctor-turned-academic’. With a background in clinical medicine, she now works full time in academia, and is a senior research associate in medical education at Newcastle University. 

 

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This podcast is produced and edited by Geoff Marsh, Dom Byrne and Duncan Jarvies.

Here at sharp scratch, we are taking a short break, so in the meantime we'd like to highlight some of our favourite episodes from the archive. I thought these episodes might be particularly helpful for those of us starting out at medical school, and I hope you enjoy them. 

In this episode, the panel were joined by medical school expert David Brill, as they discuss how to approach practical exams and manage nerves, as well as their OSCE disaster stories.

Here at Sharp Scratch, we’re taking a short summer break, so in the meantime we’d like to highlight some of our favourite episodes from our archive. I thought these episodes might be particularly helpful for those of us starting out at medical school, and I hope you enjoy them.

Starting university or medical school can be a daunting experience for anyone, but when you're the first person in your family to study medicine, it can feel even scarier. In this episode, the panel talk all about what it is like to be a first generation medical student, starting from the very beginning and talking about when they realised they first wanted to study medicine and what it was like to apply. They also talk about their time at medical school, and the culture shock when they arrived. To finish up, they talk about positive changes they'd like to see in medicine and how their feelings have changed over time. 

 

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We are taking a short summer break from Sharp Scratch, so in the meantime we’d like to highlight some of our favourite episodes from our archive. I thought these episodes might be particularly helpful for those of us starting out at medical school, and I hope you enjoy them. 

In this episode, the panel were joined by Richie Oparka, consultant pathologist and head of first year at Dundee medical school. They discussed and reminisce on their own first years, including their first dissections, lectures and exams.

Here at Sharp Scratch, we’re taking a short summer break, so in the meantime we’d like to highlight some of our favourite episodes from our archive. I thought these episodes might be particularly helpful for those of us starting out at medical school, and I hope you enjoy them.

 

Starting university can be a really exciting and really nerve-wracking time. There are so many questions you might have before you start. How do you know what to pack? How do you make friends? How do you study? Is it really going to be the best time of your life?!

 

You might be just about to start university in the next week or two, or simply feel like indulging in the nostalgia of those first few weeks. Either way, join Sharp Scratch panel members new and old as we come together to discuss the sorts of things we were worried about or looking forward to before we started university. 

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This podcast is produced and edited by Dom Byrne and Duncan Jarvies.

 

 

Join all of the previous hosts as we celebrate 100 episodes of Sharp Scratch!

 

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This podcast is produced and edited by Dom Byrne and Duncan Jarvies.

Medicine can be challenging sometimes, and while there are often formal support structures in place such as welfare teams or occupational health to deal with acute events, or ongoing struggles, what about all the day to day parts of medicine? 

 

Today we’re going to be talking about the support systems available in medical schools and the impacts of having, or not having, these structures in place. 

 

Expert guests:

Dr Caroline Walker is a psychiatrist, therapist, speaker, trainer, and coach. She is also the founder of The Joyful Doctor, a non-profit organisation dedicated to improving the wellbeing of health care professionals. More information about The Joyful Doctor can be found here - https://www.joyfuldoctor.com/. 

 

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This podcast is produced and edited by Dom Byrne and Duncan Jarvies.

Milestones in medicine are often thought of as getting over the next professional hurdle - we’re always thinking about passing our next exam, advancing to our next year of medical school or training, or finally becoming a consultant. But in reality, are these the moments that truly feel like significant milestones?

Instead, what if we shifted our mindset to thinking about all of the things that feel personally important, but not really institutionally important. If the things we placed all of our significance on were not passing our exams, but instead the first time someone said well done or that you’d make a really great doctor. 

 

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This podcast is produced and edited by Dom Byrne and Duncan Jarvies.

Starting university or medical school can be a daunting experience for anyone, but when you’re the first person in your family to study medicine, it can feel even scarier. In today’s episode, we’re going to be talking all about what it’s like to be a first-generation medical student. We’ll start from the very beginning and talk about when we first realised we wanted to study medicine and what it was like to apply. We’ll then move on to discussing our time at medical school, and whether we experienced any kind of culture shock when we arrived. We’ll finish up by talking about positive changes we’d like to see in medicine, and how our feelings have changed with time. Expert guests: Dr Enam-Ul Haque is a GP Partner in Manchester, as well as a Clinical Senior Lecturer at the University of Manchester. He has a passion for widening participation and equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) and is the Founder of the National Medical Schools Widening Participation Forum and Co-Chair of the MSC EDI Alliance. Check us out on social media: Twitter: https://twitter.com/BMJStudent Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bmj_student/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BMJStudent/

This podcast is produced and edited by Dom Byrne and Duncan Jarvies.

When we think of being a ‘good enough’ medical student, our thoughts might go straight to exams. Have we passed them all? What about merits, or even distinctions? It’s easy to prioritise exam scores above all else as it is one of the only times we get clear, concrete feedback - or a number that tells us how ‘good’ we really are. But can exam results capture everything or is something missing here when we talk about being a ‘good enough’ medical student or doctor? Can written papers or practical exams like OSCEs ever really sum up whether we’ll be ‘good doctors’? And despite so much pressure to excel, do we really need doctors to be the best or do we need them to be good enough? Expert guests: Abi Rimmer is a news reporter and careers editor at The BMJ. She is responsible for the careers content and reports on workforce-related and NHS policy issues. She was also recently treated as a patient for stage III rectal cancer. Check us out on social media: Twitter: https://twitter.com/BMJStudent Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bmj_student/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BMJStudent/

This podcast is produced and edited by Dom Byrne and Duncan Jarvies.

Trans people experience disproportionately poor health outcomes, with a recent study funded from the NIHR finding that trans and non binary patients are more likely to experience long term health conditions, including dementia, learning disabilities, and mental health problems. In this episode, we talk about how current and future doctors can be equipped with some of the tools we need to support the delivery of healthcare to trans patients. 

 

Whilst this is a super broad and complex topic, this episode focuses on some common misconceptions and challenge ideas in regards to gender and transness, and helps us to learn a little more about how we can best support these patients. 

 

We are joined by Duncan Shrewsbury, a queer academic GP based in Brighton. Duncan is a Reader in Clinical Education & Primary Care at Brighton and Sussex Medical School, they are the Deputy Lead for Curriculum Development, the research lead for the Department of Medical Education, and the lead the Academic GP training. They also work clinically, delivering both primary and gender affirming healthcare. 

 

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