Sharp Scratch

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.

Given the current working conditions in the UK, we’re hearing more and more stories of doctors moving abroad to practise medicine. However, this isn’t necessarily unusual. Doctors and other healthcare professionals from many different countries do often decide to get a taste for healthcare systems elsewhere either through short, temporary placements, or through a more permanent move! In today’s episode we’re going to be talking all about why students or junior doctors might be considering working abroad. We’ll also talk about the pros and cons of moving to a different country to work, and whether the grass really is greener on the other side. We’ll finish off by talking about the logistics of making such a move, and hear some top tips from our expert guest! Expert guests: Dr Matt Morgan is an intensive care consultant, researcher, and author. He currently works in Perth, Western Australia. He is also a columnist for The BMJ and works with BMJ OnExamination. 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.

From the moment you start medical school, you’re asked the same question - ‘what kind of doctor are you going to be?’. Whilst some know from the very beginning that they’re going to be a surgeon or a paediatrician or a GP, others have no idea. The reality of choosing a specialty can be really difficult. In this episode, we talk about the common worries that medical students or junior doctors might have when it comes to choosing a specialty. We’ll also discuss some steps we can take to make that process a little easier. Expert guests: Heather Samuel is a professionally qualified careers adviser with over 30 years experience, spending the last 15 years specialising in working with doctors from F1 to CCT and beyond. She now works on a freelance basis for the NHS and with schools. 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.

From the lingering effects of the pandemic to ongoing industrial action, it is a turbulent time to be working in healthcare. As medical students about to start working in this profession, it can feel really overwhelming and daunting to think about our future careers in the NHS. Today we’re going to be talking about all the things we’re worried about when it comes to the current NHS crisis. Our expert guest, Elisabeth, will pull in evidence from interviews with junior doctors and healthcare leaders to get a broader sense of the current situation. We also reached out to the rest of the panel, and other medical students on social media, to hear more about their concerns too. Expert guests: Elisabeth Mahase is the clinical news reporter for the journalism team at The BMJ. She previously worked at GP magazine Pulse and has a background in Science Communication and Biomedical Science. 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.

Every consultation we have with a patient reveals something about us - sometimes we do that deliberately, sometimes it's just incidental - but we always bring something of ourselves to the consultation. In a recent episode, we talked all about self disclosure; when it is and isn’t appropriate to share things with your patients. In that episode, we focused on health and illness but today, we’re going to be talking about things that are outside of the sphere of medicine. For example, the way that we consider our identity and other aspects of our personal life. This might be through outright self-disclosure or it might be more linked to all of the nonverbal and visual cues you get and give in a consultation. Expert guests: Dr Brendan J Dunlop is a principal clinical psychologist and clinical lecturer in clinical psychology. He is also the author of The Queer Mental Health Workbook. He delivers training and teaching which covers elements of self-disclosure. 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.

Maybe you’ve been following BMJ Student for a really long time, or maybe you’re new to following us. Perhaps you only know about Sharp Scratch, or you’ve written and worked with us before. However much you know about BMJ Student, we hope today’s episode will be a look behind the scenes at what it means to work at The BMJ. Today we’ve got four current/former Editorial Scholars ready to talk all about our experiences working at The BMJ, as well as how you can get involved via the Clegg Scholarship, the Editorial Scholarship, Sharp Scratch, and writing articles! We’ll dive into any worries we had before joining, and unpick our experiences to hopefully allow you to get a better insight into the inner workings of a medical journal! With thanks to Marina Politis and Nicholas Phillips (Clegg Scholars, 2022). 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.

We’ve talked before about how one's own experience of illness can affect their practice, but does it also influence how much you share with your patients? In today’s episode we’re going to be talking all about physician self-disclosure - that is, all the things we, as future doctors, might share with our patients. We’ll be asking how appropriate it is to share your own stories with a patient and how you know when the timing is right to do this. This week, we’re going to be focusing on stories of illness and health, but we’ll come on to talking about other aspects of our identity in a future episode. Expert guests: Dr John Launer is a medical educator and writer. His background is in general practice and family therapy, and he also has a degree in English literature. He now devotes his time to medical education and he specialises in interactional skills. 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.

Some supervisors say "call me Bob'' but others insist on "Doctor Jones". In this episode we're reflecting on what types of supervisors fall into each camp and why sometimes using professional titles feels like honouring someone's hard work, but other times it feels like a way of putting you in your place. In today’s episode, we’re thinking all about the title “doctor”. We’ll talk about when and how it should be used and discuss our own experiences with this. We’ll also discuss why some people get called ‘doctor’ far less than others, and how titles can sometimes create strange power dynamics and unhealthy hierarchies in medicine. Expert guests: Dr Anna Baverstock is a paediatric consultant in Somerset. She has a wellbeing role within the trust and is passionate about kindness, civility and inclusion. Miss Evelyn Mensah, otherwise known as Evie, is a consultant ophthalmic surgeon in a large acute trust in north west London. 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.

From Casualty, Holby City, and Cardiac Arrest to Grey’s Anatomy, Scrubs and House, medical TV dramas are part of the fabric of growing up interested in a career in medicine. So today we’re discussing all things medical TV dramas and talking about whether these shows prepared us for medical school and life as a doctor! Join us for this episode as we play some of our favourite clips from popular medical TV programmes and talk more about how our experiences as medical students and new doctors compare. We’ll be discussing the heartbreak, the friendships, the drama, and the romance, as well as unpicking just how realistic (or unrealistic) these shows really are. 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.

Medicine is a career unlike almost any other. As medical students and junior doctors, we’ve had a lot of experience with strange, surreal moments. The first time you ask a super invasive question to someone you’ve known for all of five minutes, the first time you make an incision in surgery, the first time you do an intimate examination - all of these things can be really strange as they go against our social norms. Getting used to this is important but no one ever teaches us this in medical school. In everyday life, there are lots of rules that we follow that aren’t written down anywhere. But when we start placements, we have to unlearn years of following those rules and start doing things that conflict with how we would normally act. Join us in this episode as we talk about how strange medicine can be and how best to cope with moments that can sometimes be uncomfortable or awkward. 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.

Medicine is occasionally like the reality TV show I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! in that some of the things we have to do are just unpleasant, whereas other parts may be phobia-inducing. But how might having a phobia as a medical student affect the ways you are able to work on placement? In today’s episode, we’re going to be talking all about phobias. We’ll discuss what happens when you have a phobic response to something, the ways that this can impact you whilst studying medicine, and how to tell whether something is just dislike or an actual phobia. Expert guests: Dr Digby Quested is a general adult psychiatrist working in Oxford. He works in the community, and has covered many of the GP practices which serve the student population. He self managed blood phobia whilst at medical school 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.

Accents and dialects are influenced by so many different things including race, gender, and class. They change frequently depending on where we are, who we are with, and even what we are trying to get out of any given interaction. But why does this happen? Do we gravitate towards a certain accent in order to fit in? In this episode, we'll find out what an accent actually is, we'll discuss how our accents have changed whilst we've been at university, and we'll also examine the judgement that can arise when you speak in a ‘different’ accent to what someone else is used to. Expert guests: Lisa Casey is an Assistant Principal in a secondary school in London with a background in English and literacy. She is one of the hosts of Lexis, a podcast about language and linguistics for A Level students, teachers and anyone else who's interested in language. 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.

Any medical student knows that medical school can be tough. The hours are long, the work is hard, and stress can build quickly. Throughout all of this, we’re taught about compassion - how to be a compassionate medical student, and eventually a compassionate doctor. But do our own medical schools show compassion towards us? In this episode, the Sharp Scratch team talks about compassionate organisations and the impact that compassion (or a lack of it) can have on students. We also talk more about the struggle that ensues when you have compassionate individuals but not compassionate systems, and what needs to change within our medical schools. Expert guests: Dr Rob Jarvis is a senior lecturer and lead for the gateway programme at the University of Dundee. He is a GP by background. For the last ten years he has been lead for student support at Dundee Medical School and also for the ScotGEM (graduate entry) programme. 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.

The relationship between our personal and professional identity has always been an important part of the conversations we have here on Sharp Scratch. What doctors and medical students do in their own personal lives is often brought into debates on professionalism. The Student Sex Work Project (2015) reported that around 5% of students have, at some point, been involved in the sex industry. In this episode, the panel talk to Dr Jessica Simpson about the attitudes towards student sex workers, the GMC’s stance on this, and the concept of the personal-professional identity. Expert guests: Dr Jessica Simpson is a lecturer in sociology at the University of Greenwich. Her research area is the sex industry and her doctoral thesis was specifically on the topic of student sex work. She has recently contributed to this book on student sex work: https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-07777-7. 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.