Sharp Scratch

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 m...

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...

  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. F...

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...

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...

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 s...

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 s...

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 a...

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 f...

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 sc...

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...

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

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 fe...

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 w...

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...

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 ep...

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...

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 exp...

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 abo...

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 h...

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 ho...

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 med...

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 agains...

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...