Sharp Scratch

If more of our clinical thinking is done by technology, what does it mean to be a doctor in the future? Will our jobs be replaced by AI?  In this episode of Sharp Scratch, host Zaynah Khan is joined by panellists and medical students Nilay and Inez, alongside expert guest Professor Paul Taylor, to discuss one of the biggest question marks hanging over the future of medicine: the rapid rise of AI....

What happens when the career you spent your life chasing no longer feels like the right fit? We are currently witnessing a massive cultural shift in medical schools and in training. More and more students and FYs are looking at "portfolio careers," eyeing the exit door, and searching for opportunities completely outside of clinical practice. But actually choosing to leave is difficult… In this epi...

Why is academic failure surrounded by shame and guilt? Find out what support is available for students, and why failing may make you a better doctor in the long term.   Zaynah and George reflect on failure in medical school - taboo, support, impact on identity-  in this new introduction. Followed by Nikki's episode 'The F Word' from 2021.   This week the panel are joined by Rakesh Patel, Clinical...

Does who you know determine the doctor you become? Do you need a mentor to be a good doctor? How do you form a successful mentoring relationship in medicine?   In this episode, Zaynah sits down with Professor Katherine Woolf, and panellists Judy and Sarah, to discuss the role that mentoring has to play in medicine. They discuss structured mentoring opportunities in medical education and training a...

Is it the job of minority students to teach their peers, or even staff, about race in medicine? If not, then who is the right person to teach us?    In this episode, Zaynah Khan sits down with expert guests and doctors Mehrunisha Suleman and Zeshan Qureshi, along with panellist and medical student Judy, to discuss how race is taught in medical education.    They discuss the informal responsibility...

Are you a "medic-ey medic," or do you feel like a bit of an outsider? Medical school often comes with a heavy set of unspoken expectations. From how you spend your free time to what you’re "supposed" to be good at, the pressure to fit a specific mold can be exhausting. But what happens when you don't - or won't - conform? In this episode, Zaynah Khan sits down with panelist George and expert guest...

Why Medicine? We’re all familiar with the interview Q on our motivations for entering the field. But what happens when the expectations we had of a medical career melt away into the shocking reality? Is this really what you signed up for?   In this episode, Zaynah Khan sits down with Dr Seema Haider, GP and trainer, to discuss issues of moral distress and moral injury in medicine. They are joined...

Medical school isn't all anatomical dissections and high-stakes exams - sometimes, it’s about satirical sketches, questionable choreography, and finding the "joy and whimsy" in the chaos of clinical training. In this episode, host Zaynah Khan dives into the long-standing, slightly eccentric tradition of the Medics’ Comedy Revue. Joined by the BMJ’s own Steph and Helen M who share their own experti...

Is medical school really worth the price? From juggling part-time jobs to the "funding cliff-edge" in clinical years, we’re asking the big questions: How are students actually surviving right now? Host Zaynah Khan explores the true cost of the medical degree alongside panellists Judy, Maz, and Elgan (co-chair of the BMA Medical Students Committee). We’re also joined by Dr. Callum Parr, deputy chai...

Medical student protest is nothing new, yet the spectre of the GMC often leaves the next generation asking: How will my actions today affect my career tomorrow?    In this episode, Zaynah Khan is joined by Fiona Godlee, former Editor-in-Chief of the BMJ, to discuss her intentional arrest at a ‘Defend Our Juries’ protest. Fiona has also been involved in protests for the environment, throughout the...

In honour of the 150th episode of the Sharp Scratch podcast, Zaynah Khan invites previous student editors to explore experiences of medical school during different times – from 20, 15, and 5 years ago to discuss whether or not medicine has changed for students. What is it that medical students care about while at uni? Are there new or different challenges? Have new opportunities opened up? Is ther...

In this Second episode, Zaynah Khan - the host,  Matt Morgan - an NHS Intensive Care Consultant and Writer, and panel member Nikki Nabavi - who is an FY2 Doctor, explore how medicine seeps into their personal lives, through the example of language. Together they discuss examples of medical jargon and work terminology that become inside jokes or are used completely out of context in their personal...

In today’s Holiday Special, host Zaynah Khan is joined by Matt Morgan, an NHS Intensive Care Consultant and Writer, and panel member Nikki Nabavi, who is an FY2 Doctor. Together, they explore the unique sensory and emotional experiences that healthcare workers go through, and the limits in medical language being able to encapsulate those to others outside of healthcare. Matt discusses starting the...

In this episode, host Zaynah Khan is joined by Resident Doctor, Benedict Richards and panel members George Webster and Anna de Beer. Both Benedict and George are hard of hearing, and share their lived experiences of navigating medical school and clinical practice. Together, they also discuss ways of supporting a colleague who may be deaf/hard of hearing.   Videos played in the episode: Examples of...

In this Surgical themed episode, host Zaynah Khan sits down with Ms Samantha Tross, the first black female Orthopedic Surgeon in the UK. They are also joined by previous editorial scholars on the panel - George Webster, Éabha Lynn, and Laura Hope Nunez-Mulder. Together they discuss first or memorable experiences of surgery in medical school / as a doctor, and Samantha shares advice on navigating s...

In this Halloween episode, host Zaynah Khan sits down with expert guest Dr. Jennifer Wallis, a Senior Teaching Fellow and Lecturer in History of Science and Medicine at Imperial, and medical student Anna de Beer. They'll be sharing real-life dissection horror stories and experiences from current times, while also exploring the dark side of medical history and past influences of cadaveric dissectio...

In this episode, new host Zaynah Khan meets with Author, Poet, Creative Writing Lecturer, and Ex-Doctor Gita Ralleigh. They are joined by Khadijah, a medical student taught by Gita, and panellists Elgan and Maira who help explore the role of creativity within medicine and how writing can help enhance clinical practice.    Fill in our feedback survey to let us know your thoughts about Sharp Scratch...

In the final instalment from the Sharp Scratch archives, incoming Sharp Scratch host Zaynah Khan is rebroadcasting one of her favourite episodes- on hope. This episode was originally published on April 15, 2024. With the rapid unfolding of recent events in medicine, it can be easy to lose hope for the future. From low pay and staffing crises to the rapid changes to postgraduate training, it can fe...

Incoming Sharpscratch host Zaynah Khan is rebroadcasting her favourite episodes, handpicked from the Sharpscratch archives. This episode on Anxiety was originally published in March, 2020. In our next episode, we'll bring you the third and final of Zaynah's vault selections.   Anxiety's a natural part of life - under certain circumstances. And we know that med students and junior docs are more lik...

New editorial scholar Zaynah Khan is sliding into the hosting seat for Sharpscratch. We've delved into the Sharpscratch vaults to retrieve three episodes for you to listen to over the next month as Zaynah settles in. They're some of her favourites - we hope you enjoy. Here's the first, originally broadcast in May, 2024.   Often, we think of medicine as a science. We think of doctors as scientists...

In this episode of Sharp Scratch, the panel made up of Elgan, Anna and George get together to talk about medical school interviews. They are joined by expert guest, Paul Garrud who is chair of the Medical Schools Council Selection Alliance. The episode covers topics including how you can best prepare for medical school interviews, what the different types of interviews you may encounter are, what...

In this episode of Sharp Scratch, the panel made up of Judy, Elisabeth and George get together to chat about bias that exists in medical education. They are joined by expert guest Dr Laetitia Zeeman, lecturer in Public Health and researcher in the field of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, whose work focuses on addressing the health needs of minority groups. The episode discusses the importance o...

In part 2 of this episode of Sharp Scratch, the panel, made up of Mary, Éabha and George, get together to discuss palliative medicine with Dr Mary Miller, a consultant in palliative medicine with an interest in medical education.  In the second half of the discussion, the panel discusses the challenges medical students and doctors face when dealing with end-of-life conversations and palliative med...

In this episode of Sharp Scratch, the panel, made up of Mary, Éabha and George, get together to discuss palliative medicine with Dr Mary Miller, a consultant in palliative medicine with an interest in medical education.  During the episode, Dr Miller talks about her career journey, what drew her to working in palliative medicine as well as how to open up conversations as medical professionals abou...

Can you really pass medical school by only doing online question banks and never attending lectures? In this episode, George and panellist Judy meet with Professor Andy McKeown, Director of Undergraduate Medicine at Keele University, to discuss the different study habits of medical students and whether some techniques are better than others. Whether you prefer OnExamination, PassMedicine or Anki,...