Sharp Scratch

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...

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 bac...

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 no...

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 da...

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 doct...

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 wh...

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...

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...

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 inappropr...

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...

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 includ...

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 m...

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...