Sharp Scratch

Join our Editorial Scholars, past and present, as we reflect on the hidden curriculum, and discuss its role in cultivating professionalism. While you are here, do check us out on social media: Twitter: https://twitter.com/BMJStudent Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bmj_student/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BMJStudent/

What do med students have in common with Luke Skywalker and Harry Potter? Luke Skywalker had Obi Wan to guide him through Jedi training. Harry Potter had Prof Dumbledore who gave him advice in surviving at Hogwarts and beyond. Whether officially or unofficially, we have all had mentors who guided us through the non-straightforward journey known as medical school. They could come in the form of med...

This week the panel discusses their tips for clinical years. From the logistics of commuting and hospital accommodation to speaking to your first patient - tune in to hear the panel's reflections and advice

This week Nikki and Anna are joined by Professor Doug Corfield from The University of Manchester Medical School to talk all things intercalation. From why to take a year out to all of the logistics involved, listen to find out more about doing an intercalated degree during your medical studies.

This week Nikki and Issy are joined by general surgical registrar Clara Munro, and author and co-founder of the Impostor Syndrome Institute, Valerie Young to talk about imposter syndrome in medicine. Article mentioned: https://hbr.org/2021/02/stop-telling-women-they-have-imposter-syndrome Valerie’s website: https://impostorsyndrome.com/

This week the panel are still talking about their hobbies, and what their motivations are for pursuing them. From music to sports, photography to Netflix - do the skills we pick up help us become better doctors, or do they help our general wellbeing? Tune in to hear from some of our listeners about what they get up to in their free time and why…

How many times have you been surprised to find out about a coursemate's hidden talent? Perhaps you've discovered they were Grade 8 Cello when they were 11, or that they were an olympic athlete in a past life? This week the team talk all about their hobbies - particularly what they got up to before med school, and what their motivations were for keeping so busy!

This week the panel are joined by Michael Brady, the national advisor for LGBT Health to discuss why your patient’s queerness might matter to you, and how to practice inclusively, as well as an interview with Lisa Power MBE, a British sexual health and LGBT rights campaigner. Have a listen to hear Michael Brady answering your questions, agony aunt style!

This week the panel are joined by Eli Fitzgerald to discuss what an ally actually is. Find out what makes someone a good (or a bad) ally, as well as how to be an ally for your patients or colleagues. Learning resources: The Genderbread Person | A free online resource for understanding gender identity, gender expression, and anatomical sex. https://www.stonewall.org.uk/system/files/lgbt_in_britain_...

Episode 51: Queerness in medicine This week the panel are joined by Dr Joseph Hartland, a doctor who works at the University of Bristol Medical School overseeing the teaching of diversity and protected characteristics, to discuss how queerness is seen at medical school. To put the conversation in context, the Sharp Scratch team also had a conversation with Tommy Dickinson, author of the book ‘Curi...

It's the age old medical school interview question - but why did we initially want to become doctors? Do those reasons still stand, or are they replaced by stronger motives? Listen to the panel discuss their own expectations vs. reality of life at medical school and beyond, with interviews from TV Doctor Zoe Williams and CMO Chris Whitty.

Do you have a healthy work-life balance? Find out what actually counts as work, and whether medicine means sacrificing your social life... This week the team are joined by Sharp Scratch’s old friend Greta McLachlan, Higher General Surgical Trainee and Leadership Fellow at Cleveland Clinic London, to talk about their social lives, maintaining a work life balance, and training less than full time. Y...

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. This week the panel are joined by Rakesh Patel, Clinical Associate Professor in Medical Education, to talk about failing - and why medical students are so embarrassed to fail.

This week the team talk about all the tech you might face working in the NHS - from bleeps and fax machines to slow computers. Find out if you’re allowed to use WhatsApp, what the alternatives are, and why the IT can be so frustrating in the first place... Interviews: Stephen Armstrong, freelance journalist Sarah El-Sheikha and Sarah Blackstock are Clinical Fellows at FMLM. Opinions mentioned in t...

This week the team are joined by Mike Farquhar, Consultant in sleep medicine at Evelina London Children’s Hospital, to talk about sleep and fatigue in medical school and beyond. Morning lark, or night owl, you'll probably need more sleep, or at least a coffee nap. Find out about the science of staying awake. Paper mentioned by Mike in the ep: https://ep.bmj.com/content/102/3/127

This week the team are joined by Lucy Chappell, Professor in Obstetrics at King’s College London and Honorary Consultant Obstetrician at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust. The panel reflected on their experiences seeing someone give birth, and how to process the emotions that come with experiencing new life.

The team gathered to respond to our listeners' medical school dilemmas. Some of the med students wanted to be anonymous so some of the dilemmas are voiced by actors and friends! On this episode, Nikki, Kayode, Lily, and Andrew talk about dating at medical school, how to handle a medical emergency if you’ve had a few drinks, and discuss Med Twitter’s stethoscope-gate. For advice on dealing with an...

The team gathered to respond to our listeners' medical school dilemmas. Some of the med students wanted to be anonymous so some of the dilemmas are voiced by actors and friends! On this episode, Nikki, Anna, Laura and Ryhan talk about swearing, clinical partners who are always running late, and competition with your peers.

This week the team explore ideas of professionalism, and whether our concept of this as a society is more ‘masculine’. With our guest Dr Kate Lovett, the panel discussed their own experiences and reflected on the language used when giving feedback. If you want to contact the Sharp Scratch team with your dilemma, please email Nikki at nnabavi@bmj.com

Vasovagal syncope might be a diagnosis on your list of differentials that seems relatively benign, as there are many more sinister causes for a sudden loss of consciousness. But no one wants a sudden loss of consciousness to happen in front of the whole staff of an operating theatre, or in front of all your peers in the dissection lab. In this episode of Sharp Scratch, we broke down some of the re...

You may be familiar with some common medical speciality stereotypes – the ‘tall, strong orthopaedic surgeon from the medics rugby team’, the psychiatrist who is ‘as mad as their patients’ or the ‘bike-obsessed-coffee-drinking’ anaesthetist, but why and how do these stereotypes exist? The Sharp Scratch team debunk some of the myths and ask some interesting questions about their own character traits...

Have you ever noticed a difference in the way you're treated as a patient? Whether you were quizzed by your consultant or given 'special treatment', you're not alone - but how important is this, and does it affect care? This week the panel are joined by Anne Stephenson as they discuss their experiences of being patients, and how this changes when your doctor knows you are a medical student.

As you sit in a lecture, listening to the symptoms of a rare medical condition - have you convinced yourself that you have it? You might have medical student syndrome. This week the panel are joined by Simon Wessely as they discuss health anxieties at medical school, and why so many medical students convince themselves they have the disease they are studying. Article mentioned by Anna during the e...

*This episode was recorded live* This is a strange time to be starting your first year of medical school - covid-19 is changing the way in which you learn and socialise, and find out what being a medical student is about. For some, they may be the first cohort in a brand new medical school - and have no older year to learn from. Well, Sharp Scratch has done two live episodes to answer all those na...

*This episode was recorded live* This is a strange time to be starting your first year of medical school - covid-19 is changing the way in which you learn and socialise, and find out what being a medical student is about. For some, they may be the first cohort in a brand new medical school - and have no older year to learn from. Well, Sharp Scratch has done two live episodes to answer all those na...