The Short Coat: An Inside Look at Getting Into and Getting Through Medical School

Med students got jobs, and some are even happy about it. Match week, when senior medical students select/are selected for their post-graduation jobs as junior residents, was for CCOM a success. That doesn’t mean it isn’t nerve-wracking for all involved. M1 Jeff, MD/PhD students Faith and Daniel, and M2 Jacob look at the nationwide stats and find room for optimism about their own future prospects....

Med students are smart, but how much useless info can they spout? It’s Spring Break, so we’re taking a break from our usual content to bring you a trivia contest featuring M4 Emerald, MD/PhD students Riley and Faith, and CCOM Learning Communities Coordinator Cody. Dave created a trivia bot using chatGPT, and to ratchet up the tension, he poured some shots of mysterious and probably unpleasant liqu...

Med School is a Transformative Experience. PA 1 Kelsey, M1 Faith, M3 Rick, and M4 Ananya talk about the changes they've seen in themselves since arriving at medical school. No matter how prepared you are, there are some things about being a medical student that can’t be understood until you are one…and until you’re almost done with medical school. Listener Cathy, a registered nutritionist dieticia...

The things everyone gets wrong about medicine and medical education: Your family and friends, maybe even students themselves before they got to med school, have some weird ideas about doctors and medical school. No matter where these ideas come from--medical dramas, social media, movies--chances are you'll find yourself explaining them or falling for them. M4s Mason and Talia, and M1s Jeff and Tre...

How medical students keep from going nuts while programs and schools decide they’re worthy. This is the season of uncertainty, as both pre-meds and med ask themselves, “will they let me in?” It’s out of their hands, but M4 Mason, M3 Ananya Munjal, and M1s Jeff and Faith have some experience to draw upon to keep you from going nuts. Also, we discuss the revolt underway as medical schools around the...

UVA med students create app to find AnKing flashcards for you. M3s AJ and Ananya, and M4 Mason get a visit from the medical student creators of the machine-learning app NovaCards.ai. Shane Chambers and Jordan Bagnall (and their co-founder Charbel Marche) found themselves spending tons of time finding AnKing flashcards to learn pre-clinical medicine, so they did what any modern medical student with...

How straightforward is any discussion about genetic engineering? M1 Jeff talks with M3 Ananya, MD/PhD student Riley, and M3 AJ about the nuances of genetic engineering, a scientific pursuit that not everyone agrees should happen. Despite that view, it seems likely that genetic engineering has been, is, and will be an increasingly available tool in medicine’s arsenal as our understanding of genetic...

Without trust, medicine doesn’t work. M4 Nathan, M1s Trent and Leon, and MD/PhD student Aline talk about the nature of trust–what it really means, how we trust ourselves and others, and what it means when it’s lost. Trust is, after all, the thing that makes much of society possible–it’s the belief that people do not only what’s in their own interest, but what’s in the best interest of other people...

Decisions made at the end of life are among the most complicated. M1 Jeff, M3 Ananya, and MD/PhD students Riley and Miranda discuss what they’re taught about the ethics surrounding death. What are the physician’s responsibilities? How do they balance the patient’s wishes, the family’s desires, the directive to do no harm and to provide the best possible care, and the need to ensure that such consi...

Three Medical Students’ perspectives on their first med school semester. Co-hosts Hend, Brian, and Leon are on hand to discuss the things they learned in first semester about medical school, including how their own understanding of it has changed. What is medical school like in those first, rather intense few months? Did they adjust to the (much) faster pace? Did they learn the language of medicin...

Communication skills are just as important as medical knowledge and clinical skills M3 Ananya, M3 Eric, MD/PhD student Madi, and our admissions guru Rachel talk about communication skills and their importance for patient outcomes, professional development and advancement, and career satisfaction. Whether it’s patients reviewing their notes in the electronic health record, residents passing on know...

[A Note to Listeners: this episode features discussions of sex abuse, rape, and other crimes that many listeners will find disturbing.] Insights From the Bench on How Doctors Can Work With The Law To Protect Victims of Sexual Assault. The Honorable Rosemarie Aquilina–the judge in the Larry Nassar USA Gymnastics Sex Abuse trial–talks with us about how even well-meaning doctors can ruin prosecutions...

Is race, a social construct, appropriately used to make medical decisions? Race is commonly spoken of in medicine as a risk factor for diseases. It has even found its way into the equations that help doctors assess biological function. But race–commonly acknowledged these days as a social construct and not a biological one–really a valid way to factor in the differences between one patient and ano...

And what does “meaningful” mean? This episode is about how med students should think about research projects, how to get involved, what to look for in a mentor, and realistic expectations for research in medical school. Co-hosts Chandler, Jeff, Matt, and Faith talk with Robert Roghair, MD, the director of our Medical Student Research Program to find out what it means to do research during medical...

Another “frat” is more evidence that housing co-ops work in med school. After our recent episode with members of AKK, the students living at Phi Rho wanted their time on the show. Tracy, Mitch, Jeff, and Ashray stop by to discuss their own beloved housing arrangement. The gang plays another of Dave’s weird games, in which his co-hosts try to match each other’s energies with a sound-based guessing...

More possibly terrible ideas about how the world should work! Dave and Riley enjoyed the first hot takes episode so much, they decided to do a follow up of those they didn’t get to. Aline, Alec, and Miranda join in, with their takes: no medical students who haven’t failed, Tik Tok filters are doing to damage to children’s brains, students lie about their ability to hear heart murmurs, and more. Li...

At least, not until you understand these IMPORTANT downsides Co-hosts Aline, Riley, Jacob, and Tracy discuss why they’d have reconsidered their desire to go to medical school…if only they’d known! Things like medical ‘hazing,’ the opportunity costs, and the heirarchical nature of medicine are all infuriating at times, and cause a sort of stress that can make students miserable. Forewarned is forea...

What Thanksgiving dish will you become? Happy Thanksgiving! Dave and co-hosts Matt, Miranda, Happy, and Chirayu take a moment to acknowledge and call out those they’re thankful for. The gang settles an age-old question: what medical specialty would each Thanksgiving dish be? Listener Thor wants to know: how can he be the best and most “helpful” shadower possible? We Want to Hear From You: YOUR VOI...

Co-op housing saves money for health professions students Housing is among the most expensive parts of the medical student budget, but here at Iowa there is an option that could serve as a model for students at other schools looking for inexpensive housing that comes with friends! The Alpha Kappa Kappa Medical Society started in the early 20th century as a fraternity, but in more recent times has...

These might be very bad ideas…but we’ll talk about them anyway. Riley leads a discussion with Jeff, Levi, and Katie of unpopular opinions about medicine and medical education. Anki sucks! Gap years should be mandatory! All clerkships should be optional! 8th graders should review scientific papers! We don’t know about you, listeners, but the co-hosts enjoyed this discussion so much you can look for...

“Rare Compassion” links medical students with families living with rare diseases M2s Matt, Happy, and Jacob, and MD/PhD student Levi welcome Rachel Barron and M4 Dao Tran to talk about a program which links medical students with families and patients suffering from rare genetic conditions. Rare Compassion seeks to build mutual understanding between learners and people with untreatable or unknown c...

Many medical students decide to take a year “off” to do research. But is it necessary? M2s Zach and Elvire, PA2 Ethan, and Md/PhD students Miranda and Riley talk about why a student would want to take a whole year out of med school to do research. Some reasons discussed include ambitions for a research-heavy specialty program; to make up for deficiencies in other areas; and just to increase one’s...

Election day is nearly here! Here are the issues you might consider. M2s Matt, Caroline, and Maddie, and PA2 Ariele, discuss what they’re thinking about with respect to healthcare issues in the US November 2022 mid-term elections. Mental health, lowering costs, the primary and knock-on effects of abortion bans, and more, are all issues that healthcare voters may be considering. We’re don’t intend...

Physician Assistants have been an important partner to MDs for 50 years. A big crowd is in the studio to talk about physician assistants during National PA Week! PA2 students Ariele and Hannah join M2s Chandler, Hend, and Sophie to talk about the partnership in learning they have at the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, as well as their future partnerships with physicians. The gang ex...

What you get away with as an undergrad won’t serve you in med school. M2s Jacob and Maddie, M4 Mason and new co-host PA2 Mark take us through how they changed their study habits from undergrad through the clinical years. Dave reads an old German folktale about how to become a doctor. Hint: it’s harder today, and involves much less mansplaining, but there’s at least one feature that still exists fr...