The Short Coat Podcast

Its Our monthly roundup of news from the margins of medicine! M1s Fallon Jung and Taryn O’Brien, M2 Jeff Goddard, and MD/PhD studnet Riley Behan Bush are on hand for our monthly news roundup. Including news that presidential candidate and anti-vaxxer Robert F. Kennedy’s brain was ‘eaten’ by a worm and his love of tuna sandwiches. Virtually all healthcare providers globally suffer from a clinical psychiatric disorder. Beethoven really liked lead-sweetened wine, which is probably why he was so sick and deaf. And a Tesla Cybertruck owner smashed his own finger with his vehicle’s frunk to prove that his vehicle’s frunk couldn’t smash his own finger. And can we guess what the shitty life pro tip from Reddit is? Plus lots more observations and revelations from the margins of medicine!

M1s Fallon Jung and Alex Nigg, M2 Jeff Goddard, and MD/PhD student Riley Behan Bush hear listener Megan's request for more news on critical healthcare changes from our overlords in the courts and the government. Riley shares insights from her lab work as she works toward finishing her PhD. This episode unpacks the FTC's move to ban non-compete clauses for doctors, a pivotal Supreme Court case on Idaho's abortion policies, and new consent requirements for performing invasive procedures that I guarantee you didn't know were being done on anesthetized people.

Medicine isn’t always kind to its disabled practitioners, but let’s change that. In 2023, a group of Iowa med students founded our chapter of the Medical Students With Disabilities and Chronic Illness, a group “working to remove barriers for students and professionals with disabilities, increasing representation of diverse perspectives in medicine.” M1 Holly Hemann, MD/PhD student Faith Prochaska and PA1s Olivia Quinby and Julie Vuong discuss their lived experiences as students navigating disability and chronic illness. They illuminate the essential support systems, the process of securing necessary accommodations, and the powerful sense of community among students facing similar challenges. And they look critically at how these personal experiences enrich the medical profession and underscore the urgent need for inclusivity in medical training. Their personal stories of coping with PTSD, ADHD, daily vestibular migraines, and celiac disease show how these experiences are shaping their medical journey. They a

It’s a freestyle episode…can’t we just have a rambling conversation? Sometimes it’s nice to just sit down and have a rambling conversation. That’s this episode, with MD/PhD students Madi Wahlen and Sahaana Arumugam and M3s Jacob Hansen and Jacob Lam. We discuss the non-weighty topics of why people don’t know they shouldn’t stare at a ball of fusion in the sky, niche online community drama, a Texas transplant surgeon accused of manipulating transplant lists, everyday things that might not be things someday, why Dave doesn’t yet want an electric vehicle, the co-hosts plans for their futures beyond seeing patients, and so much more that is barely relevant to medical school. If you don’t like this kind of episode, do we have a solution for you--https://theshortcoat.com/tellus!

Occupational Medicine offers a great lifestyle, scope mix, and early-career satisfaction. Matthew Kiok, MD, MPH tells us he's found the perfect specialty. Occupational Medicine is one of those careers we're exploring in our sleeper specialty series--those which you might not immediately think of when you're considering a career as a physician. Dr. Kiok tells M1 Fallon Jung, PA1 Julie Vuong, and M2 Jeff Goddard that he has great work-life balance and a satisfying scope of practice. He makes a difference in peoples' lives by keeping them safe in their workplaces or assessing work-related injuries, even testifying as an expert in court. His experiences highlight the unique challenges and rewarding moments in his chosen career and insights into the complicated relationship between doctors, employers, and employees. He offers advice to those considering a similar career path--and he even gave us his email address if you want to ask him more about it! What a guy!

Are you better off as a surgeon or in palliative care? MD/PhD student Jacqueline Nielsen, M2 Hend Al-Kaylani, and M1 Fallon Jung play with personality to see if their path toward choosing the right medical specialty should be dependent on their personality traits. From the introspective nature of psychiatry to the rapid decision-making required in emergency medicine, Dave and crew explore how tests like The Big 5 or Meyers Briggs might influence their specialty choices. Some question the scientific validity of most personality testing, but the Big Five has some evidence behind it, so Dave also created a custom GPT to analyze their test results and suggest best (and worst) specialties for all of them. This episode also touches upon the broader implications of these choices on personal satisfaction and professional success in medicine. Also, we ponder our consumption of news and its impact on mental health and the Kate Middleton mystery's hold on the world.

M1 Fallon Jung, PA1 Olivia Quinby, MD/PhD student Faith Prochaska, M2 Jeff Goddard, and special guest Dr. Peter Kaboli dive deep into the heart of rural medicine. We kick off with a candid discussion about growing up in small towns and how these experiences shape our understanding of community and healthcare. Dr. Kaboli, an expert in rural health with the Veterans' Administration, shares his insights into the nuances of rural medicine. We explore the multifaceted challenges and rewards of practicing medicine in rural settings, from the importance of forming deep connections with patients to navigating the scarcity of healthcare resources. Telemedicine, workforce issues, geographic barriers, and the digital divide are central to the art of medicine in small towns and on county roads, sometimes requiring innovative approaches to healthcare delivery.

Dave hosts a weird cocktail party for his co-hosts, M1s Fallon Jung and Taryn O'Brian, MD/PhD student Jacqueline Nielson, and M3 Chirayu Shukla. The group dives into a variety of topics: surreal dreams, spring break plans, which celebrity they would replace one of their organs with, book recommendations, personal stories, and AI-generated songs about Menards and Chirayu's curtailed tennis career.

Dave hosts a weird cocktail party for his co-hosts, M1s Fallon Jung and Taryn O'Brian, MD/PhD student Jacqueline Nielson, and M3 Chirayu Shukla. The group dives into a variety of topics: surreal dreams, spring break plans, which celebrity they would replace one of their organs with, book recommendations, personal stories, and AI-generated songs about Menards and Chirayu's curtailed tennis career.

The Sheriff of Sodium investigates the state and future of medical training. If you’ve wondered how well the system that trains future doctors works, or about what factors really determine which medical students get into the most competitive residency programs, this episode is for you. M1 Fallon Jung, M2 Jeff Goddard, and M4 AJ Chowdhury get deep into these issues with a very special guest – Dr. Brian Carmody, known on his blog and YouTube channel as “The Sheriff of Sodium.” Dr. Carmody, a pediatric nephrologist by training, closely analyzes and shares data-driven perspectives on medical education, pulling on threads to understand whether the current medical training system is truly functional, fair, and efficient, examining factors like student debt burdens, physician shortages projections, and why people cheat on licensing exams. Like any good sheriff, Dr. Carmody is skeptical, especially about ideas like future physician shortages, and how schools report residency match outcomes.

An alumni of CCOM and SCP returns to prove: you can do it! MD/PhD student Miranda Schene, M2 Jeff Goddard, and M1 Fallon Jung visit with alumni Teneme Konne, MD, now a second-year resident. They start by smacking their foreheads over AI-generated images in a recent medical journal, unpacking the rigorous demands of peer review and its pivotal role in scientific accuracy. The conversation then shifts to Dr. Konne’s journey in medicine, and the broad responsibilities of family medicine practitioners beyond clinical care. The resilience and growth he achieved during residency offer a comprehensive insight into the realities of becoming a doctor. Key moments include discussions on medical misinformation, the integral role of primary care physicians, and the personal and professional evolution experienced through residency. It wasn’t completely smooth, but he did it! And the crew discusses Medscape’s Physician Lifestyle & Happiness Report 2024.

Understanding others begins with asking questions. M3 Jacob Hansen, and M1s Taryn O’Brien, Alex Nigg, and Fallon Jung consider recent studies highlighting the ineffectiveness of traditional implicit bias training and the disparities in medical care for children of color. Jacob successfully finished Step 1 and the co-hosts tap him for some of his insights from clinical rotations, particularly learning he won’t be pursuing a career in surgery. Dave tries to understand an important aspect of med student culture using his Gen X brain: memes, including their potential as educational tools. We Want to Hear From You: YOUR VOICE MATTERS! We welcome your feedback, listener questions, and shower thoughts.  Do you agree or disagree with something we said today?  Did you hear something really helpful?  Can we answer a question for you? Are we delivering a podcast you want to keep listening to?  Leave a message at 347-SHORTCT (347-746-7828) and we’ll put your message in a future episode (use *67 to be an “Unk

Happy Valentines Day! MD/PhD student Faith Prochaska, and M1s Taryn O'Brien and Fallon Jung share how they navigate relationships amidst their hectic schedules. With quizmaster Jeff Emrich from student financial services, they play The Just Married Game and discuss their personal plans, the balance between work and personal life, and their insights into relationships in med school through a series of questions answered by their partners--can they guess what their partners think of them? The group also touches on the impact of medical school on their personal lives, highlighting the importance of communication and support in maintaining strong relationships.

“I honestly have had the most relaxing time I’ve had in forever, and for anybody who’s like, that’s ridiculous, just wait.” The most charitable definition of a hot take is a position taken in order to generate conversation. The more usual definition is a position taken to create controversy (and clicks). Dave asked his co-hosts to come with some hot takes, and it’s up to you to decide which definition they’re using, but PA1 Conner Lieser and M1s Radha Velamuri, Amanda Litka, and Sri Nandakumar offer their hot takes on how hard med school is, the admissions process, shadowing, advice from more advanced students, and more.

“A nice re-imagining of how healthcare could be delivered.” It’s another sleeper specialty episode! This time we’re visiting with Andrea Weber, MD, MME. Herself a graduate of the Carver College of Medicine, she is now assistant director of Addiction Medicine and associate program director of the Internal Medicine and Psychiatry residency program. M4s AJ Chowdury and Nabeel Baig, M1 Fallon Jung, and PA1s Noah Vasquez and Julie Vuong quiz her about why she chose med-psych, the combined training she received, the different paths med-psych trainees can take, and much, much more. This is an info-packed episode!

Preventing disease and injury in life, the skies, and at work. It's another sleeper specialty episode! This time we're talking about a *really* low-key one: Preventive Medicine. M2 Jeff Goddard asked Dr. Silvia Caswell of Loma Linda University to join us to talk about her work in one aspect of prev med: lifestyle medicine. There are others under the prev-med umbrella, too, including occupational medicine and aerospace medicine. PA1 Conner Liser is also on hand to talk about the training she completed, the work she does with patients, the differences between the work that primary care providers do and her work, and the day-to-day life of working in her specialty. You're not going to want to miss this one.

In another in our series on "sleeper specialties," we visit with Internal Medicine-Pediatrics (Med-Peds) doc Brittany Bettendorf. M1 Alex Nigg and M2 Madeline Ungs learn about this lesser known specialty that combines the detective work of internal medicine with a focus on kids with childhood diseases, including managing their transition to adult care. There aren't many residencies for med-peds, which alone makes it a sleeper! And Dr. Bettendorf talks about her work in medical humanities at CCOM as a Medicine and Society course director, Humanities Distinction Track co-director, editor of our literary journal, and more.

Short Coat co-hosts Brian Young (M1), Jeff Goddard (M2), and Fallon Jung (M1) discussed the challenges and experiences of medical school, including personal anecdotes about coping with stress, the demands of the curriculum, maintaining emotional well-being, the significance of peer support, and the importance of learning from both academic and personal experiences. Brian talked about a student-led initiative, Nets for Nets, aimed at providing mosquito nets to a community in Southern Mexico, illustrating the blend of medical education with social responsibility. Also, Dave shows his co-hosts pairs of images he got an AI to make, and his co-hosts try to work out which is the most like their actual medical school experiences thus far.

Bringing the healthcare pieces together Dr. Ilana Yurkiewicz, co-director of Stanford University’s Primary Care for Cancer Survivorship Program, author, and science journalist, returns to continue our discussion from November 9 about our fragmented health system and what can be done about it. M2 Jeff Goddard, M1s Fallon Jung and Alex Nigg, and MD/PhD student Jacqueline Nielson talk with her about what’s missing from the medical safety nets that help low SES patients get emergency care, what kind of AI we really need to bind pieces of of the system together (hint: AIs that offer differential diagnoses and other doctor stuff probably isn’t it!), and the need for continuous incremental change in medicine.If we’re ever going to get there, she says, we need a collaborative approach with involvement from various stakeholders in healthcare, including patients, healthcare workers, programmers, insurance companies, and policymakers. The aim: to move medicine from a fee-for-service model to one that is driven by

Dave declared this recording day to be “Effort Free Friday,” as it was officially Thanksgiving Break! That didn’t stop M1 Jeff Goddard from describing a recent meeting of the AMA Students Section that offered an object lesson on how policy is (or in this case, isn’t) made. Among many other topics, some students wanted the AMA to declare a position on the current Israel-Hamas war. In the end, the AMA declined to do so, perhaps deciding that it didn’t have the political capital on a divisive issue that could threaten its ability to participate in other conversations it has a more direct role in. Co-hosts M2 Happy Kumar, MD/PhD student Faith Goddard, and MD/PhD student Riley Behan Bush talk about their personal efforts to understand this compilated issue. And, In the spirit of the tenets of Effort Free Friday, Dave dragged Alex Trebot out from the AI closet to host a trivia contest.