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

Latest Episodes:

Hot Sauce Halloween Oct 28, 2021

Show notes

Hot sauces rule TL;DR We discuss the many uses (real or potential) of capsaicin as we taste hot sauces from some random multipack co-host AJ had lying around. The co-hosts fight each other with words in a game of Megabattle. Warning: cartoonish violence is described. If you don’t like the thought of being stabbed by flaming antlers, you might want to skip this one. This episode is sponsored by Enso Rings, makers of soft, safe, attractive silicone rings. Listeners get 10% off rings at EnsoRings.com using promo code SHORT! M2s AJ Chowdhury, Smrithi Mani, Alex Belzer and Alex Choi take a break from serious discussion this week because Dave’s busy running a conference to even do his usually-minimal level of prep for the show. Fortunately, AJ had a box of various hot sauces lying around, so we ate them while we discussed facts about capsaicin, the chemical contained by chili peppers responsible for that lovely burning sensation we crave. And, in an attempt to justify to himself that he’s an actual educator, he forces the crew to practice their debate skills by playing Megabattle–who wins in ridiculous battles of cartoon-like violence? They’ll have to convince each other of the winner! We Want to Hear From You: How’d we do on this week’s show? Did we miss anything in our conversation? Did we anger you? Did we make you smile? Call us at 347-SHORTCT anytime or email theshortcoats@gmail.com. It’s always a pleasure to hear from you! You deserve to be happy and healthy. If you’re struggling with racism, harassment, hate, your mental health, or some other crisis, visit http://theshortcoat.com/help, and send additions to the resources there to theshortcoats@gmail.com. We love you. Music provided by Argofox. License: bit.ly/CCAttribution DOCTOR VOX – Heatstroke: youtu.be/j1n1zlxzyRE Catmosphere – Candy-Coloured Sky: youtu.be/AZjYZ8Kjgs8 ; Hexalyte – Wandering Hours: youtu.be/FOAo2zsYnvA;

Is Medicine the Squid Game? Oct 21, 2021

Show notes

Are there parallels between medicine and Squid Game? TL;DR The experience of job hunting for a residency position is unlike any other. It’s way easier to donate bone marrow than many think. Dave stuffs the episode with Squid Game references in the hopes that various algorithms love us. This episode is sponsored by Enso Rings, makers of soft, safe, attractive silicone rings. Listeners get 10% off rings at EnsoRings.com using promo code SHORT! MD/PhD student Aline Sandouk, M1 Noah Wick, and M4s Madeline Cusimano and Abby Fyfe have their souls crushed this week by Dave’s suggestion that the Netflix smash hit Squid Game has some parallels with medicine and medical education. See, Dave read a listicle by Rebecca Richardson in McSweeny’s comparing the features of the game to academic job-hunting, and it seemed a little…familiar. But first, the crew takes a look at recent developments in Madeline’s and Abby’s own job hunt, and we learn about bone marrow donation as that’s also something Madeline’s preparing for. We Want to Hear From You: How’d we do on this week’s show? Did we miss anything in our conversation? Did we anger you? Did we make you smile? Call us at 347-SHORTCT anytime or email theshortcoats@gmail.com. It’s always a pleasure to hear from you! You deserve to be happy and healthy. If you’re struggling with racism, harassment, hate, your mental health, or some other crisis, visit http://theshortcoat.com/help, and send additions to the resources there to theshortcoats@gmail.com. We love you. Music provided by Argofox. License: bit.ly/CCAttribution DOCTOR VOX – Heatstroke: youtu.be/j1n1zlxzyRE Catmosphere – Candy-Coloured Sky: youtu.be/AZjYZ8Kjgs8 ; Hexalyte – Wandering Hours: youtu.be/FOAo2zsYnvA;

Physician Assistant Week! Oct 14, 2021

Show notes

The Physician Assistant can do most things an MD can do, aside from prescribing certain kinds drugs, and they don't usually practice independently. Iowa's interesting because PA students train with MD students during their didactics. This close contact means that trust is established early between the two professions. PAs must amass so many hours of clinical activity before they enter school that they start with MUCH more experience than MDs usually do.

The Obscure Document Residency Programs Use to Decide If You’re Worthy Oct 07, 2021

Show notes

You may have heard of the dean's letter. It's sent to all residency programs, one of the things they'll use to choose who to invite for an interview. But do you know what's in it...and that it's creation begins on your first day of med school? YouTube announces blanket ban on vaccine misinformation, and axes the biggest misinformation peddlers. And, can The Short Coats pass the 2021 IgNobel Prize Winners Quiz?

Married Applicants: What Do Schools Think? Sep 30, 2021

Show notes

Married couples applying to a school together are really a bonus for schools, all other factors being equal. We discuss Niki Minaj's cousin's friend's testicles, because that's a thing we do now. And Wiki How has interesting illustrations--can we guess the article?

How to Find a Non-Trad Friendly School Sep 23, 2021

Show notes

We talk with a listener about how she can find a school that is friendly to non-traditional students. Should we bringing wooly mammoths back to life? Is talking about people who engage in questionable COVID treatments just adding to the problem?

Music Soothes and Builds Teams Sep 16, 2021

Show notes

Medical students can use their music background to enhance their education. Playing together and improvising is great practice for working in teams. The mental health benefits of playing or singing are huge--it's impossible to play or sing without forgetting your cares.

Lone Stars and Lawsuits : Will Texas’ unique Solution to Abortion stand? Sep 09, 2021

Show notes

Now that Texas has conferred on its citizens the responsibility for enforcing it's ban on abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, what will be the effects? Also, the University of Iowa community protests alleged sex abuse in Greek life, but the movement is tearing itself apart. And we play a game to distract ourselves from all that stuff.

Rushing to Med School means Missed Opportunities Sep 02, 2021

Show notes

Rushing to med school may be a good idea, but there is a danger of missing experiences that make you a better student and a better doctor. But if you're going to do it...go hard. Nutrition is well covered in the med school curriculum, but there's a lot we don't understand. And Falling off a tall stack of milk crates on purpose has questionable health benefits. You deserve to be happy and healthy. If you’re struggling with racism, harassment, hate, your mental health, or some other crisis, visit http://theshortcoat.com/help, and send additions to the resources there to theshortcoats@gmail.com. We love you. Music provided by Argofox. License: bit.ly/CCAttribution DOCTOR VOX – Heatstroke: youtu.be/j1n1zlxzyRE Catmosphere – Candy-Coloured Sky: youtu.be/AZjYZ8Kjgs8 ; Hexalyte – Wandering Hours: youtu.be/FOAo2zsYnvA;

Overthinking: Keeping AdComms Up To Date Aug 26, 2021

Show notes

Is there etiquette on staying in touch with admissions? TL;DR A listener asks about the etiquette of keeping the adcom up to date on their activities. We discuss Dave’s experience in the TSA line with an anti-masker. Dave tries to come up with new business ideas that YOU can use (if you’re brave). This episode is sponsored by Enso Rings, makers of soft, safe, attractive silicone rings. Listeners get 10% off rings at EnsoRings.com using promo code SHORT! reject photo Listener Krazenwaz (not her real name) called 347-SHORTCT to ask if there is any etiquette surrounding staying in touch with admissions when they’ve asked you to. MD/PhD student Miranda Schene, M2s Nicole Hines and Rick Gardner, and M4 Emma Barr help Dave answer the question of how not to bother your adcom with your meaningless life (hint: don’t overthink it.) Also, Dave discovers “farm brewed beer” after encountering an anti-masker in the TSA line, which leads him to think about other products that his imagination won’t let him make a million dollars on. We Want to Hear From You How’d we do on this week’s show? Did we miss anything in our conversation? Did we anger you? Did we make you smile? Call us at 347-SHORTCT anytime or email theshortcoats@gmail.com. It’s always a pleasure to hear from you! You deserve to be happy and healthy. If you’re struggling with racism, harassment, hate, your mental health, or some other crisis, visit http://theshortcoat.com/help, and send additions to the resources there to theshortcoats@gmail.com. We love you. Music provided by Argofox. License: bit.ly/CCAttribution DOCTOR VOX – Heatstroke: youtu.be/j1n1zlxzyRE Catmosphere – Candy-Coloured Sky: youtu.be/AZjYZ8Kjgs8 ; Hexalyte – Wandering Hours: youtu.be/FOAo2zsYnvA