Any medical student knows that medical school can be tough. The hours are long, the work is hard, and stress can build quickly. Throughout all of this, we’re taught about compassion - how to be a compassionate medical student, and eventually a compassionate doctor. But do our own medical schools show compassion towards us? In this episode, the Sharp Scratch team talks about compassionate organisations and the impact that compassion (or a lack of it) can have on students. We also talk more about the struggle that ensues when you have compassionate individuals but not compassionate systems, and what needs to change within our medical schools. Expert guests: Dr Rob Jarvis is a senior lecturer and lead for the gateway programme at the University of Dundee. He is a GP by background. For the last ten years he has been lead for student support at Dundee Medical School and also for the ScotGEM (graduate entry) programme. Check us out on social media: Twitter: https://twitter.com/BMJStudent Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bmj_student/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BMJStudent/ This podcast is produced and edited by Dom Byrne and Duncan Jarvies.

The relationship between our personal and professional identity has always been an important part of the conversations we have here on Sharp Scratch. What doctors and medical students do in their own personal lives is often brought into debates on professionalism. The Student Sex Work Project (2015) reported that around 5% of students have, at some point, been involved in the sex industry. In this episode, the panel talk to Dr Jessica Simpson about the attitudes towards student sex workers, the GMC’s stance on this, and the concept of the personal-professional identity. Expert guests: Dr Jessica Simpson is a lecturer in sociology at the University of Greenwich. Her research area is the sex industry and her doctoral thesis was specifically on the topic of student sex work. She has recently contributed to this book on student sex work: https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-07777-7. Check us out on social media: Twitter: https://twitter.com/BMJStudent Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bmj_student/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BMJStudent/ This podcast is produced and edited by Dom Byrne and Duncan Jarvies.

A career in medicine can sometimes mean stepping outside of your comfort zone. No matter what stage of your career you are in, it is likely that you will have to manage uncertainty, and will occasionally feel out of your depth. In this episode, the Sharp Scratch panel talks about the reality of never being able to know everything in medicine, and the benefits of acknowledging your strengths and limitations. We also talk about how to recognise that something is beyond the limit of your capabilities, and the importance of asking for help if you need it. Expert guests: Dr Jennifer Rasanathan is a primary care physician and clinical editor at the BMJ. She is also a podcaster on Deep Breath In, a podcast for GPs. Check us out on social media: Twitter: https://twitter.com/BMJStudent Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bmj_student/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BMJStudent/ Thank you to Louise Griffin, final year med student at the University of Birmingham and Clegg Scholar 2022, who proposed this idea to be a Sharp Scratch episode. This podcast is produced and edited by Dom Byrne and Duncan Jarvies.

Starting university can be a really exciting and really nerve-wracking time. There are so many questions you might have before you start. How do you know what to pack? How do you make friends? How do you study? Is it really going to be the best time of your life?! You might be just about to start university in the next week or two, or simply feel like indulging in the nostalgia of those first few weeks. Either way, join Sharp Scratch panel members new and old as we come together to discuss the sorts of things we were worried about or looking forward to before we started university. Check us out on social media: Twitter: twitter.com/BMJStudent Instagram: www.instagram.com/bmj_student/ Facebook: www.facebook.com/BMJStudent/ This podcast is produced and edited by Dom Byrne and Duncan Jarvies.

Medicine is a team sport. We work with multi-disciplinary teams to deliver patient care. However, there may be times when you will work with a colleague who worries you professionally. You may find it difficult to address this unprofessional behaviour, especially as a junior member of the team. In this episode, we’ll be talking about when this becomes enough to act and what you can do about it. Expert guests: Prof Charlotte Rees (@charlreessidhu on Twitter) is the Head of School of Health Sciences, College of Health, Medicine & Wellbeing at the University of Newcastle, NSW, Australia. Prof Lynn Monrouxe (@LynnMonrouxe on Twitter) is a Professor and Academic Lead of Health Professions Education Research at The University of Sydney. They are the co-authors of the book, Healthcare Professionalism: Improving Practice through Reflections on Workplace Dilemmas. Check us out on social media: Twitter: twitter.com/BMJStudent Instagram: www.instagram.com/bmj_student/ Facebook: www.facebook.com/BMJStudent/ Thank you to Louise Griffin, final year med student at the University of Birmingham and Clegg Scholar 2022, who proposed this idea to be a Sharp Scratch episode. This podcast is produced and edited by Dom Byrne and Duncan Jarvies.

Have you ever felt like you had to dial up an aspect of your personality in order to fit in on placement? When going on placement, there may be times when you feel like ‘the odd one out’. But do you have to fit in? Are there benefits in being different? Does medical training shape us into doctors with identical tone and manner and does this bode well with patients? In this episode, the Sharp Scratch team recounts experiences of displaying different sides of their personality at work, the positives of working with people of different personalities, and the importance of being your true authentic self. Expert guest: Miss Clara Munro (@ClaraEMunro on Twitter)is a General Surgical Trainee in the North East of England and was the Editorial Registrar at the BMJ. Check us out on social media: Twitter: https://twitter.com/BMJStudent Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bmj_student/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BMJStudent/ This podcast is produced and edited by Dom Byrne and Duncan Jarvies.

This is a special segment from the Sharp Scratch episode - what med school didn’t teach you about money. Have you received your first payslip and not sure whether you have been paid correctly? Listen to this short clip where the doctors behind Medics Money will guide you through the key things to check on your payslip and decipher tax codes in under 10 minutes. If you would like to hear more about how to claim tax rebate, information about income protection and relocation costs, head over to episode 78, titled 'what med school didn’t teach you about money' to find more. Expert guests: Dr Tommy Perkins and Dr Ed Cantello are GPs and co-founders of Medics Money. Useful links that Dr Perkins and Dr Cantelo recommend: •Free Ebook www.medicsmoney.co.uk/ebook/ •10 top tips for junior doctors podcast www.medicsmoney.co.uk/ep-5-10-financ…unior-doctors/ •Tax code guide - www.medicsmoney.co.uk/is-your-doctor…-code-correct/ •Tax rebate guide - www.medicsmoney.co.uk/free-guide/ Check us out on social media: Twitter: twitter.com/BMJStudent Instagram: www.instagram.com/bmj_student/ Facebook: www.facebook.com/BMJStudent/ This episode does not represent any form of financial, legal or accounting advice and tax allowances and rates are subject to change.

At med school, we are trained to interpret blood tests but not much (if at all) on how to interpret your payslip. Financial literacy doesn’t feature much in our medical curriculum but it’s an important life skill to have: from interpreting your payslip to claiming tax rebate on your postgrad exams fees. In this episode, the doctors behind Medics Money share their experiences regarding costs that newly qualified doctors will have to consider after med school, some money saving tips for junior docs and things to look out for when you’re interpreting a payslip. Topics covered: •Things to look out for on your payslip •What should you do when you notice you haven’t been paid correctly •Sick pay •Claiming tax rebate on costs of training •Relocation costs Expert guests: Dr Tommy Perkins and Dr Ed Cantello are GPs and co-founders of Medics Money. Useful links that Dr Perkins and Dr Cantelo recommend: •Free Ebook https://www.medicsmoney.co.uk/ebook/ •10 top tips for junior doctors podcast https://www.medicsmoney.co.uk/ep-5-10-financial-tips-for-junior-doctors/ •Tax code guide - https://www.medicsmoney.co.uk/is-your-doctors-tax-code-correct/ •Tax rebate guide - https://www.medicsmoney.co.uk/free-guide/ Check us out on social media: Twitter: https://twitter.com/BMJStudent Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bmj_student/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BMJStudent/ This podcast is produced and edited by Dom Byrne and Duncan Jarvies. This episode does not represent any form of financial, legal or accounting advice and tax allowances and rates are subject to change.

At medical school, we learn about the importance of healthy health behaviours and promote them to patients at consultations. But do you always do what you preach? In this episode, we chatted about the importance of self-care, admitting to the inability to be infallible, and whether your health habits would affect the way you counsel your patients. Expert guest: Professor Erica Frank (erica.frank@ubc.ca) is a Professor at the Faculty of Medicine at the University of British Columbia; she is also the Founder of NextGenU.org. Articles mentioned in the episode: • Alcohol consumption and alcohol counselling behaviour among US medical students: cohort study - https://www.bmj.com/content/337/bmj.a2155 • Experiences of belittlement and harassment and their correlates among medical students in the United States: longitudinal survey - https://www.bmj.com/content/333/7570/682 Check us out on social media: Twitter: https://twitter.com/BMJStudent Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bmj_student/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BMJStudent/ This podcast is produced and edited by Dom Byrne and Duncan Jarvies.

“Do no harm” is a mantra that is drummed into medical students from day 1 of medical school. Most of us have gone into medicine as we believe medicine to be a force of good. However, too much medicine is capable of causing harm to patients and generating unnecessary waste. In this episode, we spoke about overdiagnosis, communicating risks and benefits with patients, and why you shouldn't take that free lunch sponsored by drug companies. Recommended reading: •Preventing overdiagnosis: how to stop harming the healthy. Link: https://www.bmj.com/content/344/bmj.e3502 •Who pays for the pizza? Redefining the relationships between doctors and drug companies. 1: Entanglement. Link: https://www.bmj.com/content/326/7400/1189 Expert guest: Dr Martin Brunet (@docmartin68 on Twitter) is a GP and a GP trainer at Guildford. He is also the author of The GP Consultation Reimagined: A Tale of Two Houses. Check us out on social media: Twitter: https://twitter.com/BMJStudent Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bmj_student/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BMJStudent/ This podcast is produced and edited by Dom Byrne and Duncan Jarvies.