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

The Students of the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine
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  • EDUCATION
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The HONEST guide to medical school, featuring real students from the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine–skip this show if you’d rather not know (and hate laughter)!

  1. 19H AGO

    Feedback is Data, Not Devastation.

    How to Take Negative Feedback And Use It to Win in Med School Recently, our admissions coordinator Rachel was surprised by the reaction from an applicant CCOM chose not to admit. She’d set aside time to give the applicant some feedback on their application–an extra service we provide those who weren’t successful in their bid to study medicine here. But instead of a thoughtful reaction to her notes, the unsuccessful applicant told her that they “didn’t agree with any of that.” The problem with this attitude is that in medical school feedback is never ending! Students get notes on interpersonal skills, professional behaviors, clinical skills, your knowledge base. And the feedback comes from everyone involved: simulated patients, actual patients, faculty, residents, nurses, even each other! Sometimes the feedback is formal and written; sometimes it’s verbal; and sometimes all you get is a raised eyebrow or a smile. Sometimes it’s rough, other times it’s SMART. So M2s Zach Grissom, Sahana Sarin, Srishti Mathur, and Jay Miller give their take on this vital skill in medicine: using feedback as data, as fuel for growth. They share stories of getting useful and useless feedback. And whether you love it or hate it, you’ll leave with a playbook for using feedback to boost your success in medical school and your career. Also, we discuss a study on AI “de-skilling,” and recent shifts in the amount of research medical students are doing versus the number of service and humanities experiences they’re doing. Episode credits: Producer: Dave Etler Co-hosts: Zach Grissom, Srishti Mathur, Sahana Sarin, Jay Miller 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? Let us know at a href="https://theshortcoat.

    1h 11m

  2. SEP 4

    They Way Most Docs are Paid Doesn't Lead to Healthier Patients

    The way docs are paid can make patients sicker...or can lead to healthier ones. The payment schemes most docs work under incentivize them to fix patients, while others motivate them to prevent illness—and geriatrician Dr. Jonathan "Nathan" Flacker is here to explain why. This episode rips the curtain off RVUs, fee-for-service traps, and the real reason your doc is rushing through your visit (hint: it’s not personal, it’s math). We dig into ChenMed’s wild idea: what if clinics got paid to keep you out of the hospital? Turns out, when money flows toward health instead of procedures, everyone wins. Except maybe the $400M proton beam facility (for the record, we love proton beams, but you might not need them if you can avoid cancer altogether). Is concierge-style medicine only for the wealthy? What happens when you build “rich person care” for low-income seniors? And how many patients can a doc see well before it all breaks? If you're dreaming of a career where you actually help people instead of just clicking boxes—this one's a wake-up call. Also: Love calls, RVU debt, and why pajama time should be illegal.

    1h 12m

  3. AUG 28

    Family expectations, culture clashes, and career priorities: Who's the A-Hole?

    We’re passing judgment—because someone has to. This week’s Reddit-fueled medical panel takes on uncomfortable questions that your group chat definitely isn’t ready for: Is dating an OB-GYN inherently weird? Should your partner be your #1 even when you're literally delivering babies at 3 AM? And what happens when your parents think taking three days off is career suicide? We drag a few well-meaning but very misinformed relatives, unpack how culture collides with medicine, and dissect how med students actually keep their relationships alive. Plus, one brave listener dares to ask: “Can I move out of my family’s one-bedroom and still be a good daughter?" Expect spicy, real talk, and a few questionable ideas we’re choosing not to redact.

    1h 6m

  4. AUG 21

    From Ecuador to Iowa, Ortho to Community Healthcare: the Last of the Summers

    These M2s made the most of their “break.” Summer in med school: is it beach vibes or big-doings? Turns out, it’s a weird mix of both—and we’re here for it. In this episode, we get the inside scoop from second-year med students Tyler Pollock, Cara Arrasmith, Anjali Puranam, and Sophia Nopoulos on how they spent their first “break.” Spoiler: it includes orthopedic research, global health rotations in Ecuador, community hospital crash courses, and teaching the next wave of M1s! We’re also talking about gap years. Yep, those mysterious in-between years that admissions committees don’t actually hate. In fact, they might be your greatest flex. Whether you’re curious what a summer research fellowship really looks like or wondering if you’ll be the only 27-year-old in your class (you won’t), this episode proves you’ve got options—and none of them are bad. Stick around for pediatric murmurs, shoulder anatomy, and why some med students literally dream in Spanish.

    1h 7m

  5. AUG 14

    DNP Doubts, Prepping for Patients, and Smarts Self-Doubt--listener questions answered!

    Real answers for your real med school dilemmas. We’ve had some listener question stacking up like it’s the ER waiting room at shift change—and now we’re finally calling some names. This week, we’re clearing the board and giving straight talk on everything from whether Rainey might regret her choice of DNP over med school, Worried Traveler’s fears of surviving their first clinical rotations, and Zion’s untested study habits. You’ll hear why reputation beats job title, the art of asking questions without tanking the vibe, and some ideas on making the transition from an easier undergrad education to med school madness. M4s Hend Al-Kaylani, Maryam Ahmad, and Madeline Ungs confront the awkward task of making friends in med school and why it’s okay if you’re not instantly every resident/faculty favorite. Bonus web feature! If you fear you never learned to study, visit this episode’s webpage (https://theshortcoat.com/dnp-doubts-prepping-for-patients-and-smarts-self-doubt-listener-questions-answered/) for a video series by Dave and friends–Zion, this one’s for you, and everyone else out there who needs to upgrade their study techniques!

    1 hr

  6. AUG 7

    What Residency Program Directors Actually Want

    And the real reason you’re not getting clear advice about applying to residency. Listener Baffled J. Whoseadaddy (not his real name) asked us why his med school kids complain that the residency application process is confusing and “a black hole.” This week, hosts Dave Etler, Chase Larsson, Zach Grissom, and Madeline Ungs unpack why no one can seem to agree on what residency programs want… and what they actually do. Spoiler: it’s not a first-author publication, committee position, or flawless grades. They’re joined by recent Carver College of Medicine grad Dr. Teneme Konne, now a full-fledged family medicine attending (and “professional yapper”), who spills the truth on how programs really evaluate applicants. From what happens behind closed doors during interview debriefs to how introverts can still stand out, we break it all down. If you’re sick of performative CV-building, tired of mixed signals (literally), and unsure how to be “authentic” without sounding like a TED Talk… this one’s for you. Episode credits: Producer: Dave Etler Co-hosts: Chase Larsson, Zach Grissom, Madeline Ungs Guest: Teneme Konne, MD, CCOM ’22 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? Let us know at https://theshortcoat.com/tellus and we’ll put your message in a future episode. Or email theshortcoats@gmail.com. The Short Coat Podcast is FeedSpot’s Top Iowa Student Podcast, and its Top Iowa Medical Podcast!  Thanks for listening! We do more things on… Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theshortcoat YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/theshortcoat 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...

    52 min

  7. JUL 31

    Placentas, Prostates, and Purple Goggles

    The rollercoaster of medical school transitions is hitting some peaks, from the first nerve-wracking days of clerkships to the unglamorous realities of OB-GYN rotations. M3 Elvire Nguepnang, M2 Gizzy Lundquist, M3 Jeff Goddard, and M1 Katherine Yu open up about the leap from textbooks to patient care, beginning advanced clerkships, and just staying on the path—and why it’s okay to feel a little lost. Along the way, they share their experiences with delivering placentas, unpack how seemingly minor lessons from preclinical years suddenly become crucial in the real world, and the new sensory ability they'd choose if they could.

    1h 2m

  8. JUL 24

    Slap Some Moldy Bread On It: Blechardy!

    They might know the citric acid cycle, but do med students know what ancient doctors used for pain relief, or the shape of wombat poop? Join us for Blechardy! the trivia game show that involves a certain amount of suffering! Contestants answer medical and pop culture questions—but with potentially disgusting jellybeans that make any actual knowledge meaningless. This week’s medical student co-hosts: M3 Jeff Goddard, and M1s Cara Arrasmith, Tyler Pollock, and Keely Carney, with quizmaster Audra King, battle through ancient medicine facts, Iowa trivia, and the weirdest animal knowledge. Who will emerge victorious, and who will regret every bite? We don’t even know, and we were there! Along the way, we discuss podcast rivalries (should we start fake beef with Joe Rogan?) and the questionable benefits of coffee beans digested by animals. Come for the trivia, stay for the suffering.

    53 min
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The HONEST guide to medical school, featuring real students from the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine–skip this show if you’d rather not know (and hate laughter)!

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