• "Ego Death?!" M4s Talk Audition Rotations
    Apr 16 2026
    How Away Rotations play into getting that dream residency Among all the strange things about medical school, there’s the so-called “away” or “audition” rotation. Recently matched M4s Aditi Katwala, Hend Al-Kaylani, Lena Volfson, and Kristin Davis talk about what it’s like to leave CCOM for weeks at a time to visit another hospital. Maybe they want to experience some new things there they wouldn’t have seen at Iowa. But also, it’s often about showing off their med-student skills for a residency program they might match with in another part of the country. Spoiler–that’s not exactly how it worked out for them, but they learned a whole lot and ultimately that’s the point. This episode will clue you into the strategies, reasons, benefits and limitations of doing an advanced rotation away your home medical school. In addition, we have our usual laughs along the way. Also, we play our own special med school edition of That Escalated Quickly, in which the crew give their creative answers to a prompt based on their secret numbers from 1 to 10, then an organizer try to rank those responses from lowest to highest intensity. It’s a game where thoughtful discussion and pandemonium hold hands! Episode credits: Producer: Hend Al-Kaylani (main topic), Cyrus Barati (game) Co-hosts: Lena Volfson, Kristin Davis, Aditi Katwala Production: SCP Media Lab–Anna Roger, Cyrus Barati, Isa Perez-Sandi, Zach Grissom, Sarah Upton, Srishti Mathur, David Lee, and Jacob Thompson The views and opinions expressed on this podcast belong solely to the individuals who share them. They do not represent the positions of the University of Iowa, the Carver College of Medicine, or the State of Iowa. All discussions are intended for entertainment purposes only and should not be taken as professional, legal, financial, or medical advice. Nothing said on this podcast should be used to diagnose, treat, or prevent any medical condition. Always seek qualified professional guidance for personal decisions. 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. We need to know more about you! https://surveys.blubrry.com/theshortcoat (email a screenshot of the confirmation screen to theshortcoats@gmail.com with your mailing address and Dave will mail you a thank you package!) 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. AI disclosure: Voices of host, co-hosts, and guests are human. Some other voices–such as listener questions or questions/comments from the internet–may be AI generated.
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    1 h y 13 m
  • What are Med Students Reading: Book Club!
    Apr 9 2026
    If reading makes better docs, these guys will be incredible. What if the cure for doctor-speak was actually just… reading more books? This week M1s Anna Royer, Sophia Hueser, Gwen Sewell, and Ellie Johnson have a genuinely great conversation about what it means to be a reader in med school. They dig into audiobooks vs reading brain research (turns out your brain basically doesn’t care, per a possibly unvetted Instagram-posted study that may or may not have been published in JAMA), why narrative medicine is big in medical education, and how the habit of losing yourself in someone else’s story might be the best training you can get for actually understanding their patients. If you’re a pre-med or pre-PA student wondering whether your English minor or your tattered copy of When Breath Becomes Air has any business being on your application, this episode will make you feel very seen. The crew also gets into something that doesn’t come up nearly enough in medical education: the real stakes of clinical documentation language and substance use disorder stigma. For example, writing “patient denies alcohol use” versus “patient reports no alcohol use” is not a small stylistic choice — it’s the kind of thing that shapes how the next provider sees a real human being, and now that patients can read their own notes, the pressure is on in a whole new way. Plus the group shares their full reading lists across good books, fun books, and smart books, and makes a genuinely compelling case for why reading and empathy in medicine aren’t soft skills — they’re the whole job. Grab your books for medical students TBR list and hit play. Episode credits: Producer: Ellie Johnson Co-hosts: Anna Royer, Gwen Sewell, Sophia Hueser The views and opinions expressed on this podcast belong solely to the individuals who share them. They do not represent the positions of the University of Iowa, the Carver College of Medicine, or the State of Iowa. All discussions are intended for entertainment purposes only and should not be taken as professional, legal, financial, or medical advice. Nothing said on this podcast should be used to diagnose, treat, or prevent any medical condition. Always seek qualified professional guidance for personal decisions. 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. We need to know more about you! https://surveys.blubrry.com/theshortcoat (email a screenshot of the confirmation screen to theshortcoats@gmail.com with your mailing address and Dave will mail you a thank you package!) 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. AI disclosure: Voices of host, co-hosts, and guests are human. Some other voices–such as listener questions or questions/comments from the internet–may be AI generated.
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    55 m
  • From Fire Hose to Final Decision–How Med Students Choose Careers (Recess Rehash)
    Mar 26 2026
    [Last week was Spring Break here at Iowa. It was also Match Week, so this rerun from last year is worth a second look!] Picking a Career in Medicine is Insane. All of med school leads up to one moment: Match Day. But how do get there? Dave Etler sits down with graduating M4s Mallory Kallish (surgery), Matt Engelken (OB/gyn), Jacob Lamb (radiology), and Will Sai (famiy medicine) to unpack the uncertainty and pressure around choosing a medical specialty. They share how they landed their matches—not through sudden epiphanies, but through trial, error, and sometimes vibes. We hear about emotional rotations, mentors who came through clutch, and interview seasons fueled by spreadsheets or sheer gut instinct. And yes, we talk about the infamous stereotypes: are you “too nice” for surgery, or “too male” for OB? Also in this episode: the hidden power of palliative care, how to survive pre-clinical burnout, why some specialties get unfairly labeled “dead ends,” and what it means to feel like you belong in a specialty—even if you don’t fit the mold. [URL template for episode https://media.blubrry.com/theshortcoat/podcast.uiowa.edu/com/osa/CHANGETHIS.mp3] 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 Argofox. License: bit.ly/CCAttributionDOCTOR VOX – Heatstroke: youtu.be/j1n1zlxzyRE Catmosphere – Candy-Coloured Sky: youtu.be/AZjYZ8Kjgs8Hexalyte – Wandering Hours: youtu.be/FOAo2zsYnvA
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    1 h y 14 m
  • Medical Student Identity: What the White Coat Means
    Apr 2 2026
    The Hippocratic oath moment that turns anxious students into future physicians—even before they’ve treated a single patient You’re on stage at the “White Coat Ceremony,” putting on that short coat for the first time, and honestly? It feels kind of weird. Like you’re playing dress-up in someone else’s costume. That’s where M1s Jonah Albrecht, Anna Royer, Lillian Schmidt, and Lillie Lamont pick up the conversation—because turns out, that awkward feeling might be telling you something important about what this weird garment actually means (and might not mean) in medicine. This episode gets real about white coat symbolism beyond the ceremony photo-op. Our M1 hosts dig into medical student identity, physician hierarchy, the whole clinical attire debate, and whether that coat actually helps with patient trust in healthcare or just makes you feel like an imposter. You’ll hear honest takes on medical professionalism, imposter syndrome medicine, what medical school training teaches you about fitting in, and why healthcare team collaboration might work better without all the hierarchical costume drama. Plus: we adapt the amazing Codenames game–can Lillie’s favorite game reveal anything about med school chaos? If you’re wondering whether you’ll ever feel like you belong in that coat—or whether that particular outer covering is a good idea—hit play. Episode credits: Producer: Jonah Albrecht, Cyrus Barati Co-hosts: Anna Royer, Jonah Albrecht, Lillie Lamont, Lillian Schmidt The views and opinions expressed on this podcast belong solely to the individuals who share them. They do not represent the positions of the University of Iowa, the Carver College of Medicine, or the State of Iowa. All discussions are intended for entertainment purposes only and should not be taken as professional, legal, financial, or medical advice. Nothing said on this podcast should be used to diagnose, treat, or prevent any medical condition. Always seek qualified professional guidance for personal decisions. 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. We need to know more about you! https://surveys.blubrry.com/theshortcoat (email a screenshot of the confirmation screen to theshortcoats@gmail.com with your mailing address and Dave will mail you a thank you package!) 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. AI disclosure: Voices of host, co-hosts, and guests are human. Some other voices–such as listener questions or questions/comments from the internet–may be AI generated.
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    1 h y 22 m
  • Step Exams: Ready Or Not Here They Come
    Mar 19 2026
    Three exams that might drive you crazy. If you’re a pre-med, you may have heard about Step exams. But what are they? When the hell are you supposed to start studying? Should you be doing Anki cards in the womb? And are your scores actually going to determine your entire future? This episode is basically your reality check from people who’ve either survived these medical licensing exams or are currently drowning in practice questions right now. M4 Zay Edgren and M3 Radha Velamuri help M1 Isa Perez-Sandi and M2 Zach Grissom understand the whole chaotic timeline—from Step 1 going pass fail (RIP to the days when that score mattered) to Step 2 being the new make-or-break moment for your residency application. And let’s not forget Step 3 which comes later and is–some will say–just another expensive box to check during residency. You’ll hear honest takes on when people actually start medical board exam preparation, how medical school rotations can change everything about studying for these beasts, what those clinical vignette questions are really testing, and why practicing on actual patients beats memorizing the whatever cycle. Whether you’re an pre-med just learning what “shelf exam” means, deep in medical student board preparation hell, or a parent of one of those—we’ve got the insider info, the real timeline, and exactly zero sugarcoating. Plus: hot takes on curly hair management, why being ten years old means you’re already behind, and a very specific discussion about dumpster diving that makes sense in context. But probably not. Episode credits: Producer: Zay Edgren Co-hosts: Isa Sandi-Perez, Zach Grissom, Radha Velamuri, Zay Edgren The views and opinions expressed on this podcast belong solely to the individuals who share them. They do not represent the positions of the University of Iowa, the Carver College of Medicine, or the State of Iowa. All discussions are intended for entertainment purposes only and should not be taken as professional, legal, financial, or medical advice. Nothing said on this podcast should be used to diagnose, treat, or prevent any medical condition. Always seek qualified professional guidance for personal decisions. 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. We need to know more about you! https://surveys.blubrry.com/theshortcoat (email a screenshot of the confirmation screen to theshortcoats@gmail.com with your mailing address and Dave will mail you a thank you package!) 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. AI disclosure: Voices of host, co-hosts, and guests are human. Some other voices–such as listener questions or questions/comments from the internet–may be AI generated.
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    1 h y 13 m
  • Things You Can Do To Prepare for Med School (and One Thing You Shouldn’t!)
    Mar 5 2026
    Prioritize Fun! What should you do with the time between getting accepted to medical school and orientation week? Fallon Jung, Anna Royer, Jonah Albrecht, and Charis Edwards tell their stories about finding out they got in (including one bathroom cry session and a Colorado NICU celebration), what they actually did to prepare, and why you absolutely shouldn’t pre-study. If you’re headed to medical school next year, this episode is basically your older sibling giving you the honest advice nobody else will—like why floor time in windowless study rooms is underrated, how to fill your cup before classes start, and the surprising truth about how much fun you can still have during M1 year. You’ll hear why these students think the admissions committee already believes you can do this, practical tips on setting up your study space without buying every resource known to humankind, and honest talk about mental health, sleep, and remembering why you wanted to be a doctor in the first place. The crew plus show photographer David Lee also debuts a med school edition of “That Escalated Quickly,” a party game that somehow involves electrocuting your brain’s pleasure centers, peppermint ice cream debates, and the very specific hell of planning to study instead of actually studying. Whether you’re pre-med, pre-PA, or just curious what actually happens before med school starts, hang out with your SCP friends who genuinely want you to succeed—and who aren’t afraid to laugh at themselves along the way. Episode credits: Producer: Anna Royer Co-hosts: Charis Edwards, Jonah Albrecht, Fallon Jung, David Lee The views and opinions expressed on this podcast belong solely to the individuals who share them. They do not represent the positions of the University of Iowa, the Carver College of Medicine, or the State of Iowa. All discussions are intended for entertainment purposes only and should not be taken as professional, legal, financial, or medical advice. Nothing said on this podcast should be used to diagnose, treat, or prevent any medical condition. Always seek qualified professional guidance for personal decisions. 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. We need to know more about you! https://surveys.blubrry.com/theshortcoat (email a screenshot of the confirmation screen to theshortcoats@gmail.com with your mailing address and Dave will mail you a thank you package!) 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.
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    50 m
  • The Med School Traditions That Make Lifelong Bonds
    Mar 12 2026
    Building community through experiences Tradition is a big part of medical school–med students willingly tie themselves to comedy shows, charity 5Ks, and yearly ceremonies when they’re already drowning in anatomy and mechanisms of health and disease. This episode pulls back the curtain on the weird, wonderful, and occasionally dark traditions that make medical school way more than just textbooks and exams. M2s Riley Dean and Megan Perry, M3 Fallon Jung, and M1 Isa Perez-Sandi, along with special guest Nit Anantharaman from Pitt Med reveal the traditions that bind students and their schools. Med school comedy shows like CCOM’s Frolics and Pitt’s Scope and Scalpel sketch nights to medical student philanthropy events that involve bench-pressing competitions and 5Ks. Then there are the ceremonies that honor body donors, match day medical school chaos complete with secret envelopes and mystery themes, and how medical student community building happens through shared misery and ridiculous inside jokes. This is real talk about how these medical education rituals create the bonds that get you through the hard experiences, why medical humanities writing contests and art shows matter more than you’d think, and honest insights into med student life. Plus, the hosts take a pop quiz about worldwide med school traditions (French cave blindfolding, anyone?) that’ll make you appreciate your own school’s quirks. Whether you’re navigating pre-med student life or already deep in the weeds of medical training, you’ll walk away understanding why these seemingly random traditions aren’t just fun—they’re survival mechanisms that transform classmates into lifelong colleagues. Episode credits: Producer: Isa Perez-Sandi Co-hosts: Isa Perez-Sandi, Megan Perry, Riley Dean, Fallon Jung Guest: Nit Anantharaman The views and opinions expressed on this podcast belong solely to the individuals who share them. They do not represent the positions of the University of Iowa, the Carver College of Medicine, or the State of Iowa. All discussions are intended for entertainment purposes only and should not be taken as professional, legal, financial, or medical advice. Nothing said on this podcast should be used to diagnose, treat, or prevent any medical condition. Always seek qualified professional guidance for personal decisions. 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. We need to know more about you! https://surveys.blubrry.com/theshortcoat (email a screenshot of the confirmation screen to theshortcoats@gmail.com with your mailing address and Dave will mail you a thank you package!) 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. AI disclosure: Voices of host, co-hosts, and guests are human. Some other voices–such as listener questions or questions/comments from the internet–may be AI generated.
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    56 m
  • Choosing a Professional Identity: Beyond Medical School Classes
    Feb 26 2026
    How medical schools help students figure out what kind of doctor they’ll be. Looking at medical school and wondering what you’ll actually *do* with all that training? Like, you know you’ll doctor…but in what way? What will that look like for you? Luckily, most schools have something like the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine’s distinction tracks—formal project-based programs that let med school students dig deeper into teaching, research, humanities, global health, service, or healthcare leadership while they’re grinding through anatomy and clinicals. Dave visits with M2s Tyler Pollock, Maria Schapfel, Srishti Mathur, and M1 Anna Royer for an honest, wide-ranging conversation about what these tracks actually look like from the inside. You’ll hear about Maria’s six weeks in Gabon for global health, Anna’s quilting project for humanities (yes, really), Tyler’s surgery database for teaching, and why Srishti thinks everyone should do the service track. They get into the messy reality of balancing these co-curricular activities with courses, clerkships, and shelf exams; debate whether research culture in medical school is actually helping anyone; and what things get in the way of the other things. If you’re trying to figure out how to become the kind of doctor you actually want to be—not just survive med school—this conversation will show you what’s possible beyond the curriculum. Episode credits: Producer: Tyler Pollock Co-hosts: Srishti Mathur, Maria Schapfel, Anna Royer The views and opinions expressed on this podcast belong solely to the individuals who share them. They do not represent the positions of the University of Iowa, the Carver College of Medicine, or the State of Iowa. All discussions are intended for entertainment purposes only and should not be taken as professional, legal, financial, or medical advice. Nothing said on this podcast should be used to diagnose, treat, or prevent any medical condition. Always seek qualified professional guidance for personal decisions. 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. We need to know more about you! https://surveys.blubrry.com/theshortcoat (email a screenshot of the confirmation screen to theshortcoats@gmail.com with your mailing address and Dave will mail you a thank you package!) 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.
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    53 m