Imagine life without adequate sight! Everything would be dark and sad, especially if you couldn’t browse this blog. But at least you could still listen to the podcast.

Without a doubt, you have eyes and they are very important. Hence, we have ophthalmology.

Dr Neil is an experienced ophthalmologist who talks about life in his specialty and honest career considerations for those thinking about undergoing the training.

This episode is dedicated to Sarah, gushing fan and amazing supporter.

Podcast

About the guest speaker

Dr Neil is an ophthalmologist who works in public and private practice and has trained in a variety of hospitals across Australia and the UK. As well as his medical work, he has a strong family life and appreciates sports immensely.

Music credits

Opening and closing themes by Phil Poronnik.

In the endless battle against cancer, there are those brave warriors who specialise in cutting it out.

They’re called surgical oncologists and they do far more than just operations.

Dr Julie talks about the life of a surgical oncologist, patient interaction, the training pathway and her success in maintaining a hugely interesting existence outside medicine.

Podcast

About the guest speaker

Dr Julie Howle is a specialist surgical oncologist with a background in general surgery. She now handles a variety of pathologies, such as melanoma, sarcoma and thyroid issues.

On top of her experienced clinical work, Dr Julie is an avid athlete who regularly undergoes triathlons and holds a world champion title.

Music credits

Opening and closing themes by Phil Poronnik.

What do palliative care, Snape, Donald Trump, unicorn pillows and Croatian men have in common?

NOTHING.

Except they’re all in this podcast.

In this episode, Dr Katherine talks about her career in palliative care.

Palliative care is a branch of medicine that deals with making end-of-life patients as comfortable as possible, rather than seeking to cure.

What’s the appeal of this specialty? What does it involve? Is it all as sad as it sounds? Dr Katherine answers these questions and more.

You might still wonder: Why is palliative care so important?

Because after life, there’s the guarantee of death.

Sometimes that receives the Voldemort treatment, where people are afraid to talk about That Which Cannot Be Named.

Kicking the bucket. Passing away. Going to a better place. While there are countless euphemisms for the act of dying, there’s only one way of saying that someone is born. Given the reality that death is inevitable, this can be a disproportionate emphasis on life.

But the final moments are just as important as the beginning.

Podcast

About the guest speaker

Dr Katherine Allsopp is a supportive and palliative care staff specialist from Westmead Hospital. She works with such distinguished colleagues as Dr Philip Lee, Parramatta Citizen of the Year, and Dr Sally Greenaway, haematologist and palliative care physician.

Music credits

Opening and closing themes by Phil Poronnik.

How To Win Friends & Influenza is now on iTunes!

Are you always the person who cuts birthday cakes?

Do you enjoy variety?

Are your hands steady?

Is your anatomy knowledge quite good?

Perhaps surgery is for you.

From a first-hand perspective, Dr Corinna gives an overview of the general surgery training and lifestyle. She gives excellent information. She dispels myths. She offers useful advice for medical students and junior doctors who are considering this career path.

Do you want to know things you can start doing now to set yourself apart?

Yes.

Yes, you do.

So turn your speakers up to 11* and listen to this podcast!

*Not to be taken as valid medical advice, even if your speakers do go up to 11.

Podcast

About the guest speaker

Dr Corinna Chiong is a Senior Resident Medical Officer on the path to general surgery. In her spare time, she’s an avid fan of Dragon Ball Z, a maker of delicious pies and a convincing proponent of microwaving vegetables to save time.

Music credits

Opening and closing themes by Phil Poronnik.

Germs. Germs! GERMS! EVERYWHERE!

Why would anyone want to study them? Because they’re interesting and increasingly relevant globally.

In this episode, Dr Elaine talks about her distinguished career progression in the field of infectious diseases and microbiology. If this is a specialty you’re even slightly considering, this interview is for you!

Podcast

References

1. Abbott, A. (2016, January 8). Scientists bust myth that our bodies have more bacteria than human cells. Nature. Retrieved from http://www.nature.com/

About the guest speaker

Dr Elaine Cheong is the Department Head of Microbiology at Concord Repatriation General Hospital, a major teaching hospital. She was once called in to handle a feline outbreak of carbapenem-resistant Salmonella.

Cats. Always the cats.

Music credits

Opening and closing themes by Lily Chen.

Rising medical student, welcome to the start of your new life in health care!

An amazing adventure in helping people awaits you, but first you must pass that dreaded beast called medical school examinations.

With so much information waiting to be crushed into your exploding skull, figuring out which resources to use can be stressful. Do you go to lectures? Do you watch third-party videos? Do you form a study group or remain a hermit? And how can you possibly survive anatomy classes, especially if you didn’t do a medical science degree beforehand?

In this episode, Steve runs through some of the most popular medical school materials. Are you afraid of missing out on an important study resource because no one told you about it for your entire first year? Don’t worry. That’s an odd but valid fear.

Instead of suffering through trial and error, relax in this concise collection of the big options available to you. You don’t have to waste time searching for the best resources when many of them are presented to you here.

It’s ultimately up to you to choose the study methods that work best for you — but to do that, you first have to know what your options are!

Podcast

Resources mentioned

USMLE preparation and video lectures

• First Aid
• Pathoma
• Doctors In Training

Flash cards

• Anki
• Brosencephalon

Anatomy

• Essential Anatomy
• Acland’s Video Atlas
• Textbook atlases
  • Netter
  • Gray’s Anatomy For Students
  • Moore’s Clinically Oriented Anatomy

Podcasts and audio

• Humerus Hacks
• MedConversations
• Goljan

OSCE videos

• Geeky Medics

Other resources

Review notes

• Toronto Notes

Video lectures

• Dr Najeeb
• Osmosis

Question banks

• BMJ onExamination
• Passmedicine

About the guest speaker

Steve Waring is a medical student from The University Of Sydney. He enjoys drinking coffee, eating bland vegetables and helping subsequent generations of medical students achieve their best.

Music credits

Opening and closing themes by Phil Poronnik.