Defense Mechanisms
There are a long list of mature and immature mechanisms. Our very own Bilal Rana will go over all of them!
Mar 11, 2024•23 min•Season 4Ep. 9
Spoonful of Sugar
A podcast to help the medicine go down
For medical students, by medical students
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Episodes
Tips for Teaching Effectively
Everyone in medicine has to teach at some point - whether you’re educating peers, residents, medical students, or patients. Despite this expectation, most of us are never formally trained in how to teach. How do you pick a topic that’s salient and appropriate for the time and space you’ve been allotted, how do you structure the content in a way that makes sense, and most importantly, how do you make it stick? In this special episode, Spoonful of Sugar founder Dr. Ria Mulherkar shares some advice...
Mar 07, 2024•26 min•Season 4Ep. 8
Psychotherapy
There are quite a number of psychotherapy modalities discussed on USMLE/COMLEX. In this episode, Bilal Rana will be talking about the most high yield ones.
Mar 04, 2024•8 min•Season 4Ep. 7
What Every Medical Student Should Know About Ophthalmology
Whether or not you’re going into ophthalmology, you’re likely to see a patient with an eye-related complaint at some point in your career. In this episode, Ria interviews ophthalmology resident Dr. Will Foos about his specialty - common consults he sees, when you should absolutely consult an ophthalmologist, and some specialty-specific advice for folks who are interested. Tune in to see what he has to say!
Feb 29, 2024•36 min•Season 4Ep. 6
Prenatal Screenings
If these tricky trisomies have been giving you some trouble, you are in the right place! Third year medical students Michelle Troup, Carla Wyatt-Ingram host an episode on Prenatal Screenings. They’ll walk you through the high-yield concepts and have plenty of mnemonics and questions to keep you engaged!
Feb 27, 2024•17 min•Season 4Ep. 5
Neuroembryology
Third year medical students Michelle Troup, Carla Wyatt-Ingram host an episode on Neuroembryology. “If the thought of parsing through neuroembryology sends a chill down your spine, you’re in the right place”. In this episode, they walk through important landmarks in neurodevelopment and explore the pathology that can present when that development goes wrong.
Feb 20, 2024•24 min•Season 4Ep. 4
Sex Chromosome Disorders and Disorders of Sexual Development
Sex chromosome disorders and disorders of sexual development can be a tricky topic on boards. If you need a refresher, MS3 Rachel Garza is here to help you review and understand how to approach this topic! As always, we use lots of questions to keep you engaged.
Feb 12, 2024•32 min•Season 4Ep. 3
Psychogenic Disorders
Curious about the mind-body connection? Elise Kao and Michelle Troup have you covered, as they will help us understand when this connection goes awry. Topics include conversion disorder, somatic symptom disorder, illness anxiety disorder, pseudocyesis, as well as a discussion of the differences between factitious disorder and malingering.
Feb 05, 2024•17 min•Season 4Ep. 2
Sleep Disorders
To start off the fourth season, third year medical students Darby Billing and Michelle Troup host an episode on sleep disorders. In this episode, they cover topics ranging from stages of sleep, features of sleep waves, night terrors, and other various sleep pathologies. Tune in for this short but packed review on all things sleep. As Michelle and Darby say, you better not “doze off” for this one!
Jan 29, 2024•16 min•Season 4Ep. 1
Disorders of Sexual Development
For our Season 3 finale, MS3 students Darby Billing and Elise Kao host an episode on disorders of sexual development. They’ll cover topics such as 5-alpha reductase deficiency, Mullerian agenesis, androgen insufficiency, and more in our usual question-and-answer style format. Never feel bad for not knowing the answers when you’re listening to SoS! The point is to miss questions now so you’ll never miss them again.
Jan 09, 2024•26 min•Season 3Ep. 30
DNA Repair Mechanisms
DNA damage can result in single-stranded or double-stranded breaks, and you need to know the different mechanisms we have to repair them! This topic is relevant not just for board exams, but also if you choose to pursue an oncologic specialty down the road. Tune in now for an easy review of this important topic. We’ll be sure to include some silly mnemonics that help you remember some tricky concepts.
Dec 14, 2023•29 min•Season 3Ep. 29
Lung Cancer
Lung cancer is the second most common type of cancer to occur in the United States (not including skin cancers) and THE most common cause of death! So, it’s naturally very important to know the different types of lung cancer, including their risk factors and how they manifest. Tune in for a short but sweet review on this commonly tested topic by MS3 Kate Spencer.
Dec 06, 2023•16 min•Season 3Ep. 28
Personality Disorders
What are personality disorders? Do you remember the different clusters of personality disorders? (Hint: A, B, C). If you need a refresher, MS3 Bilal Rana is here to help you review and understand how to approach this topic! As always, we use lots of questions to keep you engaged.
Nov 28, 2023•37 min•Season 3Ep. 27
How to Prepare for the USMLE Step 1
Most students take the USMLE Step 1 in the spring or early summer towards the end of MS2. If you’re in your second year, now might be a good time to start planning your approach to this daunting and monumental exam. Here, we lay out 5 steps that can help you prepare for the USMLE Step 1 while maintaining a positive mindset and trying to enjoy the process!
Nov 17, 2023•31 min•Season 3Ep. 26
Pharmacology of Mood Disorders Part 2
Part 2 of 2 in our 2-part series on the pharmacology of mood disorders. In this second part, MS3 Bilal Rana covers mood stabilizers and antipsychotics. Tune in for a packed and powerful review!
Nov 15, 2023•1 hr 7 min•Season 3Ep. 25
Pharmacology of Mood Disorders Part 1
A few weeks ago, MS3 Bilal Rana hosted an episode on Mood Disorders. This is a two-part follow-up to that episode, with a packed and powerful review of the pharmacology of mood disorders – what are the drugs we use to treat mood disorders, and how do they work? In part 1, we cover SSRIs, SNRIs, TCAs, atypical antidepressants, MAU inhibitors. Let’s go!
Nov 15, 2023•1 hr 5 min•Season 3Ep. 24
Gout & Arthritis
What kind of crystals are seen in gout versus pseudo-gout? Which arthritis is worse in the morning, and which one at night? If you have trouble keeping these joint disorders straight, this episode is for you! MS3 Kate Spencer asks tons of questions to help you review gout and arthritis.
Nov 08, 2023•22 min•Season 3Ep. 23
Anti-arrhythmic Drugs
Does the idea of choosing an anti-arrhythmic drug make your heart skip a beat? Fear not, for MS3s Darby Billing and Michelle Troup have a steady pulse on this challenging topic. With lots of questions to keep you engaged, they will make sure you remember the key points for the boards, and beyond!
Nov 01, 2023•22 min•Season 3Ep. 22
Viral Hepatitis
The only thing harder than remembering details of all the hepatitis viruses is memorizing those pesky hepatitis B antigens. Lucky for you, our newest team member Alexa Rae (Lexie) Churan simplifies it in our classic Spoonful of Sugar style – lots of questions (but no pressure), and lots of repetition to make sure these commonly tested concepts get ingrained your memory.
Oct 24, 2023•32 min•Season 3Ep. 21
Clinical Concepts - Pulmonary Nodules
At some point during clinical rotations, you’ll be asked about screening guidelines for lung cancer. It’s important to know these for sure, but it’s also important to know what to do if there are any abnormalities after you order that screening. Here, we’ll review the guidelines for how to classify and further work up pulmonary nodules!
Oct 17, 2023•29 min•Season 3Ep. 20
Mood Disorders
Did you know approximately 21% of US adults experience a mood disorder at some point in their lives? This is an extremely important, not to mention commonly tested, topic that all medical students should be familiar with. In this episode, our newest team member MS3 Bilal Rana will review Major Depressive Disorder, Bipolar Disorder, Persistent Depressive Disorder, Cyclothymic Disorder, Adjustment Disorder, Grief, and Postpartum Blues vs. Depression vs. Psychosis. Stay tuned for a future episode o...
Oct 11, 2023•41 min•Season 3Ep. 19
Heart Block
In this episode, we’ll cover all things bradycardia, including sinus bradycardia, and all three degrees of heart block. We’ll review how they present, how to recognize them on an EKG, and basics of how to manage them. Hosted by MS4 Tania Mulherkar, this episode reviews everything about heart block that you’ll need for USMLE!
Oct 04, 2023•19 min•Season 3Ep. 18
Parkinson's Pharmacology
The medications used to treat Parkinson’s disease can be complicated and hard to remember. In this episode, our newest team member MS3 Rachel Garza reviews the pharmacologic options for Parkinson’s treatment, including their mechanisms and side effects. We always try to explain concepts in a way that makes sense so that reviewing is fun and easy to remember!
Sep 25, 2023•21 min•Season 3Ep. 17
Autoimmune Diseases Part 2
Part 2 of 2 in our series on autoimmune diseases with MS3 Alicia Podwojniak. In this episode, we review Sjogren’s syndrome, dermatomyositis, and polymyositis. These are commonly tested conditions which can be easy to confuse! Hopefully this review helps to clarify and lock in some key rheumatology concepts.
Sep 06, 2023•21 min•Season 3Ep. 16
Autoimmune Diseases Part 1
In this 2-part series, MS3 Alicia Podwojniak is back to review the complex and commonly tested topic of rheumatologic autoimmune diseases. In part 1, we’ll review rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and scleroderma. Stay tuned for part 2!
Sep 06, 2023•34 min•Season 3Ep. 15
Thyroid Disorders
Do you have a hard time keeping track of all the diseases of the thyroid? So many last names – Graves, Hashimoto, Reidel, De Quervain. It’s okay if you’re a little overwhelmed! In this episode, MS3 Kate Spencer is back to sort out the different thyroid disorders. Get ready for a fun but packed review.
Aug 23, 2023•22 min•Season 3Ep. 14
Esophageal Disorders
Disorders of the esophagus are fairly straightforward, but there are quite a few and they can be difficult to keep straight. Packed with lots of quiz questions for a relaxing yet engaging review, this episode is just the ticket to organize these various conditions in your brain. Our newest team member MS3 Kate Spencer will drill these disorders into your memory!
Jul 26, 2023•21 min•Season 3Ep. 13
Imaging Modalities
How does an X-ray work? How about a CT scan, or an MRI, or an ultrasound? How do you know which one to order? In this episode, our newest team member MS4 Mohit Bhide will review the fundamentals of different imaging modalities and explain how they work. Then, he’ll walk through some rapid-fire cases as tested on USMLE board exams to build on your knowledge. Let’s shed some light on diagnostic imaging!
Jul 18, 2023•21 min•Season 3Ep. 12
Blistering Skin Disorders
Do you have a hard time differentiating two commonly tested autoimmune blistering skin disorders of pemphigus vulgaris and bullous pemphigoid? Which one is associated with Nikolsky sign, and which one has antibodies against the hemi-desmosomes? If you feel like you need to review these concepts and find memory devices to make them stick, tune into this episode hosted by our newest team member MS3 Alicia Podwojniak!
Jul 11, 2023•17 min•Season 3Ep. 11
Childhood Developmental Milestones
A major aspect of outpatient pediatric practice, and therefore also the shelf and board exams, is knowledge of childhood developmental milestones. This includes gross and fine motor skills, language, social and cognitive development, growth tracking, and sexual maturation. Review all of this material in this high-yield episode hosted by our newest MS4 team member Tania Mulherkar!
Jul 06, 2023•23 min•Season 3Ep. 10
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