We're back after a short hiatus! In this episode, the hosts chat about returning to face-to-face teaching in the upcoming academic year (*fingers crossed*). Many of you, particularly those who started their first year at Uni during the pandemic, will have mixed feelings about coming back to 'campus'. This can range from very positive to trepidation, and perhaps anxiety particularly in relation to catching-up up on the social elements of University life missed during this last academic year. So p...
Jul 08, 2021•20 min
In this episode we are joined by Dr Tieng Toh and Dr Alex Hammant who are currently Clinical Teaching Fellows at Leicester Medical School. After working in clinical medicine, Dr Toh and Dr Hammant have been working in medical education for two years. We discussed their routes into medical education and what they have learned in their time as CTFs. They also reflected on their own learning journey from school to medical school to now. So pull up a chair and join the conversation with insights we ...
Jun 18, 2021•41 min
In this episode we are joined by Dr Paul Penn, a Senior Lecturer in Psychology at the University of East London and author of the excellent book 'The Psychology of Effective Studying'. With Dr Penn, we explore a whole host of questions around learning including: -Why we often make misjudgements of our learning and how that shapes development of suboptimal learning techniques. - What is 'metacognition'? And why is it the most important skill for developing as an effective learner - What are 'desi...
May 07, 2021•57 min
In this episode we are joined by Dr Jane Burns, who recently retired as the Academic Support Unit Lead at Leicester Medical School. Having provided academic support to many, many students over 15 years, Dr Burns shares her insights on the sorts of struggles students commonly report over the course of their degree, and the importance of a pro-active approach to developing your skills as a learner. We also explore the impact of the use of technology and social media on students' learning experienc...
Apr 23, 2021•33 min
In this episode, we talk to Dr. Arun Kirupakaran about OSCEs, where he shares some essential advice on approaching individual stations, as well as his personal experiences as a student! Arun is an ST2 Ophthalmology trainee and a Cambridge graduate, who, over the years has dedicated his time to supporting students through their medical school journey, right from personal statements, interviews and admission tests, to the topic of discussion for this episode, OSCEs! So join us in this episode for ...
Mar 24, 2021•46 min
In this 'Exam-special' episode we discuss short answer questions (SAQs), a type of question used in examinations across many medical schools and Universities. We discuss how using SAQs and an SAQ-style approach to testing yourself throughout your studies as well as during revision can be hugely beneficial for durable learning-whether you sit exams with SAQ type questions or not! We also share some top tips and insights for maximising your scores on these types of questions! If you enjoy the podc...
Mar 10, 2021•33 min
In this episode we talk to Chandhini Suresh about learning and revising Population and Social Sciences, how Public Health is used in society, and how we can apply the knowledge we learn to our everyday lives as doctors. Chandhini is not only a current third year medical student, but she also has a Bachelors degree in Molecular Medicine and a Masters degree in Public Health. She discusses her journey to Medicine, and what interested her in pursuing her special interest of Public Health. We think ...
Feb 24, 2021•54 min
In this episode we open a discussion with the incredible Dr Kurren Sandhu. We get to grips with the cliche of work life balance, discuss stress management and also share some of our personal struggles. Kurren is a Junior doctor, who’s worked flat out during COVID-19. He’s certified in Lifestyle medicine & has pioneered Supernova Student, Productivity Masterclass and Copewell -19; a free course for healthcare workers on the frontline during COVID-19. Kurren is so refreshing to talk to and has...
Feb 10, 2021•59 min
In this episode we speak with guest Graham Allcott, to discuss the little steps that can pay big returns for our productivity! Graham is a productivity guru, a published author (of five books), including 'How to Be a Productivity Ninja' and a podcaster. He is also the founder of " Think Productive " a world leading productivity training company. So, if you are one for putting things off, tend to start but never finish tasks... or have ever felt overwhelmed with all that's on your plate then list...
Jan 27, 2021•44 min
We are joined by special guest Dr Khalid Karim, a Consultant Psychiatrist and Associate Professor in Medical Education, who also works as an academic support tutor, helping students optimise their approaches to studying. In this episode we discuss "perfectionism"- a trait that many a student will likely identify with. We explore exactly what it is, what drives it and how it can cause problems . We also explore how perfectionism relates to procrastination and share some TOP TIPS on how to tackle ...
Jan 13, 2021•33 min
In this 'Exam-special' episode we discuss single best answers or SBAs, a common type of question used in examinations across many medical schools and Universities. With the exam season fast approaching for many of us, we share our experiences in preparing for and sitting these types of exams with discuss top tips and strategies and insights from staff who write SBAs to help tackle even the trickiest of questions! If you enjoy the podcast please do leave us a review on iTunes and if you'd like to...
Dec 26, 2020•58 min
In this episode we are joined again by the lovely Dr Jared Cooney-Horvath, an educational neuroscientist working at the University of Melbourne. Jared's work involves researching the brain, its role in learning and translating what we can find in the research to practical applications for our learning! This time we focus on sleep and what happens when the lights go off! We delve into the important role sleep plays in consolidating memories and strengthening our learning; the damage we can do by ...
Dec 23, 2020•46 min
In this episode we are joined by Dr Carolina Kuepper-Tetzel, an expert in memory and learning from the University of Glasgow. Carolina's work involves translating research findings into the 'real-world' of learning. She is one of the members of the 'Learning Scientists', a group of cognitive psychologists whose work involves communicating evidence-informed learning strategies to the masses though talks, videos and downloadable resources! With Carolina, we discuss spacing and retrieval- the two m...
Dec 16, 2020•47 min
In this episode, we meet with Lara Crowther, a personal trainer and wellbeing guru who is also currently undertaking a PhD in mindfulness in medical education! She shares her journey from Higher Education and medical school, to training to become a personal trainer and wellbeing coach, and how mindfulness has played a part throughout that time. We hear about some of the preliminary findings from her current research, discuss what exactly 'mindfulness' is (and what it isn't!) and explore practica...
Dec 02, 2020•56 min
In this episode, we meet with Takunda Nhiwatiwa and Divine Maduka to talk about racial harassment and racial inequalities in medical education. We explore how we all play a part in ensuring inclusivity for all students- in the learning environment and within medical school curricula. We discuss the “what” and “why” in relation to the BMA Charter for Racial Harassment, the importance of support and ensuring reporting mechanisms for those who experience racial harassment. And also what others who ...
Nov 25, 2020•56 min
Welcome back! We return after a brief hiatus for our first episode of Series 2. So in this episode, we catch up to discuss how we've faired settling in to our clinical placements, sharing some of challenges we've faced when learning in the clinical environment! We are also joined by a guest Umang Thakrar, who is currently intercalating between third and fourth year, and was finishing his last set of clinical placements when COVID hit. He shares with us his experiences and provides a few tips to ...
Nov 13, 2020•36 min
In this final episode (*sniff*) of our first season we take a moment to reflect and share what we've learnt over the last few months of developing "a podcast in a pandemic". We reflect too on some of our personal highlights from previous episodes with our guests and finally introduce our 'silent' 7th host! We share a huge thank you to our guests and listeners - and also put a call out to our listeners for suggestions on future guests or episode themes for season 2! We'll be back at the end of No...
Oct 22, 2020•40 min
In this episode we discuss different routes into medicine...from not getting the predicated grades, knock-backs at interview and unsuccessful degree transfer attempts.. Our hosts Lisa, Eliot, Nikitia and Sophie are joined by guest Rhea Soni (who joined us in Ep 10 too) and together describe their routes into medicine, their personal set backs and what they learnt from them. Their experiences highlight the range of ways into medicine should your first, or even second attempt be unsuccessful! So, ...
Oct 09, 2020•44 min
Pharmacology and prescribing is an important subject and skill for all medical students, and many healthcare professionals! Yet, it can be somewhat overwhelming when first approaching the topic and tackling those long lists of drugs and side effects. In this episode we are joined by Rhea Soni, a current Year 3 medical student who originally trained as a pharmacist. Her prior experience being a pharmacist gives her a unique insight into learning pharmacology and prescribing. She shares tips that ...
Sep 30, 2020•37 min
In episode 10, which completes our "two-episode anatomy-themed series" we are joined by Dr Steven Jacques, Associate Professor and Head of Anatomy at Leicester Medical School. Dr Jacques shares with us his route from medical school to his current role, how curiosity to 'know how things work' drove his career and love of anatomy, and how the demands of medical school curriculum affects curiosity for learning. Dr Jacques also shares his thoughts on the the importance of anatomy for future clinical...
Sep 23, 2020•36 min
In episode 8, we share tips and insights on approaching anatomy learning. We discuss the challenges of acquiring the anatomy "vocabulary", the importance of going beyond just memorisation and the need to build up "personal" 3D mental representations of anatomical understanding. We also highlight the myth of 'learning styles' and the risks this belief can present for learners approaching certain topics, such as anatomy. We share the strategies we've found effective for learning anatomy and sugges...
Sep 16, 2020•42 min
In this episode we pick up the second half of our conversation with Dr Jared Cooney Horvath, an Educational Neuroscientist and brain expert. We continue to explore the mechanisms of the brain in learning and talk about the role emotion and environment (including listening to music! while studying!) can play in memory. If you haven't caught the first half of this conversation, do visit Episode 6 and give that a listen first! Don't forget to visit us Instagram @thehippocampuspodcast and Twitter @h...
Sep 09, 2020•25 min
This episode is the first of a two-part series taking a deep dive into the mechanisms of the brain in learning and how we can exploit this understanding to optimise our studying. We are joined by Dr Jared Cooney Horvath, an Educational Neuroscientist and brain expert whose enthusiasm and insights in this area will have you hooked! In this first part we talk about why the brain has a limited capacity for learning 'new material' in a day, how we actually experience and interact with the world thro...
Sep 02, 2020•52 min
In this episode we are joined by special guest Dr Al Abdaal a medical doctor, YouTube influencer, content creator, and a huge advocate for effective and healthy approaches to studying and medical school life. Ali shares his journey from pre-clinical and clinical medical school years to a now qualified doctor and shares tips and reflections on the strategies that worked for him. He also discusses how life priorities change over time and introduces us to the concept of the 'third door'... Don't fo...
Aug 26, 2020•52 min
In this episode we are joined by special guest Dr Hannah Bonfield, a Lead Clinical Teaching Fellow at Leicester Medical School. Together, we discuss learning in small groups, a form of teaching and learning common to many educational settings, but particularly Higher Education. We ask what value small group work learning can bring, how to get the most from it and also share personal insights and practical tips on navigating potentially tricky situations that can arise. Don't forget, you can see ...
Aug 19, 2020•46 min
In this episode we discuss some practical tips to help you get the most from your lectures (face-to-face or online). We think about the 'before', 'during' and 'after' phases and how certain steps can help ease the risk of cognitive overload. Don't forget, you can see who the podcast hosts are by visiting our instagram page (give us a follow!) @thehippocampuspodcast and email us if you have any thoughts or comments on this episode or for future episodes (thehippocampuspodcast@gmail.com)! Recommen...
Aug 12, 2020•43 min
In this second episode of our podcast opening two-part theme we continue to demystify studying medicine. This time we discuss the different types of exams in the early years, what's expected from you and ask whether being at University means you're expected to figure most things out for yourself... Don't forget, you can see who the podcast hosts are by visiting our instagram page (give us a follow!) @thehippocampuspodcast and email us if you have any thoughts or comments on this episode or for f...
Aug 05, 2020•42 min
In this first episode of a two-part theme we open the conversation on demystifying studying medicine, with valuable insights from our six medical student and staff hosts. We discuss some of the questions and anxieties that students may have just before starting medical school, focusing particularly on the transition to higher education learning. We ask whether studying medicine is 'hard', how to manage the volume and pace of the course yet still achieve a work-life balance and the importance of ...
Jul 14, 2020•39 min
