The HippoCampus Podcast

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...