By Alyssa Guzman
When David Etler started the Short Coat Podcast in 2010, he didn’t exactly know where to begin.
Etler, a medical administrator at the University of Iowa, spent a few years exploring the idea of a podcast before it became a part of his daily routine in the summer of 2014. Since then, the show has aired every week.
“Oddly, it became easier [when] it was built into my week,” Etler said.
By featuring UI medical students as his cohosts, Etler likes to focus on the funny or social aspects of medicine in his shows.
“We talk about stuff that we find interesting in the news about medicine and health care and things like that,” he said. “That’s basically where we hang out — sort of on the edge of things people usually think of as medicine.”
Additionally, his show aims to provide a fresh perspective on medicine that is typically in the media.
“Since I started doing this every week, I’ve realized the field of medicine is important to our society,” he said. “You’ve got a lot of people in organizations out there who are trying to tell you what the best medicine is.”
Etler said people ranging from politicians to Dr. Oz are examples of attempts to bring medicine into the mainstream — for better or for worse.
“I think what’s left out of [those opinions are] your normal, everyday doctors and med students,” he said.
Since the show is recorded at the end of each week, Etler said it’s something he — as well as the other med students — enjoy as a form of relaxation.
“For me this is something fun to do at the end of the week,” he said.
UI medical student Kaci McCleary said she really enjoys the weekly podcast.
“I just have a lot of opinions and I like to share them,” she said. “And it’s a good motivation to keep up with current events in medicine.”
Not only does the show allow McCleary to keep up with current events, but she also said she believes the show is a good way to keep people educated about new things happening in health care from the unique perspective of the podcast.
Because Etler — as well as his cohosts — enjoy what they do so much, he said he doesn’t like to focus on the numbers that his show brings in.
He noted that more listeners tune in, the longer the show is open to the public, and he’s usually happy if he gets to somewhere around 400 listeners by the time the show falls off the radar.
“While it’s helpful to know that people are listening, if I end up focusing on the number of listeners, then it becomes more boring,” he said.
Rather, he prefers to focus on the fact that what he believes what he’s doing is a good thing because it helps medical students understand that they have a voice.
UI medical student John Pienta, a, appreciates the outlet Etler provides to voice medical students’ opinions.
“Medical school is a very insular place, and it’s easy to get lost in studying for exams and miss the real reason we are here — that is to work with and serve people,” Pienta said. “The Short Coat podcast is a great way to address the missing part of the curriculum, the interpersonal element.”
Pienta said he also appreciates the opportunity to bond with people in his field of study.
“As a culture we have bathed ourselves in data and media, and somehow I get this strange feeling like we are driven further and further apart,” he said. “Podcasts like this bring us to a discussion with a narrative, which does a better job expressing the nuance of how people feel and allows them to communicate more clearly what they mean.”
