As we come towards the end of 2024, the closing of the year marks the end of an important chapter in my fledgling medical career: the end of Community Service, and with it the end of my mandatory service in the public sector. It's also the end of a chapter for the Dr Coffee Podcast! Is this the end?? [You'll need to listen to the episode to find out!]
Links and resources referred to in today's episode:
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"Despicable human beings", "Experimenting on patients", "you don't deserve to live"....
These were the criticisms of a patient at Helen Joseph Hospital this week in a now-viral post detailing his experience of poor treatment at the hospital.
What are we to make of this video and its contents? Are their lessons for us to learn as young doctors?
Disclaimer: All opinions expressed in this episode are my own. And do not necessarily represent the views or opinions of sponsors of the podcast or organisations I am affiliated to.
This episode is available on Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/@drcoffeeza
Links:
Prof Jonathan Sackier & Dr Nigel Guest host the wildly funny podcast "Join the Docs", and invite audiences to delve into health-related topics served with a delightful side of humour.
Along with a little help from Slim the skeleton, they welcome the audience into their conversation to share the intriguing, implausible, and marvellous medical stories that are sure to pique your interest whilst teaching you something new. From itching, bedbugs and bruises, to anaemia, anatomy and aortic aneurysms -‘the docs’ cover it all.
Dr Shauntel Ambrose is a qualified dentist and dental practice owner with a special interest in Paediatric Dentistry. She’s a speaker, producer and host of the "Behind a Smile" podcast, a healthcare business podcast where healthcare leaders share their stories, tips and tricks around sustainable practice and maintaining balance. Dr Ambrose is a faculty member at Dental Protection and presents risk communication workshops on how to better meet patient expectations and avoid litigation. She’s also a medico-legal mediator who helps practitioners and patients seek resolution and mutually agreeable solutions before litigation.
Say hello to our new theme music! Artist: Stereo Club, Song: "Maybe". https://open.spotify.com/track/2Le5eAmLc4fb6t8q9NH4xd
Thank you to our sponsors Wave Medical Scrubs, SutureKits.co.za, V Professional Services, Money & Medicine, & IndemniMed for making this episode possible.
Check out our Linktree URL for all podcast episodes, links to our sponsors, and discount codes from SutureKits and WiZMed. https://linktr.ee/drcoffeeza
Send feedback or comments to DrCoffeeZA@gmail.com
In this week’s episode, we welcome back Dr Nox Mphambukeli, with the next in our fascinating Registrar Series, where we feature young registrars who have just begun their journey to specialisation.
Our guest on the podcast today is Dr Josef Breedt. Dr Breedt obtained his MBChB degree from the University of Pretoria in 2017, graduating cum laude and top of his class. He subsequently completed his medical internship in Gqeberha, from 2018-2019. He took up leadership roles and was elected Vice chairperson of the Intern Representative Council in 2019. Following internship, he went back to his hometown roots of Emalahleni in 2020 where he spent 6 months working in Psychiatry, the Emergency Department and following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, spent 6 months in the COVID critical care ward. He took up a Medical Officer position in Psychiatry at Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital and after 6 months in the department, started his Registrar time in Psychiatry, and is currently completing his third year. Dr Breedt is passionate about mentoring from student to Registrar level and has been involved in a pioneer programme for peer mentorship at the University of the Witwatersrand. Furthermore, his interest in research has produced 2 published articles during his Registrar time.
Thank you to our fantastic sponsors on this episode:
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In this episode, it was my privilege and honour to interview Dr Nadia Karrim, a qualified ENT surgeon and director of the International Centre for Astronautical Development (ICAD), about space medicine and chasing her lifelong dream to become an astronaut.
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Important Links mentioned in this episode:
In this episode we speak with Dr Jonathan King, an Emergency medicine consultant currently the acting head of a busy Emergency Department that serves the needs of over 5500 patients each month. We discuss how ED doctors need to know how to identify and treat emergencies related to ALL of the relevant subspecialties in medicine, and how Emergency medicine physicians are as good, if not better, than specialists within these disciplines at managing the emergency patients. We also talk about arming yourself against stress, both clinical stress and the stresses you encounter in your personal life, plus EM doctors roles in clinical governance and health systems, how to approach career progression and ultimately get a registrar post in emergency medicine, as well as the important advocacy role that organisations like JUDASA and SAMA play on behalf of doctors in South Africa.
Dr Jonathan King on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanchanking/?originalSubdomain=za
SADocs: https://sadocs.co.za/
Thank you to our sponsors on this Episode!
In this episode we have the first in a new series exploring the experiences of registrars currently training towards their specialist qualifications. In the course of this series we hope to offer insights, wisdom and encouragement from young doctors who have begun the process of specialising so that you can learn from their triumphs and struggles and have a clearer picture in your mind what registrar training is like and how to set yourself up for success.
Thank you to our sponsors V Professional Services & IndemniMed for making this episode possible.
Check out our Linktree URL for all podcast episodes, links to our sponsors, and discount codes from SutureKits and WiZMed. https://linktr.ee/drcoffeeza
Send feedback or comments to DrCoffeeZA@gmail.com
After a run of topical episodes, it’s nice to come back to our more traditional “Coffee With Consultants” feature, which is where I sit down with Consultants and ask them about their journey in medicine, their specialty, and the perks, pitfalls and perils of practicing their profession in South Africa. Today’s episode features one of our more popularly-requested specialties, Dermatology.
Thank you to our sponsors: V Professional Services, and IndemniMed from Money and Medicine.
Check out our Linktree URL for all podcast episodes, links to our sponsors, and discount codes from SutureKits and WiZMed. --> https://linktr.ee/drcoffeeza
Send feedback or comments to DrCoffeeZA@gmail.com
In this episode we discuss a hot issue right now, which is the rising number of unemployed medical officers in South Africa post-Community Service - literally hundreds of doctors who want to work in government healthcare facilities but cannot get jobs. Our interview takes the form of a conversation with our very own Dr Nox Mphambukeli & the Peoples Doctor, Dr Mumtaz Emeran-Thomas, both affected by the lack of funded posts in the Public healthcare service.
Thank you to our sponsors Money & Medicine for making this important episode possible
Check out our Linktree URL for all podcast episodes, links to our sponsors, and discount codes from SutureKits and WiZMed. --> https://linktr.ee/drcoffeeza
Send feedback or comments to DrCoffeeZA@gmail.com
Dr Juandré Klopper is a South African medical doctor, software developer and entrepreneur with firsthand experience working in low-resource clinics, where he witnessed significant challenges faced by healthcare workers and patients alike. Through his company Cape Medtech and non-profit Sponsor Medic, he has tackled these challenges head-on, leveraging innovative medical technology and strategic initiatives to address issues such as limited access to healthcare services and staffing shortages. His experiences in low-resource clinics have fueled his passion for improving healthcare accessibility and quality in underserved communities, driving him to develop sustainable solutions that make a meaningful impact on the lives of patients and healthcare providers. Dr Klopper believes that every issue we face in the healthcare ecosystem is an opportunity waiting for its solution. I love his attitude and approach to difficulties, and for that reason I’m excited to host Dr Klopper on the podcast. I really hope you enjoy our conversation and are challenged about how you approach difficulties wherever you’re currently working.
Check out our Linktree URL for all podcast episodes, links to our sponsors, and discount codes from SutureKits and WiZMed. --> https://linktr.ee/drcoffeeza
Thank you to our sponsors
Links to all of Dr Klopper's Apps [so far!]
In today’s episode we’ll be doing a deep dive into tips, tricks, and just plain good advice to help you maximise your time as a medical student and succeed in medical school. However, I hope that lasts week’s episode is evidence enough, that once you’ve graduated from medical school, the studying has not come to an end. Not in the least. In fact, many doctors will tell you that they have continued to study under enormous academic pressure as a medical officer and registrar, so truly medicine is about life-long learning and professional development.
Thank you to our amazing sponsors!!
Use discount code "COFFEE10" at checkout at https://wizmed.co.za/ for an instant 10% OFF all scrubs!
Happy new year and welcome to 2024! In today’s episode we’ll be doing a deep dive into the various courses and diplomas you should be working towards before, during, and after your Community Service year. Now, many medical students and junior doctors are asked WHAT they would like to specialise in, if at all, and very few are asked about HOW they intend to get there. Certainly, I think for most of us, we only find out about the road to a specialty after we have decided we have an interest in it as a student or intern doctor. Well today I hope to provide a lot of information as well as inspiration to help you chart your course forward in medicine. We’ll begin with a discussion about the ten most important post-graduate courses that I believe junior doctors should register for, with motivation and explanation, and then a discussion of the various diplomas and further qualifications you can get that are recognised by the HPCSA and the College of Medicine of South Africa.
Useful links for this episode:
Thank you to our amazing sponsors!!
Use discount code "COFFEE10" at checkout at https://wizmed.co.za/ for an instant 10% OFF all scrubs!
Thank you for your incredible support of the podcast this year!
In this brief episode, we revisit some of your favourite episodes, most popular Instagram reels, and review the year that was, There is also an important announcement about the future of the podcast.
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This is the fifth and final instalment of our series Motherhood and Medicine. Over the past few weeks, I’ve had the privilege of 5 interviews with 5 superstar moms. My hope is that as you listen to each mom’s story, how she navigated medicine and her pregnancy and now being a mom, that you’ll be equipped and inspired to make your own important life choices more effectively and with the wisdom of others.
About today's guest: Dr Nokukhanya Khanyile-Lenake. Well-known from social media platforms Instagram and X - formerly known as Twitter - Dr Nokukhanya is entering the final year of her paediatrics registrar time, and preparing to write her final exams in just a few weeks, while still parenting her adorable 2 year old daughter. In this interview we go deep into what motherhood means to her and the life lessons she’s learnt and is still learning on the journey.
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That's a wrap on our Motherhood and Medicine series! If you haven’t yet, make sure you listen to the other 4 conversations in the series - we hear from some more remarkable mothers in medicine, with different journeys and perspectives. Let us know what you thought about the episode in the comments on instagram or via email - the podcast's email address is drcoffeeza@gmail.com.
This is the fourth instalment of a series we’ve had brewing for a while: Motherhood and Medicine. As you can imagine, between various theatre lists, call rosters, exams, school runs and running their own practices, to try and get a perfect alignment of 5 moms’ schedules, particularly those in registrar time and private practice, is like trying to arrange a solar eclipse.
So instead, I’ve decided to interview each guest for a short, one-on-one episode of about 30minutes length. My hope is that as you listen to each mom’s story, how she navigated medicine and her pregnancy and now being a mom, that you’ll be equipped and inspired to make your own important life choices more effectively and with the wisdom of others. Please let us know what you thought about this series, by dropping us an email to drcoffeeza@gmail.com, and if you think we earned it, a 5 star rating on whatever platform you’re listening on. You can also find this episode on Youtube in 4K video, on our youtube channel “Dr Coffee ZA”.
Thank you to our sponsors!
This is the second instalment of a series we’ve had brewing for a while: Motherhood and Medicine. As you can imagine, between various theatre lists, call rosters, exams, school runs and running their own practices, to try and get a perfect alignment of 5 moms’ schedules, particularly those in registrar time and private practice, is like trying to arrange a solar eclipse.
So instead, I’ve decided to interview each guest for a short, one-on-one episode of about 30minutes length. My hope is that as you listen to each mom’s story, how she navigated medicine and her pregnancy and now being a mom, that you’ll be equipped and inspired to make your own important life choices more effectively and with the wisdom of others.
Please let us know what you thought about this series, by dropping us an email to drcoffeeza@gmail.com
Thank you to our sponsors:
In today’s Coffee with consultants feature, I interview Dr Ismail Cassimjee, to talk to him about his specialty of vascular surgery, and his journey in medicine. I’ve been trying to have Dr Cassimjee on the podcast for a while, so I’m really excited to be able to put this interview out for you before the end of the year.
Since July 2022, The Dr Coffee Podcast has been available on the major podcast platforms: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and with almost half our episodes available on YouTube as well. I’m pleased to share that we have expanded our distribution onto some other podcasts platforms and apps, to make it even easier to listen to, watch, and share the episodes you most enjoy. All our episodes are now available on:
In addition to our usual platforms mentioned a moment ago.
So, if you primarily use these apps for podcasts and audiobooks, I hope you’ll enjoy listening to the Dr Coffee Podcast on there as well. Please like and follow us on these platforms if you do, and leave a quick review if you’ve been enjoying the podcast so far.
IASSS Future Surgeons Program [closes 30 November 2023]
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In today’s episode, I interviewed Mr Graham Cosgrave from Match Medics in Ireland, about what it’s like emigrating to Ireland to work as a doctor there, whether it be a permanent move or for a season, the various options South African doctors have when it comes to how and when to move across, the path to specialisation in Ireland, how long it takes to get a European passport and much much more.
Graham Cosgrave is a director of medical recruitment at Match Medics, where he searches the globe for the best doctors to go and work in Ireland. He’s had experience with helping doctors from all over the world - including South Africa - move to Ireland and match up with public and private hospitals according to their skill and experience level.
Graham's contact details should you want to find out more about working in Ireland: graham.cosgrave@matchmedics.comand his WhatsApp number is +353 87 758 4592
Thank you to our sponsors!
On this week’s "Coffee with consultants" feature, we’re interviewing a specialist in what is often portrayed in media and popular culture as one of those ‘rockstar’ surgical specialties - Neurosurgery. We have an awesome interview lined up for you, as well as a historical story time with a question to interact with and respond to, and once again our feature on the IASSS’ future surgeons program
Thank you to our amazing sponsors:
1. V Professional Services - Medical Billing & Practice Management Partner: https://vprofservices.com/
2. IndemniMed - Professional & Practice Insurance - https://www.indemnimed.co.za/
Link to the story in today's "Story Time": https://www.awm.gov.au/articles/blog/dont-forget-me-cobber-the-battle-of-fromelles
