Listen as they discuss his role in making the Short Coat podcast, navigating medical school dynamics, prepping for intense episode topics, and adding humor and levity to institutional podcasts.

Most university podcasts come from the marketing or communications team, using audio to promote their departments initiatives. But some podcasts, like the Short Coat, come from a bored guy working in an admin department.

Our guest today is David Etler - an Administrative Services Coordinator at University of Iowa Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine and the producer and co-host of the Short Coat Podcast

David sees his role in the medical school as being a cheerleader for medical students. When he can point a student in the right direction, or offer them a way to achieve something without sacrificing who they fundamentally are— he says he can go home feeling good about the day.

Host Robert Li and Dave get into an episode from January 2022, a conversation we had with Judge Rosemarie Aquilina (the judge in the Larry Nassar/USA Gymnastics abuse case).

The Word on Campus is produced by University FM.

Providing relevant information to prospective medical students is valuable

05:46: The thing about medical school is you never really understand it. People could tell you ad nauseam what medical school is like, but you're never really going to understand it. And I think most people who are thinking about applying to medical school know that, and so they crave more information.

How did the podcast change David’s work mindset?

2:23: I am forever grateful for it because it really changed how I see my work. It kind of made me part of the process rather than being just a cog, gave me some investment in it. And it taught me a lot about what these students here at the College of Medicine are going through, what's changing about them, and how they think what kinds of things they want. So I'm really grateful for that.

On balancing humor and information

20:41:I do enjoy the episodes where we get to be a little bit less reverent when we get to engage with our humor a little bit more cause there's a lot of funny stuff that happens in life, and I think that's my default: to look at the world as though it's pretty crazy, ridiculous place, and look what just happened. I think that's just who I am and who a lot of the co-hosts are; they're a young group, generally speaking, and the audience is pretty young. They're, for the most part, I don't think they forget how serious their lives will become, their professional lives will become. And so I don't want to force that upon them just yet. So I want to have a good time.

• Breaking the Silence: Judge Rosemarie Aquilina on the Power of Trauma-Informed Care | The Short Coat
• The Short Coat
• The Short Coat | Podcast on Spotify

Guest Profile:

• Dave Etler - Administrative Services Coordinator - University of Iowa Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine | LinkedIn