The BMA

Coming up today… A BMA exclusive: dreams of being a doctor dashed as medical schools reveal graduates are seriously turned off medicine. We check in with Docs 4 docs lead Mike Peters – who’s here to tell you how to look after your well-being while you learn to take care of others. This month’s Meet the rep star Sanaa Butt (pictured) is in our quick-fire hotseat. Stay tuned for a roundup of what’s abuzz on social media – featuring #NoMoreGames. Plus we announce the winner of our first Future Doctors blog competition – who takes home £75. And a new month means a new topic – and your chance to win the cash.

Southampton medical student Brendan Westhoff, who is intercalating in medical journalism, hosts this month's podcast — which is filled with the latest news on foundation programme oversubscription, quick-fire interviews and a social media wrap.

Obscure Christmas music, our rep’s intergalactic ambitions, the Selecting for Excellence project and £50 of Amazon vouchers up for grabs in the Christmas edition of the Medical Student Podcast

Medical students as 'ambassadors'; second chance for those who receive low SJT scores; how medical schools should play their part in tackling the GP recruitment crisis; Meet the rep — Andrew Cole; nightmare electives; Ebola hackathon; win more books!

GMC proposals for a national exam for medical students -Top 5 books about being a doctor - medical information on wikipedia and more...

#icph2014

Two BMA experts fill you in on the secrets to using social media successfully in your profession.

Natalie Silvey is a junior doctor and runs Twitter Journal Club. At this year's Annual Representative Meeting Natalie illustrated how she's used social media to create Twitter Journal Club, a peer-to-peer network that brings doctors together to get a better understanding of medical research.

Dr Ben Goldacre is a best-selling author, blogger, broadcaster, campaigner, medical doctor and academic who specialises in unpicking the misuse of science and statistics by journalists, politicians, quacks and drug companies. In this podcast he talks enthusiastically about why he uses social media and how it can be valuable to doctors. #SoMe

Dr Kate Granger is an elderly medicine registrar working in Yorkshire. When she was 29 she was told she had terminal cancer. Her experience of being a patient in the NHS inspired her to launch the #hellomynameis campaign which encourages all healthcare staff to introduce themselves properly to the people they look after. In this podcast she talks about how she used social media to remind people why introductions are so important in creating good therapeutic relationships.

00:35 Foundation Programme update; 1:35 Improving mental health services for medical students; 4:40 Elizabeth Lee discusses being an international student; 8:25 BMA Bear goes on tour

Medical Students views on working abroad, European rules on the length of medical education and training, junior doctors working lives.

Imperial College closes its fast-track grad programme (00:49); Faisel Alam discusses sharia law-compliant student loans (3:18); Will Sapwell gives tips from the BMA's new student finance guide (6:33); University of Leicester trials virtual patient consultations (12:03); Harrison Carter talks about his experience on BBC's Eggheads (16:18).

Ben Goldacre answers your questions. 00:12 Affect of big data on medicine. 2:18 How med students can change pharma industry. 3:25 What culture change is needed to change bad medicine?

Foundation Programme allocations (00:34), healthcare assistant university requirements (03:30), Ben Goldacre interview (07:08), student opinions on contract negotiations (13:38), #donatenominate (15:54)

Prescribing Safety Assessment (0:40), Foundation Programme applications (1:44), Clare Gerada talks about the importance of values (3:40), Patrick the robot buttocks (7:32), are women ruining medicine? (9:05)

Foundation programme over subscription, Changing the point of full registration with the GMC, What does the spleen say?, Buckingham Medical School, #TopDoc13

Medical student debt, private medical schools, social media, tips from medical students

Marion Matheson, Co-Chair of the BMA's Medical Student Committee, gives an update on funding for the NHS Bursary for the 2013/2014 intake - and the government's foot dragging on what support medical students may get in their final years of study.

After years of pressure, the BMA has won an agreement from the government to provide four days of paid shadowing for all medical graduates from the summer of 2012. This will help them prepare for their new careers as doctors. Elly Pilavachi, Co-Chair of the BMA's Medical Students Committee, tells us about this announcement: http://bit.ly/GJ15A9