Orlando College of Osteopathic Medicine launches podcast

The Orlando College of Osteopathic Medicine in Horizon West has launched its own podcast: The OCOM Podcast.

The podcast dives into the latest trends, challenges and insights in osteopathic medicine, and it features expert interviews, student perspectives and engaging discussions.

The podcast offers a fresh perspective on the future of medicine and is hosted by Dr. Robert Hasty, dean and chief academic officer at OCOM.

Hasty said the podcast was created for a multitude of users, including students, faculty members and those interested in health care. He hopes the show inspires OCOM students, educators and the greater health care community.

“Inspiration for our prospective medical students that may have the desire to want to go to medical school or OCOM and see what we’re doing, inspiration for our team to recognize what they’re doing and that sharing their work can help inspire others across the country, and inspiration for the general medical community,” Hasty said. “I hope that they’re going to be inspired about the next generation of physicians and what we’re doing to help lead the way.”

CREATIVITY WITH A PURPOSE
OCOM opened its doors for its inaugural class in August.

The podcast’s pilot episode, released in August, discussed communication within medical schools. The first official episode launched in September and discussed the admissions process, as well as getting into medical school. 

The first episode featured three guests: Stacy Ramkissoon-Udit, director of admissions at OCOM; Christa Timinsky, admissions recruiter at OCOM; and Leonardo Guerra, a student from the inaugural class at OCOM.

Edwin Gonzalez, OCOM’s AT/AV support specialist, is the mastermind behind the scenes for the podcast.

“When we were thinking about a studio, the first thing someone has to think about is content,” he said. “(Because) we are a school, we have to base our content off of the needs of the students. One of those needs which is the most common, especially after COVID, is virtual learning, such as online videos, presentations and lectures, as well as podcasts. We wanted to create a space that was flexible to do any form of recording. Right now, what we have is set up so well that imagination is really our only limit. So, we’re pretty blessed to have what we have here.”

The medium-sized room at the school has been split into two separate studios: one for the podcast (Studio B) and one for lectures and presentations (Studio A).

Studio A features a green screen that can be utilized for anything from a five-minute recording to a one-hour presentation.

The creation of the podcast on the Studio B side is more complex. It features three Blackmagic 6K cameras that shoot at different angles and can record at the highest resolution possible. 

Podcast guests use Shure microphones with individual headsets. The brain of the operation is a Rodecaster Pro podcast production system. 

All video is fed into a Blackmagic switcher, and everything then flows into the school’s Wirecast system. 

The podcast can support up to six people at one time. 

OCOM even used an AI company to create an introduction jingle for the podcast. 

“It’s very cool that Dr. Hasty trusted me with this,” Gonzalez said. “He gave me a vision, and he basically said let’s run with it. That’s one of the things that I really appreciate about OCOM. Whenever the opportunity is available, we go all-in or not at all. We’re pioneers in the field of medicine, so it’s really amazing that we’re able to take these leaps and make it work. It’s creativity with a purpose.”

‘THE SKY’S THE LIMIT’
Because the medical school environment is such a big market, Hasty said he wanted to create a podcast he would be interested in listening to about modern medical education. 

“Hopefully, this inspires other people to use this room to create their own ideas,” he said. “The sky truly is the limit with this.”

One of the main topics of discussion on the podcast in the near future will be mental health.

“The demands for mental health in medical education now are much more than say a few years ago,” Hasty said. “Physicians have the highest rate of suicide of any profession in America. It’s three times the national average. More than 50% of the average physicians in America are burnt out. It’s stressful being a physician, but what we’re trying to do is train the future physician. One that is happy and resilient. Young people are entering into this field with all the right reasons. They really want to give back, pay it forward and take care of people. This next generation is so insanely smart. They could probably go into the business world and do much better than they can in medicine, but they really love it and have an intense desire to serve.”

Other upcoming topics of discussion will include sharing student and faculty stories, simulation, financial aid, curriculum, clinical rotations, security, technology, and transparency and data.

“Everything that we do is for the betterment of our future doctors, which in turn is for the betterment of our future patients,” Gonzalez said. “Everything from a room dedicated to communicating to the students, to how we deliver information, to the content is all based on the authenticity, the humanity and the intimacy that we have with our own faculty, staff and students. It’s really amazing to see how the school keeps everybody together. We’re all one, and all of our voices are equal and important.” 

The podcast’s episode lengths will vary; however, OCOM will try to hit the sweet spot — 30 to 45 minutes. The team plans to release about one episode per month but is prepared to release more often if there is a high demand. 

Those who wish to listen to the podcast can tune in on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, and those who wish to watch the podcast can do so on YouTube. 

“The quality of our lives is dependent on the quality of our relationships,” Hasty said. “I also think the quality of an organization is dependent on the quality of relationships the organization has. Probably the most important part of this is the team. So technically, my ultimate customer is the medical students, but really my team is equally as important. I know if I can support them and take care of them that they’re going to take excellent care of our medical students. We all have tough days and days where the storm comes, but knowing we can be there to support each other really is something special. That’s the soul of OCOM, and I really hope that comes across in our podcast.”

Listen to the OCOM Podcast on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, or watch the podcast on YouTube.