In this episode of Scrubbed In, Checked Out, Penelope gets real about friendships that fade, family members who try (but don’t quite get it), med school trauma-bonding, and the chaos of dating while chronically exhausted. From drifting from old friends to building intense new ones, navigating long-distance relationships, breakups, guilt, and the constant feeling of letting someone down — this is an honest look at how medical training reshapes the people around you.

If you’ve ever felt torn between studying and showing up for the people you love, wondered why med school friendships feel so intense, or questioned whether you’re “doing relationships wrong” — this episode is for you. No sugarcoating, no toxic positivity, just the truth about growing, changing, and learning to set boundaries while becoming a doctor.

In this episode, I’m talking about my two-week placement in palliative care — a rotation I went into expecting to be heavy, emotionally draining, and quietly devastating… and instead found to be one of the most meaningful experiences of medical school.

We talk about what palliative care is actually like, the incredible staff who make it such a special environment, and why a place so closely associated with death can still be full of warmth, humour, and humanity. I share a personal story about a patient I got to know well, and how my last day on placement became his last day before going home — a moment that reminded me why caring matters.

This episode is about emotional boundaries, why medicine can sometimes feel cold, and why letting yourself care doesn’t make you weak or unprofessional — it makes you human. A reminder that not all of medicine is about fixing things, and that sometimes the most important part is simply showing up.

In this episode, we’re ripping the glittery, productivity-core bandaid off and talking about what actually works when studying in medical school — and what TikTok lied to you about. Spoiler: you don’t need ten pastel notebooks, a stack of overpriced highlighters, and a 47-step morning routine. You need a functioning brain, a system you stick to, and a reality check.

We dive into active recall (AKA: using your neurons like they were intended), spaced repetition, interleaving, how to make notes that don’t look like you’re writing a bible commentary, and how to stop sabotaging yourself with “aesthetic” studying that produces absolutely nothing except hand cramps.

Plus: the unsexy, boring, adult habits that actually move the needle — sleep, hydration, exercise, and not pretending you’re immune to basic biology.

If you want a study system that works in real life — not just on your For You Page — this one’s for you.