OHLIs Unplugged: The Program

Good afternoon, good morning, good evening, good night?wherever you are. Good night if you came here just to sleep; this is their bedtime, LA, so they can fall asleep to our episode. I sometimes used to use a podcast as a lullaby to sleep?it used to be TED Talks mainly. But anyways, thank you ladies and gentlemen and everyone else for joining. We're probably going to wait one or two more minutes before we start because I still see some attendees joining. But don't worry, today we have a very, very exciting episode, don't we? Yes? Yeah. Welcome. Before you guys introduce me, I'd love for you to drop in the chat where you're calling from, what you already know about the OHLI program, and what you?re hoping to learn about today. We'd love to see that come through while we wait for others to join. Anyone here from Canada? Can we find a flag emoji? I dropped a maple leaf?I think that works. Hey there, nice to meet you?Mexico, Kenya, woo! Thanks for joining. Yes, Canada, woohoo! Alaska, wow. North Dakota, Venezuela. Whereabouts in Canada? Andrea, I'm in Toronto. I got Syria. Fargo, North Dakota. From different continents. Vancouver, nice. Good morning. Still upstate New York? Oh, so I'll come down and drive and visit you then. Welcome everyone, it's awesome. How familiar are you guys with Osmosis and the OHLI program? Is this the first time you?ve heard about it? Awesome. Otherwise, you?re going to learn even more hopefully, and we're going to have lots of fun. Love you all. Throughout this episode, we?re going to have a Q?A, so please drop your questions. Let's try to make this as interactive as possible. If you joined this podcast, it means you're probably interested in applying, and of course, more details to come. Without further ado, welcome everyone to OHLI?s Unplugged. I?m Parsa, and my co-host today is Yasir. We're excited to bring you our third episode of 2025, if I?m not mistaken. ?OHLI? stands for Osmosis Health Leadership Initiative?did I get that right? Yes. Throughout these episodes, we have an amazing time unplugging from our busy rotations and lectures and just discussing awesome conversations with people from all over the world in healthcare and beyond. Today, I?m really excited because, as we mentioned, this episode is about the OHLI program, so it?s going to be a fun one. Exactly. If you're on Zoom seeing us present, you can see that it?s not just one, but we have a very awesome and dear special guest to our podcast today on board. Right now, we have Caroline, our lovely community manager of the OHLI program; Alfred, our very energetic community specialist who never lets us down; and Veronica. Last but not least, well, at the moment, we might have one more join us later on, or maybe not. Yeah. These members here with us right now, they?re more than just co-members in the OHLI program?they?re all friends. Through this program, you?re going to make a lot of friends and meet people from all over the world, just like how we?re meeting everyone here?from Alaska to mainland United States, Nepal, and various countries in Africa. It?s an awesome program. So, how about we start with the basics of how the program was formulated? Mhm. Let?s first introduce a bit more in detail. We have Alfred and Caroline. Alfred here is our community specialist for the OHLI community. He spent the last five years developing tech solutions, imagining projects geared toward powering future human connection. He?s very interested in AI, VR, and frontier tech. We also have Caroline, who is in Colorado. She?s our community manager. She's been with us since 2020 and has been working with the community ever since. So, let?s hear a bit more about Osmosis, Caroline. Amazing. Yeah, I know we're here to talk about the program, but the program wouldn?t be here without Osmosis. I?ll run through this real quick for those who don?t know. Osmosis was actually started by medical students. Shiv Gaglani and his peer Ryan were at Johns Hopkins; they were medical students and thought there had to be a better way to learn medicine. They both actually dropped out of med school and created what is now Osmosis. We like to say Osmosis was created for med students by med students. It?s kind of our favorite tagline. The company culture within Osmosis has always been very caring. We have some core values that we like to stand behind. In 2018, Shiv decided he wanted our company culture to extend to our customers. Also in 2018, Hillary Acer, who was our former VP of People and Customer Experience at the time, launched what was the OMEF program?the Osmosis Medical Education Fellowship, which you may have heard about. The reason it started as that is because our content at the time was based around medical students. We started out with just 50 students. Then in 2022, our product expanded to nursing, so we started the ANZA program?the Osmosis Nursing Student Ambassador program. We had two programs running together for medical and nursing students. As some of you may know, we joined with Elsevier, so our content expanded even more. We decided to rebrand under one group, and now we are the OHLI program?the Osmosis Health Leadership Initiative. Now we have 200 students: medical, nursing, PA, dental, pharmacology, speech pathology?you name it. Anyone who can use Osmosis can be part of the program. We?re really excited to talk more about it today. Yeah, it?s an awesome program. I just want to throw myself in here. I joined the program in my first year of med school back in 2021, I believe. Time flies. Now I?m graduated, starting residency, and I've been through Osmosis since it first started as a medical student. I?ve met amazing people and been through the program from start to finish?well, at least through my medical education. I?ve loved this program, and you?ll hear a lot more about it. Now I want to ask Alfred: can you give us a bit more information about the program itself and share your thoughts? All right, thank you very much. Who?s been leading the session so far? Welcome to everybody on the call. In terms of what the committee stands for, I?m sure everyone on the call is excited to join. You?re all avid users of Osmosis. What we do at the committee is create a system where you get to represent an extension of the Osmosis system. You basically are student leaders scattered all around the world. As Caroline mentioned, we currently have over 200 students from about 60 different countries. That means it?s a network of student leaders. We?re equipping you to be leaders in your own institutions, representing and being ambassadors for the Osmosis product worldwide. We have two semesters every year: spring and fall. Normally, we take a summer break. The spring semester should be closing in about two weeks. We take a summer break from May to July and then the fall semester starts in August. For the first time ever, we?re having a fun optional summer series between May and June. If you apply, you get access to our summer series. There are benefits accruing to everybody who becomes an OHLI student leader. OHLI stands for Osmosis Health Leadership Initiative. When you become an OE or OC student leader at the start, you get a number of benefits. We know everybody here is joining from different healthcare programs?MD, MBBS, nursing, PA?I?ve seen applications even from dentistry recently. We had a student from Bolivia studying speech therapy who?s also a member of the OHLI program. This program covers different facets of healthcare. Whether you?re studying medicine, nursing, PA, dentistry?this program is right for you. It runs in English, so we ask you have basic understanding of the language. Many students have talked about how impactful the program has been in gaining confidence in English. For example, Veronica has been an amazing contributor, and her leadership abilities have grown since she applied. We require commitments of around two hours per month for the core program, but you can spend as much time as you want. We have a community app called ODBits. That space looks somewhat like a blend of Twitter and Instagram. There?s social messaging and vibes, and you get to connect with other students worldwide. You can send DMs?to me, Caroline, or anyone. We have an amazing lineup of system members on our base. The goal is to interact with as many people as you can, mainly your regional leaders and team members. It can be addictive, but you?ll enjoy it! We also have extra activities like Osmosis product feedback sessions and roundtables that you can take part in. We want our students to contribute to the development of the Osmosis product. Sometimes, if you?re selected for engagement with the community, you get to participate in feedback sessions and contribute to the next development of Osmosis. For example, Spanish-speaking students contributed to the release of the Osmosis Spanish model last year. These sessions happen throughout each semester. We love to reward students for their engagement. For applying, you'll see a link dropped in the chat by Stephanie, but I can drop it as well. Go to osmosis.org/community to see the application form. We?ll cover that later in detail. Thanks so much, Alfred. We already have a couple of questions in the chat. For people pursuing masters or done with med school preparing for tests but still studying, definitely you can apply. We?ll get back to your applications. I encourage everyone to apply. Now, we have with us Dr. Veronica Valenzuela. We?d like to introduce her more formally. She is a medical surgeon from Venezuela, graduated from the Central University of Venezuela. She?s currently studying to take Step One in August and planning to apply for an internal medicine residency. She's been in the program since 2020 and is also a CrossFit enthusiast. Awesome to have her here. Let?s start by hearing your story in the program: how you found out about it and why you joined. Thank you so much for that intro. I?m super excited. After one year of using Osmosis, I saw a little ad about the OMEF program. I didn?t really know what it was about at the time. I remember reading about the program, its activities, requirements, and that it had an Osmosis subscription discount if selected. I wasn?t really sure what it meant because Osmosis isn?t the first or last platform that exists to help students study with videos, flashcards, quizzes, etc. The program talked a lot about community and doing activities to help us become better physicians, which I hadn?t heard about before. Since it was more community-based, at that time, we didn?t have nursing students or PAs involved yet. I decided to apply to see what it was about. What stood out most was Osmosis?s core values, which have remained and even grown since 2020. Core values have always been the most important thing in Osmosis and the community. Once I tried and understood the program and community concept, it definitely made my career better and was one of the best decisions I?ve made. I remember a testimonial when I was first applying?a student from Texas said it was one of the best decisions they?d made. I?d like to echo that. I?m jealous of Yasir who got to start with the OHLI program in his first year; I started in second year. For context, I?m in my final year now in a six-year medical education program based in Turkey. As Veronica said, it?s not an ambassadorship?it?s a community. At first, I wondered if I?d just be a sales rep, but that?s far from the truth. I had the lucky opportunity to apply and become a regional lead four semesters ago. That means helping new incoming or existing members. Yasir, I got a popup when watching a video that said, ?Hey, you should join the community,? and I was like, ?Let me see more about this.? How did you come to find the community and how has it been going? Yeah, it?s been a while. I remember first-year learning topics that now seem distant and random, barely used in hospital. I first found Osmosis googling a concept, found the YouTube video, and thought, ?This is it!? I loved the animation style and platform. It took an hour?s worth of lecture and explained it in 15 minutes. I checked out the website and found the application link. At first, my main incentive was to get the Osmosis subscription discount when I joined. That sounded really cool?I could save money as a med student. Then I joined the program, thinking it might be another ambassador program, but it was far from that. Like I said, you make friends, meet people worldwide?like my friends here on this call?and you stay connected. It?s way more than just an ambassador program. I?ve been in the program since first year and continued ever since. Now I?m starting residency, and I can speak a lot more about the program. Over the past few years, I?ve experienced personal growth, developing soft skills and even some hard skills. My personality has changed, which has been a nice impact from the community. I?m glad to say it?s been one of the best decisions I?ve made. How about we talk a little bit about the ?how? aspect? If I may direct that question to Dr. Veronica. Wow. When I started using Osmosis, just like Yasir said, I was compelled by the dynamics of the videos. I remember using them in presentations for academic work with other students and teachers?on topics like necrotic syndrome. The videos are visually engaging?almost like kids? drawings?but they grab your attention and make you want to watch. Since I started using Osmosis, I was amazed that a topic covered in a class for an hour and a half or two hours was explained in 15 minutes with these videos. Also, the questions and flashcards at the end help review what you just saw and reinforce high-yield information. Besides the subscription, that was one reason I wanted to apply. When I applied, I was going through a very difficult time personally and career-wise. Osmosis was a lifesaver in my fourth year, which was the pandemic year with lots of obstacles. I had a couple of subjects where I wasn?t doing well, and Osmosis videos literally helped me pass those subjects. Then I joined the Osmosis community and realized that the people behind the videos genuinely want to help students and physicians struggling with this demanding and stressful career?in nursing, PA, dentistry, and medicine. I knew about burnout and had done research on it but didn?t realize I was experiencing it until I saw the huge community of people going through the same challenges. The effort put in by the Osmosis team?in videos, community meetings, and semester activities?creates a safe space to talk about what we?re going through. They hold meetings on topics like burnout, mental health, and research projects?things often overlooked unless you?re proactive. Osmosis cleared a path to make this career a bit easier. Even during my hard times, the Osmosis community and team helped me and everyone around the world. That?s one of the things I appreciate most about the Osmosis community. I?m sure many here feel the same. Definitely. Throughout med school, there are ups and downs. The lows can feel very low. Being part of this community connects you with people facing similar experiences worldwide. Knowing you?re not alone helps you push forward toward your career goals, like residency. The community builds skills and experiences that are invaluable. Go ahead, Parsa. Thanks. For those who opened the page osmosis.org/community, the program requires like-minded individuals, but diversity is always welcome. We are a diverse community from the start. The community thrives on active engagement?not every second, but about two hours a month, as Alfred mentioned. Those two hours are usually meetings you?ll enjoy. I always look forward to the meetings?even if they?re at 10 p.m. my time, which is bedtime for me! Thankfully, we have two options?Tuesday and Thursday meetings?so no worries about missing a single time. We understand that starting your healthcare education can be stressful. Transitioning from high school to university is a big change, with new self-study demands. You might question if you have time for anything beyond studying. Maybe you're doubting if medicine is right for you or worried about losing touch with friends. If you?re thinking, ?I don?t think I?ll have time for this community,? believe me, we?re not here to make your life harder. Healthcare is tough already. You deal with people who need help, which takes an emotional and physical toll regardless of your role. We all understand and are in the same boat. That?s why this program and its leaders?Caroline, Alfred, and regional leads?are always there to support us. Regional leads have our backs, and we have each other?s backs. The program is open and supportive. If you join, you?ll find a way to make time and see that it?s not as strict as you might think. Of course, engagement is required, but if you need time off, just communicate. We support each other. Caroline just dropped one of Osmosis?s core values, which we embody in the program: Starting with a heart, spreading joy, having each other?s backs, opening your arms, reaching further, and imagining more. Med school has many ups and downs, especially during intense studying periods. If you need to take time off, just let your regional lead know. The program is flexible. It might be scary starting out, but we?re here to help you and have your back. Definitely apply?it will help you through your education. I also want to add that this isn?t an ambassador program where you promote Osmosis like a salesperson. Most meetings?99%?are about us as healthcare workers: how to improve professionally, how to treat patients better. Osmosis helps you be better personally and professionally. Every person you meet and every activity you do benefits you. That?s one of the things I?ve loved about the program. Absolutely. Sorry, were you going to say something? No, go ahead. I just wanted to add to Dr. Veronica?s point. I had fears before joining?like, what if we?re not allowed to promote Osmosis at our institutions? I want to clear that up. You?re not promoting osmosis.org per se, but the concept of an innovative medical education curriculum that could be implemented locally. At my university, traditional teaching was very conventional?copy-pasting from textbooks into slides with no pictures. I wanted to advocate for better medical education. Fast forward to 2025, my university now has an institutional Osmosis subscription. They saw the potential to help students and educators. The takeaway: you?re not forcing Osmosis on anyone. It?s about promoting better education that impacts healthcare?s future. I want to jump in here because one program requirement is hosting an event each semester. People often get nervous about this. Hosting an event doesn?t mean renting a big space or having hundreds of people. For example, AMED hosted an event with over 300 students?awesome! But that?s not required. We guide you every step of the way, provide resources and pre-made slide decks. It?s really just a study session, or showing your peers how you study for an exam using Osmosis. ?Event? sounds scary, but it?s more about helping your peers. One story: a new student in Texas was nervous about his first event. He got 15 RSVPs but 60 people showed up! It was a fun experience. We guide and support you; no matter the turnout, it will be great. Sometimes events don?t have to be academic. I?ve done events for my Instagram community?like talking about anxiety and how to manage it. Everyone can relate to that. Events can be general, for patients or families wanting to learn about medical conditions. The content is easy to understand and great for the public. You can do events that anyone can enjoy, not just health students. We once had an event on Down syndrome, hosted by Omar?very powerful. Another was about LGBTQ+ issues in healthcare?great discussions on discrimination. There?s so much to learn, for personal and professional reasons. Even though it?s virtual, the networking is phenomenal. I?ve been lucky to meet some members in person. Networking, especially early in your education, can change you or your career path. Or you might just make great friends. That?s valuable too. Events can be as lowkey or highkey as you want. Veronica mentioned doing events after exams to relax and destress. I tell my members: as long as you share Osmosis and its values with people around you, that counts as an event. If you join, regional leads like me and Parsa will guide you and ease your worries. It?s an amazing program to be part of. Through the program, you?ll find opportunities to meet others and grow. Veronica, you?ve been in a while?how have you grown through the program? Well, besides events, I?ve definitely improved public speaking. In medical institutions, presenting patients can be nerve-wracking. It?s different presenting to strangers on a topic you might be questioned on. I?ve hosted about 10 events over five years, and it gets easier. Even if the topic is difficult, you prepare well. If you don?t know an answer, you can say Osmosis has a video or look it up. I?ve also developed networking skills. I once reached out to a resident in New York after a meeting to ask about residency. He was very open and honest, which surprised me. All hosts and guests in the program are very open to helping. Networking is amazing?not just for US residencies but research opportunities worldwide. I?ve been excited about research opportunities with Elsevier. Research experience looks great on your resume. Personally, I love doing research, and Osmosis gave me those opportunities. Academically, the videos make my life so much easier. I was going through a hard time when I started Osmosis, and I?ve grown so much through meetings, events, and people I?ve met. I?m a different person now. The career takes a toll, but the community supports each other. Every semester, I meet someone new who struggles and I can help them with tips. Being the helper and the helped is priceless. Absolutely. To add, we have people at all stages?from first years to those preparing for exams or residency. The community embodies the value of having each other?s backs. You?ll find lots of opportunities for growth and help. People share advice on simple things like what to pack for rotations or residency. We have members pursuing residencies in the US and other countries and can help connect you. Whatever your journey, someone in the community can help. If not, we can help find a connection. The program is large and diverse. I also want to share my journey with Osmosis. From basic sciences to rotations, Osmosis has been there. As a final-year med student applying to residency, I?ve developed skills like public speaking and better listening. The videos are great to share with patients too. Some videos are geared toward the public to help them understand conditions. Throughout the journey, Osmosis has been very helpful. When applying for residency, I had more than 20 interviews this season. Many program directors asked about my Osmosis experience. They loved hearing about my contributions and learning. Especially programs with academic tracks appreciate it. Being part of Osmosis and sharing your story gives you an edge. Program directors take notice of the global connections and leadership. I love sharing that story to inspire anyone interested. Wherever you are in your education, it?s not too late to join. Even if your clinical rotations are finishing, one semester in the program offers growth opportunities. Absolutely. Alfred, what do you think of our podcast so far? There?s been a lot of insightful sharing. I love Veronica?s story. This is the fourth time I?m hearing it, and it?s powerful. Thank you for sharing. I remember reading some of your applications and posts. There?s a consistent theme of mental support and collaboration in your story. You?ve been a great example. For those watching or live, we have a structured design to the program. No matter where you join from, the program is for you. Veronica, you?re joining from Venezuela, right? Yes. Alfred is currently in the UK but originally from Turkey. It doesn?t matter where you are?the program connects students worldwide. You might find students from your region or similar time zones. We connect students through regional leads. Some regional leads started as students and grew into leaders. You can connect with students locally and globally. Our platform, heartbeat, and monthly meetings are exclusive spaces to discuss experiences. You can learn what medicine looks like in other countries while you?re based in your own. Regional teams provide mental support and guidance. If you?re worried about time or mental space, just apply. We provide support throughout. I?ll be available for calls sometimes?check my calendar. Caroline and others are always ready to help. We have an amazing, hands-on team to support you. Caroline, before we wrap, anything to add? Thanks, Alfred. There?s a testimonial coming out soon from a PA student who was about to drop out. She joined the OHLI program, got new energy, and is thriving. We?ll share that soon. Many students step away mid-semester and come back stronger. Don?t feel it?s too late or the wrong time. We have an activity coming up for you. Our final takeaway: visit osmosis.com/community to apply and learn more. Our email is [email protected]?you?ll find it on the landing page and chat. Feel free to email us with questions. We?d love to reconnect. I?ll pass it back to the hosts. Thanks. Just one last quick point: someone asked what this program is really about. To sum up, Osmosis is an education platform. This community is a program of like-minded students wanting to advance healthcare and share Osmosis and its values with peers. That sums it up quickly. Now, final word from each panelist: one word?why should someone join the OHLI community? Marshall: camaraderie. Caroline: collaborative. Alfred: community. Veronica: empowering community. With that, we?re at the end of our hour. Thanks everyone for joining. It?s lovely to have you all here. We hope to see you as part of the program. Thank you all. Can?t wait to see you. Just apply, just apply, just apply. Click subscribe. Helping current and future clinicians focus, learn, retain, and thrive. Learn more.