Category: Medical school

Requesting disabilities accommodations in medical school

I failed my Step 1 medical school board exam by 1 point. This was very hard for me to process, and I consistently wondered if I would have passed if I had just waited an additional week. This new challenge led me to reach out to a new resource: the dis…

Hasan Minhaj’s joke at the expense of DOs

In September 2021, Hasan Minhaj appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and touted a purported “a war … between MDs and DOs.” In it, he compared osteopathic physicians, DOs, to RC Cola as opposed to the Coca-Cola of MDs, claiming that DOs ar…

Educating for the oath: a medical student’s lived experience with the hidden curriculum

The white coat ceremony marks the beginning of a new chapter in the lives of medical students. An academic ritual steeped in symbolism, the ceremony calls on new medical students to reflect upon and adhere to the values that guide the profession. The h…

Superheroes can have disabilities, too

The highly anticipated release of Marvel Studios’ Eternals has people excited about superheroes. When I see an individual in a white coat and stethoscope or a person in scrubs, I see a real superhero, someone who works in the health care field. O…

Top 5 interview questions and strategies for medical students

Thousands of medical students are in the midst of interviewing for their dream job. The importance of interviewing well cannot be overstated. Below are the top five common interview questions that could be asked during your interview.  Tell me about yo…

Be a human first and a doctor second

The patient was sitting up at 45 degrees with his legs stretched in front of him. He was looking out the window and had a fan on his bedside table. He didn’t look pleased, so I was expecting to be told to come back later. To my surprise, he welco…

A letter to my pre-med self

I imagine you’re excited to receive this letter, but please listen to me for a moment. I’ll need you to suspend your disbelief here. I am writing to you from the future, and you are me from the past. I needed to reach out to you about the choice you’ve…

Doctoring during Kyle Rittenhouse’s acquittal

I was sitting in my car on the phone when I heard the news. My boyfriend and I were chatting while I was driving to my parents’ house to have dinner. He mentioned to me that he had something to tell me and wanted to wait until I had stopped driving and…

Doctoring during Kyle Rittenhouse’s acquittal

I was sitting in my car on the phone when I heard the news. My boyfriend and I were chatting while I was driving to my parents’ house to have dinner. He mentioned to me that he had something to tell me and wanted to wait until I had stopped driving and…

What I learned about medicine in the House of Pain

Recently, I finished reading a book about Dr. D.S. “Doc” Ping titled The Legend of Doc Ping. Doc, a former United States Marine and Vietnam veteran, mentored me for a near-decade from my adolescence through early adulthood. As I was reading this book, …