So, what’s the problem? Alright, anybody that has been through the process knows that applying to residency programs is a long and expensive process. The issue is not how long it is, or honestly how expensive it is, even though those are problems…
Category: Medical school
Dirt masks and couples massages: My trauma bonds in medical school
While I am commonly considered to be a friendly person, I never had very many friends. This was likely because I was too much. I am was too brown, too bookish, too loud, too assertive, just too much in every single category. It was hard for people to a…
Addressing the lack of Black male physicians through early intervention
“When I grow up, I want to be a pediatrician or a surgeon.” Those were the words I wrote as I graduated fifth grade. I often ask myself how I have been able to navigate a world so unfamiliar to me, how I have carried on with my ambitions despite being …
Medical school and the science of sleep
The article can be read or listened to. It is in the format of an interview between a radio host and the sleep scientist and director for Human Sleep Science at the University of California, Berkeley, Matthew Walker. He takes the audience through the j…
The evolution of medical training in dermatology and the impact of technology
In nearly every field, ongoing education is warranted, if not explicitly required. Be it the informal transfer of knowledge between colleagues, or a more formalized process like recertification, nearly every profession mandates some form of maintenance…
Professional gay: Charting a career in LGBTQ health
“You’re superficial,” the dean of the curriculum explained to me as we sat in an empty lecture hall. I had just finished a lecture when he pulled me aside to share his assessment of my progress as a student. By this point in my second year of medical s…
One can’t always assume congratulations are in order
“Congratulations on losing that much weight! Whatever you’re doing, keep it up,” my attending says as she bobs her head vigorously in approval, then turning back to the EMR computer to type up some notes. And all I could see was the p…
Medicine rewards self-sacrifice often at the cost of physician happiness
We’ve all been told by a well-meaning friend, family member, or therapist, “You can’t care for others unless you care for yourself first.” Put your oxygen mask on first, blah blah. But in medical training, we repeatedly demonstr…
Scholarship tips for medical school [PODCAST]
“According to AAMC, the median debt for medical students in 2019 was $200,000. Unfortunately, fundraising for scholarships was difficult for many organizations due to the pandemic despite more students seeking out scholarships. Luckily, more anon…
Joy is our antibiotic. Let not your stings fester.
I had a nightmare last Christmas. I thrashed in bed for at least an hour before slipping into a seat at the start of a medical lecture. Some of my classmates were present, and while standing next to a friend’s desk, he said, “Wow, your knee is red and …
