Category: Medical school

How being an immigrant shaped my approach to patient care

Think about the fear and uncertainty that ensues when being involuntarily uprooted from one’s home and community. Now imagine a shy, self-conscious fourteen-year-old girl being told that she has to switch high schools – not once, but twice. You may rea…

Now is not the time for medical students to be spectators [PODCAST]

“It is time to stop being spectators. We are at a critical turning point in our fight against this disease, and our actions now will determine whether we stay on the sidelines, or put an effective end to the scourge of the disease.  If we want to…

Growing pains: clinical training during COVID-19

“Each morning, I make my way to joy – joy that God has given me the breath of life for another day. The process is never instantaneous though. My alarm is usually blaring for five to 10 minutes continuously before I can get up, but sometimes I’m able t…

Issues faced by LGBTQ individuals in the operative setting

This was the first time that I was unsure of how to respond when a patient cried.  Usually, as a medical student, compassion and understanding helped make up for obvious gaps in our knowledge.  It just comes with the territory.  But this time was diffe…

A medical student graduates with a lack of closure [PODCAST]

“I initially fell into the dangerous grief and shame spiral. I shoved these feelings of loss deep down and let shame bubble up. How could I legitimize my feelings when people are dying? However, I have been working through the idea that comparati…

Imposter syndrome and COVID: a medical student perspective

Shifting nervously in our seats amongst 180 of our fellow medical school classmates, we focused in on the front of the lecture hall as our deans began their annual orientation address. “Each of you has worked so hard to get here. No one has gotten to t…

Without cadavers in school, will doctors be the same?

The Kaiser Permanente’s Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine opened this summer, and its students will not learn anatomy by dissecting a cadaver. Instead, they will don virtual reality headsets and dissect virtual bodies. The school does have a collecti…

Sleep and the medical profession have an uneasy relationship

I have found that sleep and the medical profession have an uneasy relationship. Physicians, of course, recommend that patients get at least seven hours of sleep each night. But despite dispensing that advice to others, I don’t think I personally …

The first day of medical training during a pandemic

The faculty and staff welcome us warmly. They know each of our names as we walk through the door, and further conversation reveals that they have also studied the short biographical sketches we sent in last month. We are reassured – we belong her…

Ethical humanism: life after #medbikini and an approach to reimagining professionalism

So long as you are trying to fit in, you will never feel like you belong. When the travesty of a “research” publication titled, “Prevalence of Unprofessional Social Media Content Among Young Vascular Surgeons” seemingly metastasized overnight into what…