Category: Medical school

A reflection on a man’s life before dissection

Almost immediately, the heat from all of us “freshly minted M1s” dissipated, as did the smiles and excitement on everyone’s faces. The frigid temperature, mimicked the morbidity and mortality interlaced in the air. 38 metal containers. Each carrying th…

Finding happiness in the time of COVID

I was waiting for my boyfriend to return back from cleaning his car. Suddenly and unexpectedly, the tears started rolling down my face. I was startled at the sudden deluge. I don’t cry often. We had a small argument earlier in the day, the details of w…

How this medical student is inspired by pediatrics

I slip through the slightly cracked door. “Knock, knock,” I say, but mom is hidden under the blankets, resting while there are so many of us to take over for her for a tiny bit. In the darkness, I make my way to the crib, where a crack of sunlight peer…

Why are medical students non-essential?

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, medical education is receiving unprecedented attention. By and large, the focus has been on the immediate problem of what to do with medical students. The answer has hinged on medical students being designated as “non-essent…

Why are medical students non-essential?

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, medical education is receiving unprecedented attention. By and large, the focus has been on the immediate problem of what to do with medical students. The answer has hinged on medical students being designated as “non-essent…

Medical school testing boards are profiteering during a pandemic 

Medical students are experiencing a number of unprecedented changes in how their education is delivered. Because of COVID-19, objective structured clinical examinations (OSCEs) and anatomy instruction are now virtual, and exams are being remotely proct…

How the USMLE fails COVID-19

Since the first case of COVID-19 on January 21st, there have been countless stories highlighting the healthcare heroes. Individuals are risking their lives and demonstrating unanticipated sacrifices to close the wounds on a bleeding healthcare system. …

After the pandemic, would I choose medicine again?

Several weeks ago, after hearing that I plan to begin medical school this August, someone asked me if I still would have chosen to become a physician had I known about COVID-19. When I submitted my AMCAS application one year ago, I never imagined that …

The power of poetry during a pandemic

I come into the peace of wild things who do not tax their lives with forethought of grief. I come into the presence of still water. And I feel above me the day-blind stars waiting with their light. For a time I rest in the grace of the world, and am fr…

Please make the tragic death of this physician mean something

I hugged her for the last time on March 15, waving goodbye as she drove away from my apartment complex. On April 15, I got a call that my friend was dead. She had unceremoniously taken her own life, unable to overcome the crippling feeling of hopelessn…