Archived column.
Writers-in-Training Intern and Contributing Writer
Geisinger College of Health Sciences
Kaitlin is a medical student at Geisinger College of Health Sciences, class of 2027, interested in primary care and addiction medicine. She is from Malvern, PA and attended Northeastern University for undergrad. Outside of school, Kaitlin loves running, volunteering, cooking, reading/writing, and playing piano!
We lug our oversized backpacks into the van and climb in, slamming the doors with such haste that the chaos mere feet away is smothered instantly. What had just been a moment of mayhem dissolves into one of pure silence. Ben doesn’t start the car. I don’t need to ask him why. This group has never been short on chatter, but for once the outreach team is resigned to stillness.
“Which one of you idiots gave my patient a homosexual dose of diuretic?” Unbelievably, this is what the senior surgeon “growled” at Dr. Pauline Chen and her cohort during surgery training, according to her article in The New York Times entitled “Does Medicine Discourage Gay Doctors?”
Belize for the summer, Africa for spring break, the Philippines during winter break, and the list of medical mission opportunities goes on and on at most medical schools. Now, don’t get me wrong; I absolutely love mission trips and all of the great work that certain groups like the Christian Medical and Dental Associations and other mission-oriented organizations do for the cause. However, I feel that one vital area that definitely qualifies as a “medical mission” …
Columnist
Lincoln Memorial University DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine
Joey Johnson is a Class of 2017 student at LMU-DCOM. He is CEO of JOSS Cares, owner of joeyjohnsondo.com, and now an eager columnist for in-Training. He plans to be a rural family practice physician in Georgia. His interests include: osteopathic and rural medicine, cultural competency, martial arts, religion and philosophy, and anything NFL! His favorite players are Peyton Manning, Andrew Luck, and JJ (s)Watt. Contact him on Facebook, Twitter, or via his website!
On the Fringes
On the Fringes is devoted to filling the missing pieces of medical school and the art of medicine, topics of discussion in medical education that are often overlooked, under-discussed, or brand new.
