Columnist Emeritus
Albany Medical College
Hey guys, I'm Haritha Sishtla, a Class of 2015 medical student at Albany Medical College. I went to undergrad not too far away at Union College and majored in biology and economics. Anyone who knows me knows that I love to talk and share my experiences, and that I spend a lot of time taking pictures and Instagramming and/or PicStitching them. I also spend a lot of time on Pinterest, which may cut into my study time...
eom. [existing outside medical school]
As medical students, we often find ourselves attending countless hours of lecture, studying late at night in the library, and eating junk from the hospital cafeteria. We forget that there is a life outside of the bubble that is medical school! Read our column to take a break from the work and exist outside of medical school.
The excitement of third year of medical school was upon us while we were in orientation. No more spending hours in the library, listening to boring lectures all day, or reading about cases in textbooks. It was time to actually see real patients, work with great doctors, and actually be hands-on while we were on the floors. However, going from the optional class attendance at 9 a.m. to reporting on the floors by 6 a.m. …
Our threshold to admit a patient into the hospital is high. They must be sick—really sick!—and therefore once they are admitted, worked-up and treated, their prognosis is inevitably better. Ultimately, that is the point of our health care system. Enter sick, leave healthy. A recent patient encounter made me question this basic premise. Here was a 56-year-old white female with a past medical history of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) presenting with increased shortness of …
The woman sits anxiously in the exam room, fidgeting with her green clay necklace. She was referred because of an incidental finding on a physical exam mandated by her insurance company. Another woman in her 50s, with streaks of gray hair, calmly sits in the room next door with her head held high, preparing herself for the worse. She had felt a lump on her breast while showering. The corner room contains a young Mexican …
In my previous column, I touched on the American role in the Syrian civil war by pointing out that, at the time, we were lending financial assistance to rebel forces opposed to the Assad regime. State-sponsored violence including the targeted eradication of women and children served as strong justification for the call to oust President Bashar al-Assad from power. Indeed, the figure that was most quoted in the press was 70,000 lives claimed in less than two …
The transition from the second to third year of medical school is like moving from adolescence to adulthood. Your first two years are relatively simple and you have few responsibilities beyond studying. Then, you begin third year and not only do you have to study, but you have to take care of someone else’s health. Most of the transitions only require a minor adjustment to your daily activities. For instance, you’ll finally be able to …
Something had happened. The hospital lies on the main stretch of road before the town of Borgne, right across from the high school, so there is always a lot of activity going on: cars going in and out of the hospital, motorbikes dropping off and picking up students, vendors selling food and cell phone credit. But this was different. The cries were not those typical of school-aged children. Plus, it was already 8 p.m., way …
In the summer vegetables are plentiful, but I find that it’s not always obvious how to get the most out of them. Two summers ago, when I had a community-supported agriculture share and more vegetables than I knew what to do with, I found myself making some pretty inedible vegetable soups and longing for more substance. In previous years, I’ve been enamored with the same corn, tomatoes and salad every night. This summer, I’m in …
On March 25, the satirical news organization The Onion published an op-ed written by the president of Syria: “Hello. My name is Bashar al-Assad. I am the president of Syria, and in the last two years, you–the citizens of the world and their governments–have allowed me to kill 70,000 people … Because I’m able to continue doing this, I can only conclude that killing nearly 100,000 people must be an acceptable thing.” Seventy thousand is the …
So as I wrap up a great weekend with some old friends, I finally have a minute to reflect on my first few days in Haiti, looking at the past and possibilities for the future. Being back in Haiti is always a shock to the senses. The second you leave the airport your senses are put on overdrive: the cacophony of cars and people; the hot, wet air; the smell of dust, trash and cane; …
It was the typical patient. He was in his 50s and suffered from high blood pressure and high cholesterol. He came to the emergency department because he was having a headache and could not think clearly. After checking his vitals and labs, it was clear he was having a hypertensive emergency episode with systolic pressure running to 220 and evidence of papilledema on physical exam. He was admitted to the teaching service. Once admitted, he …
“Integrative Medicine is the practice of medicine that reaffirms the importance of the relationship between practitioner and patient, focuses on the whole person, is informed by evidence, and makes use of all appropriate therapeutic approaches, healthcare professionals and disciplines to achieve optimal health and healing.” —Consortium of Academic Health Centers for Integrative Medicine The following is a brief summary of some insights from the path I traveled to come to an understanding of the type …
My latest obsession is “Doc Martin,” which is a British series taking place in a fictional sleepy seaside town in England called Portwenn. The main character is grumpy Dr. Martin Ellingham (played by Martin Clunes), but is known to his disdain as Doc Martin by the villagers. Paradoxically, Martin was a surgeon working in London but had to relocate to the quiet town for one reason: his phobia to blood. Unfortunately, it developed during his …
Columnist Emeritus and in-Training Staff Member
Loma Linda University Medical Center
A Taste Of Your Own Medicine is a column that gives you a taste of medicine. It focuses on important and interesting topics relating to medicine and being a medical student.
Valentina is a general surgery resident at Loma Linda University Medical Center. She graduated from University of California, Irvine School of Medicine.
