Through the course of medical education, students learn to call for “consults” from various medical specialties. Yet, consults can come in many forms — from social work, nutrition, law, ethics and policy. There is also much to be learned from premedical and post-bacc students, who may be walking into medicine with a fresh set of eyes. “Consults” invites experienced non-clinicians and undergraduates to contribute pieces relevant to the medical student community.
Ishaan Shah is a third-year student in the College of Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, majoring in biology and political science. He comes from Cupertino, California. You can reach out to him on Twitter at @ishaantshah.
Health policy can feel like 2018’s hottest topic and many students are looking for a way to learn more. I encourage students to think beyond the policy they see in Washington, D.C. to the laws governing their communities.
Universities have been profiting off students due to the capitalistic and flawed nature of our health care system. Regional hospital networks prevent students from utilizing their insurance elsewhere. With nowhere else to turn, they are forced to pay high premiums for the university plan.
When Dr. T shook my hand goodbye for the day’s observation, I shook her hand back and said to myself, “Yes, this is what I want to do.”
Ever since that day in the grocery store, I have volunteered at least once a month for other senior citizens. I get to know their stories and try to share the understanding that I have gained with the world.
Fifteen percent of Americans still smoke. Seventy percent of Americans are obese or overweight. Many Americans engage in risky health behaviors that negatively affect their overall wellness.
As the American health care system continues to seemingly spend more and get ranked lower than other developed countries, many progressives have suggested a shift to single-payer health care as a solution.
It’s ironic that the medical field is arguably the most humane profession, yet we put our residents and physicians-in-training through such pain and suffering.
Autumn has been my favorite season since moving to Oregon four years ago from the dry, unchanging desert landscape of Las Vegas, Nevada. The freeway towards my class dips into a valley surrounded by broad-leafed trees with ferns growing near the base of their trunks.
“That’s rubbish.” My new friend — I’ll call her Sylvia — lay supine on her bed, staring bleary-eyed at the ceiling. White bedsheets swathed her long, gaunt limbs, and her sickly pallor startled me.
“Knife.” One of the surgical nurses slapped it into his hand, and Dr. James drew the scalpel quickly down the woman’s betadine-covered belly. So little fanfare preceded that moment that I almost missed it.
My palms were sweaty as I slid on my blue gloves and boot covers, feeling excited and anxious at the same time. “I’ve delivered hundreds of babies,” Dr. Johnson said. “I think I can give you this one.”
As future doctors, we must advocate for a more integrated nutrition and lifestyle medicine education, one that is based not just in healthy eating, but also in the reversal of this global chronic disease epidemic. Let healthy food be thy guide to a happy body and soul.
Pre-Medical Guest Writer
Washington University in St. Louis
Kriti Prasad is a pre-medical student with a Bachelor’s degree in Philosophy-Neuroscience-Psychology with a minor in French from Washington University in St. Louis (Class of 2017). Her interdisciplinary undergraduate education has fueled her passion for a more integrated, holistic, and socially responsible medicine. As a future physician, she hopes to transform this passion into purpose to better address the health needs of our underserved communities. In her free time, Kriti enjoys dancing, traveling, and cooking.
