Contributing Writer
Florida International University Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine
Alex is a second year medical student at Florida International University Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine in Miami, Florida class of 2027. In 2020, he graduated from Florida International University with a Bachelor of Science in biology. He enjoys reading, songwriting, and cooking in his free time. After graduating medical school, Alex would like to pursue a speciality in Anesthesiology.
Oh God, what time is it? I stumbled over to my bedside table in pitch-black darkness, thanks to my new blackout curtains, which continue to be the best financial decision I have ever made, and checked my phone that was blasting my alarm. The brightness of my phone blinded me at first, but then my eyes adjusted to its shine, and I came face to face with my terrifying reality on this simple Tuesday morning …
As patients moved in and out of the modest office for their appointments, their duffel bags and luggage in tow containing all their personal belongings, the day unfolded in typical fashion. Yet, within the confines of this psychiatry office catering exclusively to the local unhoused population, “normal” took on a unique meaning. The narratives of childhood neglect, abuse, drug addiction and homelessness recounted by these patients never ceased to startle me as a third-year medical …
At the start of clinical rotations, we are urged by preceptors to immerse ourselves in the experience, advocate for our patients and strive to understand them better than the rest of the team. I could not, however, shake an underlying thought: Why would any patient divulge their most intimate details to someone so inexperienced? After all, I was just a medical student. Part I “Please go speak to the patient in room three, she is …
“Could you water my plants?” I asked my roommate when I was out of town. They say it takes a village to raise a child, make it through medical school, to do anything worth knowing. When I started medical school, I had a village: parents, friends, family, a partner and my plants. By my third year, it was just me. Nothing tragic happened; differences drove us apart. I went from calling my parents twice a …
I do not know what to say or feel when I first meet you. My first instinct is to introduce myself, but you can neither hear me nor reply. When you are uncovered, I finally get to see you. During a typical encounter with a stranger, it is customary to make eye contact and exchange names. It is out of respect for you, however, that I cannot see your face or even know your name. …
It was Valentine’s Day morning with about thirty minutes until rounds when I noticed Madeline, one of our medical students, approaching. I took my eyes off the WOW to greet her, and she shakily said that the nurse had just told her that a patient was pulseless. Without registering the nature of the information she just shared, I told her to tell our senior and stayed in place to finish drawing the chemistry fishbone on …
Ever since I could remember, I stood out in my class for all the wrong reasons. I was the kid who dangled his feet from chairs while others rested their feet flat, the kid forced to stand in the front during class photos and the kid who always had his height checked by the ride operator during field trips to the local amusement parks. But it wasn’t just a matter of being short, I was …
As the hands of the large clock on the wall turn to 8 a.m, a wandering medical student strolls through the intricate hallways of the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital. Her eyesight shifted to various places in the unit as she struggled to find the so-called “fishbowl,” an office space where residents station themselves to work. After walking past the various rooms a few times, she was finally able to meet …
A light knock at your hospital room door and my introduction: “I am a first year MD-PhD student. Thank you.” You smile and wave me in. Hidden around the corner, your guest stands up from their bedside chair to leave your hospital room, though I ask if you would like them to stay. Their face, their eyes, and their mouth shine a striking gratefulness in my direction: as if, through the ever-present weight of my …
I sit, staring at my color-coded diagram of the nephron, trying to ignore the texts lighting up my phone screen. “Okay, furosemide works on the Loop of Henle. Furosemide’s brand name is Lasix, so I’ll remember L for Loop,” I mutter to myself. My phone dings again, it’s cheery tone no match for my current mood. Finally, my curiosity gets the better of me. I shove my diagram away, pulling the phone toward me. Swiping …
“How’d you land in medical school?” Whenever someone asks me this, a family of frogs almost always immediately hatches in my throat. My long-winded journey itself doesn’t jerk tears, but the question always reminds me of the day I applied. The same word, like clockwork upon the inquiry, flashes from my heart like it’s a bat signal. “Widowmaker.” Before medical school, my personal experiences with the health care system were mostly tied to those of …
On the fifteenth day that Marietta had not eaten, the psychiatry team knew they could no longer take care of her. With each day, her body grew weaker, her blood pressure softened, and her heart beat faster to keep her alive. By the time the medicine team was consulted, her heart was laboring at 130 beats per minute. The psychiatrists could not get her to eat. Nor could her elderly mother shuffling in each morning, …
Contributing Writer
Rutgers New Jersey Medical School
Casey is a medical student at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School in Newark, NJ class of 2025. In 2021 she graduated from Washington and Lee with a Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience and Classics. She enjoys spending time with her two sisters and friends, reading, and surfing at the Jersey Shore. After graduating medical school, Casey would like to pursue a career in general surgery.
