HPI
good morning, i’m the medical student / i must ask how you are feeling / even though my eyes already sting
Featured
Contributing Writer
Nova Southeastern University Dr. Kiran C Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine
I am a fourth year medical student interested in family medicine. I am passionate about preventative health and culturally competent care!
COVID-19 Hotline
The instant I activated my phone, it rang. I steadied my microphone and saw 34 callers in the queue. “COVID-19 hotline,” I answered.
The Long Road to Healing
This period of healing set Lori on a long road that was paved with pain. She lived in chronic pain from the fistula. While her physicians delicately weighed her safety with pain relief, she learned to balance both patience and uncertainty.
The Teres Major Phenomenon
As I took my shirt off this morning to shower, I noticed my teres major muscle in the mirror — or more precisely, I identified it for the first time.
A Mother’s Choice: Florida’s 15 Week Abortion Ban
Last year, I walked into a big hospital room towards the tiny NICU bed with a tiny baby in his space helmet. The moment he came out of that helmet, which was pumping in 100% oxygen, he would start deteriorating.
Free Clinics: The Disparities That No One Are Talking About
One crisp Sunday morning in October, I arrive at the community free clinic to find four student volunteers — two of whom are in their third month of medical school like I am — and one attending physician. As usual, we are overbooked.
Grief Medicine
If someone asks me how my first year of medical school went, half of the time I dismiss them with a one-word answer, saving them from a conversation they aren’t ready to have. The other half of the time, I tell the truth, just to see what they have to say.
Angel: Choosing to Be Vulnerable
It is morning outside, the sun barely kissing the horizon. The curtains have been drawn in an attempt to force any lick of light from the room. But one slim shard cuts through the drapes, illuminating John’s face.
Medical Education in a Post-Roe World: A Medical Student Perspective
This summer, the Supreme Court overturned Roe vs. Wade, the landmark case from 1973 that previously affirmed the right to an abortion, effectively ending access to safe, legal abortions in large swaths of the United States. Many across our country are still grappling with the ramifications of this decision…But how in particular will this affect medical education? And what can medical students do about it?
An Unexpected Apology
Over the next few days, workup revealed she was experiencing paraneoplastic cerebellar degeneration, a manifestation of her occult cancer. In a matter of three days, a patient who had come in for seemingly benign constipation was told she had metastatic lung cancer.
No. 17A
My attention swung back and forth between my mom, my screen and the pairs of eyes periodically peering into the hospital room. I focused on the next question on my screen. Another patient had expired as if they were a carton of milk left too long in the fridge.
Maintaining Thick and Thin Skin
Third-year rotations forced me to reckon with my emotional capacity as a human and future physician. With each patient encounter, I had to decide whether my skin was too thick or too thin.
Contributing Writer
McGovern Medical School
Fatema is a fourth-year medical student at McGovern Medical School, part of the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston. In 2019, she graduated from the University of Houston with a Bachelor of Science in nutrition and a minor in Medicine & Society. After graduating from medical school, Fatema plans to promote preventative care and health equity by pursuing a career in family medicine.
