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Martha-Grace Mclean Martha-Grace Mclean (1 Posts)

Contributing Writer

Texas Christian University Burnett School of Medicine


Martha-Grace McLean is a medical student at TCU Burnett School of Medicine in Fort Worth, TX class of 2028. She graduated from University of Florida with a Bachelor of Science in psychology in 2023. She enjoys reading, running and painting in her free time. After graduating medical school Martha-Grace would like to pursue a career in pediatrics.




Day One of Clinicals: The Patient Teacher

I walked up the stairs in my heels, white coat and stethoscope, which I had no idea how to use, on the first day of my first clinical day two weeks into medical school. The question of whether I belonged in a position of authority felt more prominent than ever as patients in the lobby passively asked me about their treatments and I waited for the staff to return from their lunch break. I told …

From Flashcards to Faces

I have always been taught to treat the patient and not the disease. As a first-year medical student, I am not sure I know how to treat either yet, but I know that putting a face to a disease is crucial to my training as a physician. I have always been intrigued by human stories in medicine that involve difficult and often stressful conversations because they have a tendency to become flashbulb memories that impact …

Complexity to Be Unfolded: from “Swiss Army Knife” to “Coexistence”

Science, in German, is Wissenschaft, which translates to “pursuit of knowledge” in English. I recently finished my neuroscience PhD training and revisited my scientific journey spanning from my teenage years to my PhD thesis. As a teenager, I was busy memorizing knowledge from textbooks. As an undergraduate, I had some experiences where I learned that science is not always as clear-cut as what I was taught in classes. As a PhD student, I have been trained to look at scientific findings with a critical eye and always ask if they are accurate.

You’re Supposed to Keep Doing What You Love

There is nothing quite like the feeling of puncturing the thin shrink film around a new canvas. Getting ready to paint is a routine — the rumbling of the kettle as I thumb through my collection of teas, picking the perfect album to play on repeat for the evening. Putting on the highlighter yellow shirt from high school plastered with smudges of blacks, greens, and whites from years of previous paintings.

A Longing for Belonging

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.

Moments of Vulnerability

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.

Ana Jimenez, M.D. (2 Posts)

Resident Contributing Guest Writer

Albany Medical Center


Dr. Jimenez is a psychiatry resident at Albany Medical Center at Albany, NY, Class of 2027. In 2023, she graduated the CUNY School of Medicine as part of the combined 7-year BS/MD program at Sophie Davis School of Biomedical Education. She enjoys spending quality time with family and friends, playing sports, making art, reading, and finding any reason to be near the ocean.