Featured

Lien Morcate (1 Posts)

Contributing Writer

University of Miami Miller School of Medicine

Lien is a third-year medical student at University of Miami Miller School of Medicine in Miami, FL class of 2024. In 2019, she graduated from University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelor of Arts in Biochemistry and Biology. She enjoys watching true crime documentaries, designing gel nails, and salsa dancing in her free time. After graduating medical school, Lien would like to pursue a career in pediatrics.

Less Likely to Get a Kidney if You’re a Minority—Even if You’re a Kid!

Published by Lien Morcate

During my three weeks working in the pediatric dialysis unit and the post-kidney transplant unit, I noticed a troublesome trend. The whiter and younger pediatric patients were resting comfortably in the post-transplant unit with their new surgically placed kidney being meticulously taken care of. The darker and older pediatric patients spent countless, mindless hours attached to a dialysis machine with little hope for a new kidney after years of being on the waitlist.

Traditional South Asian Dance: A Medium to Understand the Illness Experience

Published by Mili Dave

In disease and in health, our bodies tell stories. But more often than not, these stories are left unheard and unseen. A meaningful method for illuminating untold stories is through traditional/classical dance forms. Dance especially is a space for knowledge and roles to be authentically represented. For marginalized communities in particular, traditional dance has for centuries been a medium for creative expression and healing despite how circumstances and society have complicated their access to care.

Deceased Note: Facing Death as a Medical Student

Published by Isaac Myres

I opened their chart and scrolled to the recent notes section. A new title I had never seen before popped on the screen. There, at the top of the chart, “Deceased Note” was written in bold letters.

What They See First

Published by Daniella Nunez

The beauty of medicine is that we are trained to see each person as an individual, not as a victim of their stereotypes. We are taught that we are more than our skin color, our religion, our clothing or our gender. But even though I see more than a patient’s demographic on static paper, those same patients, and sometimes even colleagues, fail to see me as more than just a woman.

Tell Me About Yourself

Published by Mary Metkus

As I completed my residency interviews, I recognized that we are hard pressed to find a better way to match burgeoning physicians with training programs searching for their next class of interns. Yet I also knew that neither I nor any other applicant could fit into a preconceived box or several sentence summary. I could not simply market myself as a humanist or an artist, or an activist or a researcher.

Stories from the Southwest: Free Health Clinics in Tucson, Arizona

Published by Hannah Korah

In a time when we began medical school online during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, most of our preclinical medical education was lecture-based. This meant my experiences at the free health clinics affiliated with our institution were more valuable than ever in introducing me to patient care.

On Rounds

Published by Anna Morgan

Because I could not stop for death, / He kindly asked I pause. / My arms were full of sterile wraps, / Scissors, tape, and gauze.

My Most Important Lesson from Medical School

Published by Andrew Cyr

Upon reflection, my actions and feelings in caring for this patient reveal how truly afraid I was to be wrong; not necessarily about the diagnosis, but rather about whether the patient would be okay. Maybe coming in daily and opening her chart for good news was just me hoping that my initial impression was still right instead of coming to terms with the fact I was very wrong.

East of Eden: Illness Representations and the Moral Compass

Published by Olivia Nixon-Hemelt

The crumpled old gentleman nestled in the armchair of his hospital room, bundled in blankets from the warmer down the hall, cards from his family propped up like a miniature Stonehenge on the table beside him. I listened closely to his heart and lungs, eyed the half-full urinal hooked onto his bed frame, and drew my fingers along his shins.

A Simple Game of Basketball

Published by Nathan Oommen

In my second year of medical school, amidst the frequent exams and impending doom of third year rotations, I would often look forward to Tuesday nights. On these nights, students and residents would come together to play pick-up basketball at a local gym, removed from the stresses of medical school.

Navigating the Maze: Tips for Finding and Cultivating a Productive Research Mentorship

Published by Chiamaka Okorie

As a medical student, finding a research mentor can be a challenging task. However, with careful planning and communication, building a productive and mutually beneficial mentor-mentee relationship is possible.

Worried Well

Published by Melissa Huddleston

One step and then another; / the end is near! The end is nearly here! / And yet, it is not. Not yet near. / So, I carry on, though I am weary, / though my telomeres shorten or because my telomeres shorten,

Melissa Huddleston (10 Posts)

Contributing Writer

Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Paul L. Foster School of Medicine

Melissa Huddleston is a fourth-year medical student at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Paul L. Foster School of Medicine in El Paso, Texas class of 2023. In 2016, she graduated from Baylor University with a Bachelor of Science in informatics and a secondary major in classics. In 2018, she graduated from Baylor University with a Master of Public Health in community health education. She enjoys hiking, jumping rope, and reading. After graduating from medical school, Melissa would like to pursue a career in pediatrics.

in-Training

the online peer-reviewed publication for medical students