From the Wards

Rachel Fields (1 Posts)

Contributing Writer

Florida International University Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine

Rachel Fields is a fourth year medical student at Florida International University Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine in Miami, FL, class of 2021. In 2014, she graduated from University of Central Florida with a Bachelor of Science in biomedical sciences. In 2016, she graduated from University of Central Florida with a Master of Science in biomedical science. She enjoys yoga, CrossFit, and spending time with her dogs and family in her free time. After graduating medical school, Rachel plans to pursue a career in internal medicine.




The Vulnerability of Our Patients and Ourselves: A Parallel Chart Reflection

Published by Rachel Fields

I actually don’t remember his name; he wasn’t my patient. I just saw him during rounds every day during my internal medicine clerkship. He was in his late-80s, and he was very ill. He had a long history of COPD, most likely attributed to his even longer history of smoking. He had been admitted to our service for a severe respiratory infection a few days prior to me starting the rotation. This was my last rotation of my 3rd year, and I walked in thinking I had seen enough COPD patients to know exactly what to expect.

Buddy

Published by John Carlo Pasco

You were my first patient on my first inpatient rotation as a third-year medical student, which meant that I had absolutely no idea what was going on. I was mostly concerned with trying not to faint during presentations on morning rounds. I stared at your bowl of Cheerios, the cereal beginning to turn the skim milk a pale yellow. Your brow furrowed in annoyance behind your thick glasses.

“I Can’t Be Here Anymore”

Published by Vidiya Sathananthan

Mr. K had been admitted with dehydration and malnutrition secondary to diarrhea in the setting of HIV. During his stay, he developed refeeding syndrome. When the resulting electrolyte imbalances paved the way for cardiac arrhythmias, he coded twice in the ICU. The care team managed to bring him back each time, but not without consequence; the brutality of numerous cycles of CPR left him with multiple rib fractures, inflicting him with sharp pain every breath. 

“Welcome to Medicine”

Published by Apshara Ravichandran

You don’t have to sit in silence and painfully nod along with an attending’s racist, misogynistic lectures because you’re their medical student. You don’t need to pick the skin off your cuticles to stop yourself from replying. You don’t need to learn how to hide your grimaces behind your mask because you know you’ll have to listen to them attack your identity for the next several weeks.

The Privilege of Patient Care

Published by Jennifer Li

Each morning, Mr. E had a new concern — too hot, too cold, too dizzy, too stiff. He was admitted for what seemed to be a straightforward heart failure exacerbation, but his echocardiography showed severe hypertrophy in both sides of his heart that the cardiologists described as “concerning for infiltrative cardiomyopathy.”

The Anatomy Lesson

Published by Christina Seto

There were seven of us standing around the table as the attending surgeon debrided the infected fascia. The vascular surgeon came in the room and barked at us to identify the structures before us. “What’s that artery?” he interrogated us. “I’ll give you a hint,” he said, “there’s a deep and a superficial.” We named the sural nerve and iliotibialis band and the great saphenous vein. As we clamored around the table, I suddenly thought of the Rembrandt painting: The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp.

You’re Not a Bold, Knowledgeable Medical Student — You’re Just White

Published by Nat Mulkey

I knew I moved through these spaces easily for many reasons, but being White is a big one that needs to be said out loud. And when you look and feel more comfortable in a space, it is easier to perform “well,” or to sound confident. This is directly related to what academic medicine characterizes as “objective” evaluations of students, and there is data to support this.

Dust to Dust

Published by Alyssa Levine

“There’s a great neuro exam in room 5147,” my resident said as I dropped my bag in the call room. “Why don’t you go check it out?” I clutched my reflex hammer in one hand and googled the components of a neuro exam with the other as I headed towards the stairwell.

Alyssa Levine Alyssa Levine (1 Posts)

Contributing Writer

Emory School of Medicine

Aly is a 4th year medical student at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. Born and raised in Berkeley, California, she traveled to the east coast to attend Williams College. She graduated from Williams in 2010 with a degree in sociology. Prior to moving to ATL for medical school, she worked as a research assistant for a pediatric oncologist in Boston. She is planning on going into pediatrics, and has an interest in palliative care. Her non-medical interests include swimming, weightlifting, cycling, and Trader Joes.