Contributing Writer
Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine
Zaira Chaudhry is a fourth year medical student at the Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine in Scranton, Pennsylvania. She completed her undergraduate studies at Cornell University and subsequently earned her MPH prior to matriculating to medical school. She spent a year as an orthopaedic surgery research fellow at the Rothman Institute in Philadelphia. Her interests include research, creative writing, public health, music, and exploring the outdoors. She is currently interested in pursuing orthopaedic surgery.
While there is no way to choose our patients’ outcomes, we can certainly choose to be empathetic and compassionate regardless of their outcomes. Medicine without empathy and compassion is not medicine at all.
These athletes spend their lives on the icy curves of a track, perfecting turns on the edge of their skis or in the perfect rotation of an airborne jump. In medicine, we also endure repetitive daily training in order to perfect the art of diagnosis, treatment and procedures.
Despite her poor prognosis, she had abandoned her former life and traveled around the world to be with her son. She believed that revealing the truth would only put a strain on their relationship, and she was not ready for that.
Empathy is a muscle you have to exercise just like any other. It is a choice. It’s something you have to study and practice and sometimes fail at and always try again.
When I applied for medical school, I knew I was signing up for hard work. I knew I would have to spend countless hours studying, that my sleep cycle might never be the same. But I had not expected this.
It’s strange filling out your health care proxy and living will at the age of 26. The questions that are asked seem to be issues that I shouldn’t be considering before I’ve gotten married, had kids, gained 40 pounds, overcome three to four mid-life crises and become a registered Republican. But, tomorrow I will be undergoing the surgeon’s knife, so here we are.
Ryan Pate, who recently matched into psychiatry at Dartmouth-Hitchcock, shares about medical school expectations, the interview trail and more.
Ria Pal, former editor-in-chief of in-Training, has matched into child neurology at Stanford University. Today, she shares about the interview process, medical school and more!
Melanie Watt, curator of the Match Day Spotlight series for 2017 and 2018, recently matched into internal medicine-pediatrics at the University of Tennessee in Memphis. Read on as she shares advice for clerkships, the interview trail and more.
Rachel Voss, second from the left, is sharing today about her hobbies, passions and what surprised her the most about medical school.
Beau Vidrine, who recently matched into family medicine at LSU Health Lake Charles, joins us today to share the recipe for the perfect omelette, succeeding on the wards and more.
Today’s Match Day Spotlight is brought to you by a familiar face here at in-Training. Brent has been a part of the team throughout his time in medical school. He has matched into psychiatry at Wright State University and joins us here to share about The Match, the decision to pursue psychiatry and more.
Medical Student Editor Emeritus
Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center Shreveport
I am a proud alumnus of Louisiana State University, and yes, I do bleed purple and gold. I’m in the Class of 2018 at LSU Health Shreveport School of Medicine. I’ve run one marathon and a few halves – the latter being my favorite distance of the two. I believe in daily ice cream intake. When I’m not studying or running, I’m exploring new workout classes and outdoor adventures, training my large and adorable dog, Gumbeaux, or knitting to keep my fidgety fingers busy.
