Off the Shelf is our section for creative works by medical students.
Medical Student Editor and in-Training Staff Member Emeritus
University of Florida Fixel Movement and Neurorestoration Institute
Nita Chen is a current movement disorders fellow at University of Florida Movement and Neurorestoration program. She is Class of 2017 medical student at Albany Medical College. To become cultural, she spent her early educational years in Taiwan and thoroughly enjoyed wonderful Taiwanese food and milk tea, thus ruining her appetite for the rest of her life in the United States. Aside from her neuroscience and cognitive science majors during her undergraduate career, she holed herself up in her room writing silly fictional stories, doodling, and playing the piano. Or she could be found spazzing out like a gigantic science nerd in various laboratories. Now she just holes up in her room to study most of the time.
At Albany Medical College, upon our orientation to gross anatomy, we are asked to draw our feelings on blank index cards prior to entering the cadaver laboratory. As we progress through the year, our sentiments regarding anatomy may remain the same, or may change, and these drawings allow us to look back at this milestone we crossed as budding medical students.
In class they ask me / What is love? / To prompt a philosophical discussion.
Entering medical school, we are like little seeds thirsty for knowledge. The abundance of daily information affords us new experiences and the ability to grow like a flower. With time, our petals open to reveal a shiny yellow nectar-rich core indicating our progressive growth — both mind and soul.
Life is a long and arduous journey filled with obstacles and many curved paths. Despite this daunting reality, we must approach these challenges with an open and positive mind. Every fall that we experience is an opportunity to learn and grow. Every detour will serve to expose us to novel approaches of thinking. Every interaction is a chance to learn and grow. Although the path may not be smooth, it will prepare us for the daily challenges that we shall face when we reach our ultimate destination — becoming a great physician.
There is a white ball of yarn that rests on the chair beside me. I drag the free end, extend the thread and wrap it around the knitting needle to begin my stitch. I think I’ll try to make a scarf until my husband tries to speak again.
At Albany Medical College, upon our orientation to gross anatomy, we are asked to draw our feelings on blank index cards prior to entering the cadaver laboratory. As we progress through the year, our sentiments regarding anatomy may remain the same, or may change, and these drawings allow us to look back at this milestone we crossed as budding medical students.
I tilted the overhead lamp and reached for a fresh blade. My gown was stained from hours of work on the woman’s arm; I continued to scrape, dab and blot. This, however, was not surgery. I was finishing my final project for a college figure painting class.
I do not want to do this to you / My heart wrenches / For the pain we inflict
My attending / looked at me / and asked, / What is killing your patient?
When I started neuroanatomy, I was fascinated by the brain. However, I found it difficult to keep track of the where structures were spatially when there were so many different ways to dissect it. To help myself study, I drew a coronal section alongside an intact hemisphere so I could better appreciate the structures in relationship to one another. When I spend any amount of time creating a piece of artwork, I retain it much more quickly, as if my hands are translating it into my memory.
and / finally / She arrived / from the pool.
This beating heart / Gave me a second start / It gave me a reason to be / To be me
Contributing Writer
Drexel University College of Medicine
Jason Roley is a second-year medical student at Drexel University College of Medicine (’18) and a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley (’12). He is interested in Addiction Psychiatry and passionate about working with vulnerable patient populations. Adventurous and open-minded, Jason not only enjoys an interdisciplinary approach to medicine but also life, emphasizing the mind body balance in every day living.
