Medical Student Editor Emeritus (2013-2015)
Nova Southeastern University College of Osteopathic Medicine
Will graduated in the Class of 2015 at Nova Southeastern University College of Osteopathic Medicine, and he is now an attending in Adult Inpatient Medicine at Maine Medical Center. He went to Oberlin College where he majored in philosophy and snark. He is passionate about reproductive health, humanism, music and riding his bike as much as possible. To see more glamorous writing on science, bioethics, and unique perspectives on the training of future doctors, check out his blog, Doctor Coffee's Brain Banter.
This past weekend I had the pleasure of talking about Obamacare (or the ACA, the death, the uplifting of America, depending on your stance) with a stranger at a local brewery. He, like many I’ve heard before him, feels that he shouldn’t have to pay for other people’s care (which he already is, in a different way). Not their blood pressure meds for self-induced diabetes, not for oxygen for a 35 pack-year smoker, and not …
“Is the pain sharp or dull?” I say to the teenaged translator next to me. Rolling her eyes, she quickly mutters something in Spanish to my distressed patient and then relays his response back in English. As she returns to texting on her cell phone, I make the final notes for this patient. Although I have reached the end of an extensive two-page history, I can’t help but feel completely unaccomplished. I’ve been told this …
Should we live a life with meaning? Yes, of course. What a silly question, you may think. But, what is a meaningful life? Is it feeling happy and being successful? Is it feeling good every day? Is it doing good things for others? Perhaps the better question is: do we make room for a meaningful life? We can live life every day in a meaningful way, doing our responsibilities and carrying out our promises. But, I wonder …
It is probably no surprise to any of in-Training’s readers that health care is changing. On October 1, the health insurance marketplaces opened for business … and then promptly became the victim of the largest Internet traffic jam in recent memory. Obviously, people are looking for a better way (or any way) to afford medical care. It is the job of health care professionals to make sure that their uninsured and underinsured patients are educated …
There is a saying that you enter medical school wanting to help people but exit it wanting to help yourself. It may be a cynical view, but a realistic one. The criteria to being a good medical student are far different from being a good doctor. Medical education may be breeding a legion of self-serving, grade-grubbing, SOAP-note spewing machines rather than the “empathetic,” “compassionate” and “caring” physicians of admission essays yore. I was no different. …
It has been reported by media countless times. Everyone has been talking about it, most people know of its existence, and many have come up with a plethora of remedies—sometimes misleading and unfounded—for it. And yet, not only is it still plaguing the United States, it has transformed into an epidemic. That’s right, “it” is obesity. A longitudinal study done by the University of Washington measured several parameters, including physical activity, obesity, hypertension and longevity …
Here’s a curious phenomenon I can’t help but notice as an osteopathic medical student: the attempt that some osteopathic medical students make to distance themselves from the two letters that will soon piggyback their names forever. (I’ll give you a hint: the first letter isn’t M). As a member of my school’s curriculum committee, I sent out a handful of formal and informal surveys to gather students’ input on a variety of topics. Without fail, there would …
In this day and time, the primary method of communication revolves around social media and technology. Phones, pagers, computers and tablets have overtaken the “snail mail” of a bygone era. No matter what remote corner of the planet you inhabit, you have the ability to stay connected with your loved ones and personal interests. In our careers, we have come to realize that multitasking, especially through web-related technology, is the most productive usage of our …
I would like to begin this article with a question: Do the name and ethnicity of a doctor affect your decision when choosing a physician? America has always been a melting pot with diverse cultures and ethnicity. The medical field is a melting pot in its own right with its own politics, conflicts, racial disparities and the like. When I was starting medical school, my mother suggested that I should change my Chinese first name …
Atul Nakhasi has been called the most sought-after young man in Iowa—2007 Person of the Year, Campus Kingmaker, you name it—for his game-changing political organizing as president of University of Iowa Democrats during the 2008 presidential election. Atul now oversees 50,000 U.S. medical students as chair of the American Medical Association Medical Student Section (AMA-MSS). I vividly remember the email Atul sent to me during his campaign for chair almost a year ago. He casually …
The patient was a woman in her mid-twenties recently diagnosed with lupus. She was clearly anxious about her prognosis and treatment. The rheumatologist I was shadowing that day entered the room, made some casual conversation intermingled with medical questions, and proceeded with the physical exam. She was attentive to the patient’s needs and accommodating with her questions. The rheumatologist’s confidence, compassion and ability to sooth the patient’s worries made a lasting impression on me. During …
I’m writing in response to Sam Armstrong’s anti-choice piece “Who Counts, Who Doesn’t: Human Value, Reproductive Freedom and the Abortion-on-Demand Debate” that was recently published online at in-Training. While a comprehensive review of student doctor Armstrong’s arguments is warranted, I will only attack those I found particularly troublesome. I’ll also add salient points he did not discuss, while maintaining an eye on the neo-proverbial “TL;DR” clock. Mr. Armstrong (who I’ll now refer to as “Sam,” as he is …
Medical Student Editor Emeritus (2013-2015)
Nova Southeastern University College of Osteopathic Medicine
Will graduated in the Class of 2015 at Nova Southeastern University College of Osteopathic Medicine, and he is now an attending in Adult Inpatient Medicine at Maine Medical Center. He went to Oberlin College where he majored in philosophy and snark. He is passionate about reproductive health, humanism, music and riding his bike as much as possible. To see more glamorous writing on science, bioethics, and unique perspectives on the training of future doctors, check out his blog, Doctor Coffee's Brain Banter.
