“Nothing is more needed than nourishment for the imagination.”
This quote from an article in The Atlantic entitled “For the Young Doctor About to Burn Out” is one that is profoundly meaningful as we start the last year of medical school. While most of our mind is occupied with the thoughts of where we will match and spend the next chapter in residency training, we can’t help but also reflect on how far we’ve come, what our career means to us going forward, and the endless opportunities that lie ahead.
Lately, we have come across many articles on medical student burnout. There are a vast number of students who find themselves buried deep inside a pile of test grades and competitiveness among their classmates, become emotionally exhausted, and start questioning whether medical school is right for them.
Where did the humanistic qualities that we brought with us go?
It is easy for us to relate. We both came into this journey of medicine as 17-year-old high school students, hoping to make an impact on a group of people while expanding our scientific knowledge.
Coming into the final year of medical school, it’s time to remind ourselves of that original motivation and rediscover why we chose to make medicine our lives. It has been a while since we wrote our last column — we were buried deep in that pile of “medical school crap” that took us away from nourishing our imagination.
The way we nourish our imagination is to nourish ourselves, with new and good food. We have been experimenting with fresh recipes and going outside our comfort zone with eating new foods. Here is one recipe that we like with collard greens and black-eyed peas. We hope it nourishes you.
Collard Greens and Black-Eyed Pea Soup
Ingredients:
2 cups black-eyed peas
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
6 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
1 bunch collard greens, tough stems and ribs removed, leaves thinly sliced
4 carrots, chopped
1/4 teaspoon salt
ground black pepper to taste
cayenne pepper to taste
Heat oil over medium heat in a large pot. Add onion, garlic and celery and cook until onion is translucent, five to eight minutes.
Add black-eyed peas and broth, bring to a boil and skim off and discard any foam on the surface.
Reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, until peas are tender, about 45 minutes.
Add collard greens and carrots and simmer until tender, 15 to 20 minutes more.
Season with salt, pepper and cayenne and serve.
Enjoy!
eom. [existing outside medical school]
As medical students, we often find ourselves attending countless hours of lecture, studying late at night in the library, and eating junk from the hospital cafeteria. We forget that there is a life outside of the bubble that is medical school! Read our column to take a break from the work and exist outside of medical school.
Columnist Emeritus
Albany Medical College
Hey! My name is Khusboo Desai and I am in the Albany Med Class of 2015. I went to Union College and majored in biology and anthropology. I think it is hard to describe myself (or anyone for that matter) but I find that my interests are reflective of who I am. I absolutely love to read, hang out with my friends and family, Instagram, try different things...especially food, and learn--my dad always told me that everyday my goal should be to learn one new thing and that is the one principle I truly bide by.
eom. [existing outside medical school]
As medical students, we often find ourselves attending countless hours of lecture, studying late at night in the library, and eating junk from the hospital cafeteria. We forget that there is a life outside of the bubble that is medical school! Read our column to take a break from the work and exist outside of medical school.
Columnist Emeritus
Albany Medical College
Hey guys, I'm Haritha Sishtla, a Class of 2015 medical student at Albany Medical College. I went to undergrad not too far away at Union College and majored in biology and economics. Anyone who knows me knows that I love to talk and share my experiences, and that I spend a lot of time taking pictures and Instagramming and/or PicStitching them. I also spend a lot of time on Pinterest, which may cut into my study time...
eom. [existing outside medical school]
As medical students, we often find ourselves attending countless hours of lecture, studying late at night in the library, and eating junk from the hospital cafeteria. We forget that there is a life outside of the bubble that is medical school! Read our column to take a break from the work and exist outside of medical school.