Tag: clinical rotations

John Waters John Waters (2 Posts)

John Waters is a fourth year medical student at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania class of 2025. In 2015, he graduated from University of Idaho with a Bachelor of Science in microbiology. He enjoys yoga, running, and talking to his cat, Paula, in his free time. After graduating medical school, John will be pursuing a career in AP/CP Pathology at University of Washington.




“You Must Hate Patients”

Published by John Waters

From premed onward, an interest in pathology is often met with a well-meaning but mildly disapproving joke. It comes from friends, family, mentors and internet forums. “You must hate patients.” It seems introverts and misanthropes alike are often relegated to the sub-sub-basements and windowless corners of the hospital, where radiologists and pathologists hiss at lost patients. While every specialty is ripe with ridicule and stereotypes, this particular joke damages the image of an already underappreciated …

Surviving 3rd Year

Published by Tanvi Saran

I stepped foot on the island, unaware of what the next 39 days will hold. I recounted the advice I sought out prior to this adventure. “Remember to not step on anyone’s toes.” “Don’t be a burden. Be proactive.” “Read the room.” I wandered about my new home, using a map to guide me to my assigned tribe. I stepped foot into camp; a windowless room filled with scattered computers, rolling chairs, and an overfilling …

The Sound of an Urban Cowboy

Published by Matthew Petitt

“Walker! David Walker!” I called the name of the next patient as I stood in front of the obnoxiously loud automatic doors that separated the emergency department waiting room from the clinical area. As the doors scraped shut behind me, I realized I’d probably called his name too loudly. The waiting room was dead silent. Only empty chairs on a nauseatingly sticky floor looked back at me as I glanced around the room for Mr. …

Healing’s First Breath

Published by Emilio Blair

The clinic room was quiet, the air laced with the familiar scent of hand sanitizer. Cold air crept out from the overhead vent and slipped through my scrubs, sharpening my focus but numbing my hands at the same time. I was a third-year medical student on my family medicine rotation. Sitting across from me was my first patient of the day, a woman in her forties, here for her routine annual checkup. I settled onto …

Dead or Alive: A Student’s Experience

Published by Kenneth Lopez

“That doesn’t happen often,” I quietly but excitedly say to myself while discussing our consult from the PICU. My attending hesitates, pondering the precarious balance between encouraging my medical curiosity and protecting me from the horrors of child abuse and mistreatment that still haunt her to this day. That day, I was a first-hand witness to the necessary but horrible clinical task of a brain death exam. This task is a rite of passage for …

A Longing for Belonging

Published by Malak Ibrahim

As patients moved in and out of the modest office for their appointments, their duffel bags and luggage in tow containing all their personal belongings, the day unfolded in typical fashion. Yet, within the confines of this psychiatry office catering exclusively to the local unhoused population, “normal” took on a unique meaning.

Moments of Vulnerability

Published by Heena Mansuri

At the start of clinical rotations, we are urged by preceptors to immerse ourselves in the experience, advocate for our patients and strive to understand them better than the rest of the team. I could not, however, shake an underlying thought: Why would any patient divulge their most intimate details to someone so inexperienced? After all, I was just a medical student.

Mona Roshan Mona Roshan (1 Posts)

Contributing Writer

Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Florida International University

Mona is a medical student at the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Florida International University in Miami, FL class of 2025. She graduated from University of California, San Diego with a Bachelor of Science in biochemistry and cell biology with summa cum laude latin honors in 2020 and a Master of Science in biology in 2021. She has been inducted into Phi Beta Kappa, the Gold Humanism Honor Society, and Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Honor Society. She enjoys working out, cooking, and spending time with friends and family in her free time. After graduating medical school, Mona would like to pursue a career in diagnostic radiology.