Tag: gross anatomy dissection

Coco Thomas Coco Thomas (4 Posts)

Columnist

Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine

Coco Thomas is a second-year medical student at Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine in Philadelphia, PA class of 2023. In 2016 she graduated from The University of Scranton with a Bachelor of Science in nursing. She works per diem as an ER nurse at Morristown Medical Center. She enjoys traveling, trying new foods, and research in her free time. After graduating medical school, Coco would like to pursue a career Emergency Medicine.

Switching Stethoscopes

After working in the Emergency Room as a registered nurse for three years, Coco made the transition into medical school at Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. The column Switching Stethoscopes describes a medical student's journey from nurse to doctor, while reflecting on the "non-traditional" path some students take to become a physician.




Allow Natural Death

Published by Coco Thomas

Allowing natural death gives the elderly and terminally ill the opportunity to control the end of their life, providing empowerment and a sense of peace during their time of uncertainty. This patient and her family’s forethought allowed us to provide medications to ease her pain and discomfort. When she closed her eyes for the last time, her body relaxed into the sheets, and I pulled the blanket up to her shoulders. Her family said goodbye, and then I began to perform post-mortem care.

Reimagining Quarantine: Surviving Medical School at Home

Published by Sara Wierbowski

Back in late March, I was a medical student in D.C. studying for exams. Today, I am a 23-year-old living with my parents again. Despite being in school 5+ hours away, my bedroom in upstate New York has become my new classroom. Being at home has its perks: I get food from my mom again, and I can wear pajamas all day if I wanted to (not that I actually do that). However, there are many things that don’t feel right about being a medical student who has no connection to the medical world right now.

Life in a Line

Published by Julia Schroer

Many honor their cadaver with the designation of being their “first patient.” Yet, the term “patient” implies the receipt of some benefit in the form of treatment or improved well-being. Throughout our time together, I treated my cadaver with nothing but careful and thoughtful desecration. Just several months earlier I had promised to do no harm. Yet, as my inexperienced hands repeatedly sliced through layers of tissue, I could not help but feel like an intruder stealing something that was never meant to be mine.

Amy Schattel Amy Schattel (2 Posts)

Contributing Writer

West Virginia Medical School

Amy Schattel is a second year medical student at West Virginia Medical School. She attended Wheeling Jesuit and the University College Cork for her undergraduate education. Her passions include physician/student wellness, culinary and lifestyle medicine, advocacy, and of course---writing. When she's not watching a Sketchy video for the fourth time, she can be found curled up with a good book and her regally fluffy cat, Rembrandt.