Humanity in Medicine
During my M3 rotations, I believe I have learned as much about medicine as I have about humanity. I’ve come to appreciate that to perform well in this profession, we must embrace both its scientific and human elements.
Tag: humanism in medicine
Contributing Writer
Eastern Virginia Medical School
Lauren is a fourth year medical student at Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk, VA Class of 2023. In 2017, she graduated from the University of Virginia with a Bachelors of Science in Education in Communication Disorders. In her free time, she enjoys spending time outside - running, hiking, camping, and skiing. After graduating medical school, Lauren plans to pursue a career in OBGYN.
Same But Different
My sister is nine years older than I am. We went to different high schools and currently live over 500 miles apart.
To Me, Ten Years Ago, by T. N. Diem Vu, MD
Ten years ago, I stepped onto the grounds of my medical school for the first time. I remember there was so much anxiety — I was anxious to become a student doctor, anxious to choose a specialty, anxious about my own insecurities around my impressive and brilliant classmates. I wish I could go back in time and sit down with my younger self at my favorite coffee shop. I’d treat her to a hot matcha latte with honey and vanilla (it’s going to change her life) and tell her everything is going to be okay.
Staying Human in Medicine, by Kevin Dueck, MD
Dr. Kevin Dueck, MD is an adjunct professor at the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry at Western University and practices rural family medicine and addiction medicine, and he contributes this video presentation as a former in-Training writer.
Small Differences in the Face of Death
Every medical student has felt apprehensive about facing death at some point, right? Maybe you have experienced someone dying before, or maybe it is something you have never seen and only rarely contemplated. Regardless, there is a subtle tension lurking during your first two years of pre-clinical studies, during which disease and death are intellectualized and abstract. Then clerkships start.
A Clinical Outing
The hospital room is / fair, square, sterile — / by its vapid / medical posters / and lusterless hospital tools.
An Overstuffed Backpack
It was a Friday morning at 4:30 a.m. and I was rushing to the hospital for pre-rounds. I was on my neurology rotation, and my pockets were heavy and stuffed with tools. My preceptor had texted me the room numbers of the patients I was to visit that morning. I had three patients to see in the hour before rounds — the first two patients I had been following every day this week and a third patient was a new admit from overnight.
Socializing in Medical School: Evaluating Our Racial Comfort Zones
I came across a photo on social media of some classmates that appeared almost identical to another one I had seen months ago — beaming medical students crowded together against a brick wall of a campus apartment. Déjà vu. But there was one difference. Nearly all the students in this picture were white, whereas all the students in the older picture were non-white.
Condescending Humor in Medicine and Medical Education
Humor can be a double-edged sword; when used inappropriately in the workplace, it can taint interactions between health care providers and detract from professionalism.
Reflections On Resilience
In early spring, amid the earlier quarantines, I watched dandelions grow outside my window. At first, subtly and hidden among the blades of grass. Then budding, bursting yellow amid green galaxies. These tiny suns danced in April’s wind and their scent carried morning’s dew and earth-like warmth into midday, until the smells of grills and barbecues took stage.
Noticing Love: An Experiment
Today, I am determined to notice love. The sun comes up bright and full each morning to keep us warm.
The Importance of Student-Run Free Clinics in the Preclinical Setting
During one of my first patient encounters at the clinic, I remember a young and seemingly indifferent patient come in with earbuds plugged in her ears. Her hands tightly grasped the arms of the exam chair as she anxiously awaited the arrival of the clinic optometrist.
Contributing Writer
Saint Louis University School of Medicine
Van is a second-year medical student at Saint Louis University School of Medicine in the class of 2024. In 2019, he graduated from UCLA with a Bachelor of Science in human biology and society with a concentration in bioethics and public science policy. He enjoys watching and talking about films, snowboarding, and completing the daily Wordle. In the future, Van would like to pursue a career in internal medicine.