Tag: medical education

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 …

Out of Sight and Out of Mind: Carceral Health in the Medical Education Curriculum

Published by Evan Simonsen

Approximately 5% of Americans will be incarcerated at some point in their lives, a number that varies greatly along racial lines. Why don’t we talk about this far-reaching public health issue, and driver of racial disparities in health outcomes, in our medical education? During the course of my medical education, I listened to countless lectures and took part in many discussions regarding the social determinants of health in the context of marginalized and underserved populations. …

The road less travelled

Published by Ayesha Khan

“Two roads diverged in a wood and I- I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.” ‘The Road not Taken’ by Robert Frost. ‘The Road not Taken’ is a poem by Robert Frost, where he talks about the impact of making different choices. The poem has stuck with me as I believe it resonates with my choice to specialize in family medicine – unknown to more than half of …

The Psych Ward

Published by Natalie David

This was my patient. I sat with her, held her hand, coaxed her to share pieces of her life story from underneath the covers.

Can You Water My Plants?

Published by Sai Kottapalli

“Could you water my plants?” I asked my roommate when I was out of town. They say it takes a village to raise a child, make it through medical school, to do anything worth knowing. When I started medical school, I had a village: parents, friends, family, a partner and my plants.

Take My Hand

Published by Jillian Barry

I do not know what to say or feel when I first meet you. My first instinct is to introduce myself, but you can neither hear me nor reply.

Beyond Words: Empathy and Understanding in Medicine

Published by Mona Roshan

During my family medicine clerkship in medical school, I worked with a free mobile primary care clinic dedicated to serving uninsured patients. Parked outside a church in a large city, the clinic was a large blue bus standing in stark contrast to the gray asphalt parking lot around it.

Donning and Doffing

Published by Olivia Veira

As you search your closet / For your scrub cap, / Stethoscope, / And pants,

The Anatomy of Healing

Published by Austin Guerrina

On September 29, 2021, my world started to unravel. My first anatomy lab as a medical student had just begun. I stepped foot in the cadaver lab where the pungent odor of formaldehyde clung to the air, and I was overflowing with eagerness.

Finding Balance in the Wake of My First Code Stroke

Published by Rohan Bhat

As we got closer to the ED, the excitement evolved into a feeling of discomfort. It was uncomfortable to feel even briefly excited by another person’s misfortune. I felt a sense of disequilibrium as I realized I had strayed from the delicate balance medical students and physicians continually try to find.

A Swim in a Pond on the Wards

Published by Pal Shah

I first wrote to author George Saunders in my senior year of high school. Thankful for everything his writing taught me about empathy, I sought advice as I crossed the “seemingly arbitrary line into adulthood.”

My Own Kitchen

Published by Kaitlin Toal

“254?!” I gawk at the glucometer, stunned that Tom’s blood sugar has soared to such heights when it has consistently remained below 125 for the last two weeks. Tom glances up at me with an amused look on his face, clearly entertained by my reaction — “It was probably that pork chop that did it.”

Kaitlin Toal (3 Posts)

Writers-in-Training Intern and Contributing Writer

Geisinger College of Health Sciences

Kaitlin is a medical student at Geisinger College of Health Sciences, class of 2027, interested in primary care and addiction medicine. She is from Malvern, PA and attended Northeastern University for undergrad. Outside of school, Kaitlin loves running, volunteering, cooking, reading/writing, and playing piano!