Tag: mental health

Malak Ibrahim (1 Posts)

Contributing Writer

Florida International University Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine

Malak Ibrahim is a fourth year medical student at Florida International University Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine in Miami, Florida class of 2025. In 2020, she graduated from the University of South Florida with a Bachelor of Science in biomedical sciences and a minor in psychology. She has a passion for physical fitness and enjoys reading novels, traveling, and spending time with family in her free time. After medical school, Malak would like to pursue a career in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.

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. The narratives of childhood neglect, abuse, drug addiction and homelessness recounted by these patients never ceased to startle me as a third-year medical …

sunflower field below a blue sky and rolling mountains

Heliotropism; towards the sun.

Published by Nima Trivedi

this weekend / I went to the sunflower patch / swinging arms with my mom and sister / starry eyed at the fields of bright gold yellow / nestled in the blue of the mountains around us.

Still Here: My Experience with Repeating a Year of Medical School

Published by Marthena Phan

Within the first week, the excitement I felt at my white coat ceremony quickly faded as I became overwhelmed and fell behind. Even with seemingly endless hours of studying, I was still doing poorly. I was exhausted every day and neglecting my well-being. For the first time in my life, my hard work was not paying off.

Tears For Company

Published by Aliah Fonteh

She had her head bowed over her sleeping newborn, and her perfect plaits of braids were blanketing her shoulders, cascading calmly despite the insurmountable turmoil clearly manifesting on her face.

To Give Your Heart And Soul (2021)

Published by Stacey Audrey Wildermuth

Physicians give their heart and soul to the practice of medicine. Caring for patients at their most vulnerable moments is a heavy responsibility and privilege that medical professionals must carry.

Lighting It Up: Bright Light Therapy to Improve Medical Student Wellbeing

Published by Marc Perlman

Bright Light Therapy (BLT) has efficacy in treating mild-to-moderate SAD. A meta-analysis of eight randomized controlled trials found that BLT was effective at treating symptoms of SAD with an effect size of 0.84, which are comparable to the benefits of antidepressants.

The Gap Year Dilemma: What the Medical Student Prescribed

Published by Dionne Blake

My health deteriorated as I started my second year in medical school. I suffered from intense nausea and abdominal pain, only getting four or five consistent hours of sleep per day. These health issues had started and worsened during the second year, eventually culminating in an emergency cholecystectomy.

The Weight We Carry

Published by Mackenzie Poole

“You know, not all of us can be small,” the patient, a well-appearing woman in moderate anxious distress, said as she motioned with her hands and rolled her eyes towards me. “It’s disgusting,” she added.

Maintaining Thick and Thin Skin

Published by Fatema Shipchandler

Third-year rotations forced me to reckon with my emotional capacity as a human and future physician. With each patient encounter, I had to decide whether my skin was too thick or too thin.

The Worth of the Humanities

Published by Ruchica Chandnani

Ruchica Chandnani, Class of 2024 at the Arkansas College of Osteopathic Medicine, contributes this poem as an in-Training writer and current managing editor of the publication since 2021.

A Reflection on Drugs, Tech and Addiction

Published by Rayan Magsi

The dispatcher called in to the emergency department to alert us that someone had collapsed in the parking lot of the hospital. The emergency medical services swiftly brought the patient in and our team surrounded him, placing lines and drawing blood. In the midst of treating him, I learned that Jones had just been released from prison where he had remained sober after years of heroin abuse.

My Journey Through Psychiatry

Published by Jeffrey Phillips

At the start of my psychiatry rotation, I was most apprehensive about performing the “bread and butter” exam of the specialty: the psychiatric interview. I was not afraid of forgetting which questions to ask, but rather how to ask said questions.

Jeffrey Phillips (1 Posts)

Contributing Writer

Oregon Health and Science University

Jeffrey is a third year medical student at Oregon Health and Science University in Portland, Oregon class of 2023. In 2014, he graduated from New York University with a Bachelor of Science in nursing. He worked as a registered nurse from 2014 until 2019. He enjoys gardening, mushroom farming, and spending time with his pets. After graduating medical school, Jeffrey would like to pursue a career in emergency medicine and toxicology.