Tears For Company
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.
Tag: mental health
Contributing Writer
Meharry Medical College
Aliah L. Fonteh is a fourth-year medical student at Meharry Medical College in Nashville, TN, class of 2023. In 2017, she graduated from Liberty University with a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Sciences. In 2019, she graduated from Liberty University with her Master of Science in Biomedical Sciences. She is a National Health Service Corps Scholar and has received a variety of other research, leadership, service, and teaching related awards in her journey so far. The accolade she is most proud of is being nominated by her peers for the Gold Humanism Honor Society (GHHS). She enjoys engaging in mentorship, service to global and local communities, and research opportunities in her free time. After graduating medical school, Aliah would like to pursue a career in OB/GYN.
To Give Your Heart And Soul (2021)
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
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
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
“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
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
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
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
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.
Recognizing Scars of the Mind
“This one is a handful. She brought a long list, too, so good luck with that,” the nurse said as she handed me the patient prep sheet. This was a new patient to the family medicine practice. I was seeing her near the end of a long day, so I took a deep breath to reset my mind as I entered the exam room, prepared to listen.
Calmly Collected
My relaxed reveal / faked a fool / while tanking time / with failing fuel.
The Imposter
Comparison is the enemy / The future seems bleak / Look left, look right
Contributing Writer
Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Paul L. Foster School of Medicine
Chika Nwachukwu is a third-year medical student at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Paul L. Foster School of Medicine in El Paso, Texas class of 2023. In 2018, she graduated from Texas A&M University with a Bachelor of Science in health. She enjoys watching basketball, reading, traveling, and singing. After graduating from medical school, Chika would like to pursue a career in psychiatry.