Yours Sincerely
This house was once full of life / Layers of warmth and affection. / A fireplace, the heart of all
Tag: MS1
Contributing Writer
Cardiff University School of Medicine
Diva is now an Internal Medicine Trainee in London, UK. Her interests include acute medicine, cardiology and stroke medicine. Beyond this she is an avid reader, writer, swimmer and has a musical background in piano and vocals.
Reflections from Anatomy: A Letter to Myself
If gross anatomy has taught me any topics, they are the sheer beauty and capability of the human body.
Gluteus Maximus
Deeper than its captivating shape / lies a greater purpose.
A Letter to My Pre-Medical School Self
After our first year of coursework, our LC mentors asked us to write a confidential letter to our “2016 self,” or ourselves at the time just before we began medical school. Right away, I recalled that at that time, I was a nervous wreck.
A First-Year Flashback
Second year? Could that be? It felt wrong. It threw off my whole identity. “I’m just a first-year,” had been my motto for the past twelve months.
A Slap in the Face Might Just Be Exactly What You Need
Medical school hit me, and I mean it hit me hard. I would describe it as a boulder rolling down a hill straight towards me, multiplied by ten, and that is how scared and unprepared I was for my first few weeks of medical school.
It’s Okay
It’s okay to feel in the cadaver lab. It’s what your first patient wanted for you.
The Dreaded Exam
The medical school recruiters and academic advisers had conveniently forgotten this detail during my educational overview when I originally signed up to be a physician.
Medical School (in Numbers)
Whenever my friends or family ask, “How’s medical school?” I have a simple, scripted response … But this response relays a fraction of what medical school has been like.
Abnormal is the New Normal
Given that we are in a profession that aims to prevent harm, treat ailments and promote healthy living, the concept of an ideal body seems to be embedded in our work. The problem with the idea of normalcy, however, is that it is an ill-defined and very subjective idea that varies among each individual.
Becoming Doctor Superman: On the Journey of Trying to Know It All
They say to become truly educated is to begin to realize how little you really know. I used to not understand this — it seemed the more I learned, the more I knew. How could it be different? This changed in medical school. It was only then that I began to feel more and more ignorant with each passing day of my education.
Sticks and Stones and Broken Bones
The first time I saw a vertebra in medical school was not in anatomy lab. It was on a Thursday afternoon on the playground at Rolling Bends, a low-income housing community in West Atlanta. The smooth, white bony processes poked through the woodchips alongside broken glass and cigarette butts, almost, but not quite, unnoticeable.
Writer-in-Training
Emory School of Medicine
Originally from Atlanta, Georgia, Amara has bounced around the country a bit before landing back in her hometown for medical school. She enjoys hiking, traveling, exploring the city and thinking about fun things like human evolution. Email her if you’d like to talk!