Tag: MS3

Matthew Busch (1 Posts)

Contributing Writer

Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine


Matthew Busch is a third year medical student at Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine in Scranton, Pennsylvania class of 2021. In 2017 he graduated from The University of Scranton with a Bachelor in Science in neuroscience and biomathematics, with minors in philosophy and biochemistry. He enjoys playing soccer, listening to audiobooks, and completing puzzles in his free time. After graduating medical school, Matthew would like to pursue a career in Pediatrics.




American Sign Language and the Power of Communication

I began my journey with the Deaf community before coming to medical school starting with a basic American Sign Language class just to learn a few routine signs. I continued with the American Sign Language Club at Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine, hoping to learn more medical signs for any future interactions with Deaf patients. Through the club, I recently met an incredible four-year-old boy named John at a local community event to meet Peppa Pig.

The Vulnerability of Our Patients and Ourselves: A Parallel Chart Reflection

I actually don’t remember his name; he wasn’t my patient. I just saw him during rounds every day during my internal medicine clerkship. He was in his late-80s, and he was very ill. He had a long history of COPD, most likely attributed to his even longer history of smoking. He had been admitted to our service for a severe respiratory infection a few days prior to me starting the rotation. This was my last rotation of my 3rd year, and I walked in thinking I had seen enough COPD patients to know exactly what to expect.

Buddy

You were my first patient on my first inpatient rotation as a third-year medical student, which meant that I had absolutely no idea what was going on. I was mostly concerned with trying not to faint during presentations on morning rounds. I stared at your bowl of Cheerios, the cereal beginning to turn the skim milk a pale yellow. Your brow furrowed in annoyance behind your thick glasses.

How CrossFit Prepared Me for Medical School

A few years ago, I found CrossFit. Since then, I have spent a large share of my free time training and  improving my health and fitness. As with any sport, there was a large learning curve. However, as I trained, my mind and body adapted. I made strides both athletically and mentally that I never thought were possible. I never imagined that this preparation and development would translate to a seemingly opposing task: medical school.

Learning in Crisis

How could I study for my next exam instead of focusing my energy on the crisis around me? Was I selfish for still worrying about doing well in school while others died alone in the hospital on a ventilator? In these moments, I found respite in “Learning in War-Time,” a sermon delivered by C.S. Lewis to the students of Oxford in 1939 just as World War II began. In this timely sermon, Lewis addressed the chief concern on students’ minds: Why continue to study philosophy or science “when the lives of our friends and the liberties of Europe are in the balance?”

“Welcome to Medicine”

You don’t have to sit in silence and painfully nod along with an attending’s racist, misogynistic lectures because you’re their medical student. You don’t need to pick the skin off your cuticles to stop yourself from replying. You don’t need to learn how to hide your grimaces behind your mask because you know you’ll have to listen to them attack your identity for the next several weeks.

Building a Sense of Ownership in My Medical Education Through Elective Curricular Development

When I began thinking of establishing an elective, I wished there had been a roadmap to follow to understand where to start and how to invest my time. Hopefully, by detailing my own process, which I’ve broken down into three phases, other students may feel that they too can take ownership of their education by developing something rooted in their passions for others to enjoy and learn from.

Connor Grant Connor Grant (1 Posts)

Contributing Writer

University of California, San Diego School of Medicine


Connor is a third-year medical student at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine in La Jolla, CA class of 2020. In 2018, he graduated from University of California, Davis with a Bachelor of Science in neurobiology, physiology, and behavior. While at UC Davis he was a Regents Scholar, Provost Award recipient, Margarita Robinson Student Leadership Award recipient, and Glenn Veloyce Winslow Jr. Award winner. He enjoys skiing, soccer, golf and watching movies in his free time. After graduating medical school, Connor would like to pursue a career in Emergency Medicine or Internal Medicine.