But The Laborers Are Few
My agitation grew as I realized I needed to do something. I was a medical student training to be a doctor after all, right? Wasn’t I supposed to help alleviate the burdens of others?
Tag: narrative medicine
Contributing Writer
University of Central Florida College of Medicine
Tryphina Mikhail is a third year medical student at the University of Central Florida College of Medicine in Orlando, FL class of 2021. In 2016, she graduated from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor of Science in biomedical sciences and a minor in health sciences. She enjoys crocheting, playing volleyball and lindy hop swing dancing in her free time. In the future, Tryphina would like to pursue a career in primary care and academic medicine.
Insight from a Then Cancer Survivor, Now a Medical Student
When I was told I had a mass in my chest, I was shocked. Like most people who are told that they have cancer, I was blindsided. But it was even more shocking because I had been going to multiple doctors over a period of six months complaining of pain in my chest, right arm, and right shoulder.
Obstacles Facing Residents Aging Out of the New York Capital Region Foster Care System
Children raised in foster homes tend to have a high morbidity. They have developed a similar prevalence of serious physical and mental problems comparable to those of other disadvantaged children populations.
The Patient In Room Four
I prepared myself to discuss lab results and dietary counseling. But then my eyes stumbled upon the words on my screen that seemed to be staring back at me: ‘Lung cancer, metastatic to the bone.’
Lasting Stories
I believe in the power of storytelling. As an avid sports fan, I am no stranger to the captivating narrative of athletes.
On Breathing
To keep breathing does not mean to go at it alone or to put up a brave front even when it feels as if the world is collapsing. To keep breathing is to always push towards the goal even when it’s hard and even when it doesn’t feel worth because it will be in the end.
Extraterrestrial
I used to daydream that my first patient as a medical student would be a happy, reasonably healthy elderly woman.
Of the Mindful Clinician
The opportunity to be immersed in learning the stories behind the health of patients is one of the things that drew me to medicine, and, indeed, it still intrigues me. More importantly, I was (and still am) intrigued by the opportunity and challenge of using the multiple streams of information patients present with to make functional improvements in their lives.
On Clinic Time
In medicine, as in medical training, time is the enemy. There is not enough time to talk to patients or study for board exams. There is not enough time to read the latest literature. At the end of the day, there is not enough time to make plans with friends or develop a gym routine that is anything but sporadic.
The Romantic Patient
A glimpse into today’s media is enough to understand the general attitude of modern medicine and health care. While the majority of the population regards scientific progress as a blessing, a not-so-small minority is fearful of how this will negatively impact their health.
Grandmother
I did not know I was feeling sadness until I found it hard to swallow. There is no reason for it, I thought. At 94, she is still sharp, most of the time.
On Strangerhood, Intimacy and Fake Pee
She and I experienced such extremes of strangerhood and intimacy in only 72 hours. But what a privilege it was, to be there for her when she had no one else, to advocate for her, to go a little (or a lot) above and beyond on her behalf, to see the inter-workings of this stranger’s life: this is why I chose medicine.
Contributing Writer
University of Colorado School of Medicine
Reade Tillman is an MS3 at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. She received a BS in Biology from Azusa Pacific University, where she also played on the women's soccer team. She left with a lot of great memories and few knee surgeries, so now she enjoys retirement by traveling to as many warm beaches as the medical school schedule allows.