Tutoring is the most selfish thing I do. This probably sounds counterintuitive, but let me explain.
To state the obvious, medical school is hard. You spend four years pushing yourself to the limit of your comfort zone. For two years, you cram more information into your brain than it can hold (and most of it leaks back out). Then for the next two years, you chameleon your way from one clinical …
Why this medical student tutors
During my pathology rotation as a third-year medical student, I had the opportunity to examine many patients’ slides under the microscope. This allowed me to study and understand diseases in ways different from how I had often done during my previous rotations. I appreciated the various architectural patterns of cells, blood vessels, and tissues strewn across slides as I directed the microscope into focus. I often thought about how these …
Simultaneously being a medical student and patient
It’s been shown that patients can benefit from a satisfying medical experience and the actual clinical treatment. The satisfying medical experience in and of itself leads to trust, follow-through, and health improvements.
Medical school is the optimal time to learn how to deliver a great patient experience. In med school, one develops formative views on the culture of medical practice. Knowing this, we looked at an institution that …
Why this medical school is doing it right
When you are trapped in a locker room in only your underwear at 3 a.m., you realize how many things must have gone wrong for you to land in that spot. Within the first week of my clinical rotations, I managed to be bested by the scrub machine. It was a strong start, to say the least.
My name is Ed, and I am writing to you as a fourth-year medical …
New medical students: Do not take yourself too seriously
Describe a challenge and how you overcame it.
Is this an interview? It is. I see. Yes, the way you are looking at me like I should be providing an answer. OK, well. You see this is a challenge right here because you are two-dimensional and yet I have been told that you are three—and you look like you could have human-like qualities and maybe a cat—but right now I see …
It goes without saying: a residency interview
I badged myself back to the operating room and hiked up my ill-fitting scrubs. The bouffant was twice the size of my head. It made me feel like a child playing dress-up in adult clothes. As I walked to the OR, I rehearsed what I would say in my head. No matter how many surgeries I watched, I could never get over my pre-case jitters. What if I break the …
Don’t forget the socks and shoes: a reflection on the third year of medical school
The new reality of medical conferences shaped by the COVID-19 pandemic requires a new language and a fundamental rethink to make these major showcases of medical organizations and societies a place where physicians and patients can share their experiences and perspectives.
We can no longer characterize medical conferences as – in the words of an old Jimmy Buffet tune – “a Holiday Inn full of surgeons” who meet there every year …
Beyond Jimmy Buffet: The new medical conference
Medical students are quickly familiarized with which specialties are most competitive when they finish their first year. The prior year’s Match statistics can make the process seem daunting. As if the enormous amount of material to be learned is not enough, students also face the anxiety of adequately preparing for a coveted residency position. There might be additional stressors for a medical student in a small city or rural area …
9 medical student tips to prepare for the Match
Each time I am in the emergency department (ED) as a medical student, I meet new members of the health care team that make superior patient care possible. I have quickly developed a greater appreciation for the fact that no medical professional works in an isolated bubble. The strengths that each other bring to the table are paramount to the flow of patient progress. Before my time as a medical …
The work of an emergency department nurse through the eyes of a medical student
The year is 2022.
Like the thousands of freshly minted new medical students around the country, we sit in this liminal space between a life past and the journey to come. In a time when the word uncertainty does not begin to describe the climate of our health care systems around the world, we are truly stepping into a global institution marred by systemic fatigue, constant entropy, and profound grief.
For as …
The first page in a story that’s been years in the making
Medical school is like a tennis match—a series of short sprints and challenges that, when put together, tell a larger story. Unlike tennis, however, everyone can win. Being “successful” in med school has multiple meanings—from caring for your rural hometown, working with your institution to implement a racism in medicine curriculum, and matching into orthopedic surgery. No matter how you define “success,” there will be bumps and potholes along the …
6 tips for success in medical school
When I was about to take my first quiz in medical school, I was convinced I would fail while everyone else felt prepared and would score perfectly. While I floundered to believe in my mastery of the material, my peers had seemed confident and secure. This couldn’t be farther from the truth: I was indeed prepared and ready to succeed in my academics as an M1, and many others were …
How to combat imposter syndrome in medical school
It is 2022, and the COVID-19 pandemic is still unrelenting, with no end in sight. Health care workers have been challenged mentally, physically, and emotionally. Sadly, some may never fully understand the struggles of many medical professionals, especially residents. It is no new news that residents have historically been underpaid and overworked. However, what is new is the inflation and price increase on the cost of living. Despite this, salaries …
Let’s talk residency: COVID edition
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I failed my Step 1 medical school board exam by 1 point. This was very hard for me to process, and I consistently wondered if I would have passed if I had just waited an additional week. This new challenge led me to reach out to a new resource: the disability office.
Never before had I considered my medical diagnosis of endometriosis and anxiety as a “disability.” I had obviously done …
Requesting disability accommodations in medical school
The middle-aged veteran curled up on the uncomfortable foam mattress appears irritated. Perhaps he is irritated at himself, knowing that he has gone through this process multiple times, or irritated at his providers, who simply think of him as a chronic alcoholic. I greet him for the first time, sitting on the empty bed opposite him. I ask him a set of questions that I must go through with every …
Appreciating patients as unique individuals makes us better physicians
I was two months into my first year of medical school when I experienced it for the first time.
“Room 214 … oh yeah, she’s a real pain. She will probably talk your ear off and come up with a new self-diagnosis that she will want to get a full workup for. She always does.”
Nervously, I laughed it off. I grew up in a household where doctors are held in high …
The patient who just wanted to be heard
My grandfather passed in the early hours of December 11 and was buried the next day. It all happened very quickly. The last time I saw him was eight years ago. And that was the final time because I couldn’t make it to his funeral. Hopefully, when I look back at this, I’ll always remember to cherish my time with family, no matter how busy medical school or residency gets.
My …
My grandfather’s death: What I’ve learned about life
I first heard about Sir William Osler (1849-1919) through my primary care physician. His biography stated: “I practice family medicine because every day I get to meet new people from all over the world. I get to hear their stories, meet their families, and help them heal. In some cases, I get to see them again and again, building trust and respect while forming meaningful relationships. To me, there is …
Osler and the doctor-patient relationship
The white coat ceremony marks the beginning of a new chapter in the lives of medical students. An academic ritual steeped in symbolism, the ceremony calls on new medical students to reflect upon and adhere to the values that guide the profession. The honor of graduating medical school returns these soon-to-be-doctors to the ideals of medicine. They must take an oath to avoid harm, build trust, and …
Educating for the oath: a medical student’s lived experience with the hidden curriculum
The highly anticipated release of Marvel Studios’ Eternals has people excited about superheroes. When I see an individual in a white coat and stethoscope or a person in scrubs, I see a real superhero, someone who works in the health care field. Our health care providers showed us their superpowers when our country was infected by the novel coronavirus. We witnessed collaboration amongst medical disciplines to combat this deadly virus. …
Superheroes can have disabilities, too
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