Blackness covers the paper in its entirety. Hunched over, charcoal stained fingertips splayed out in front of me, I exhale and my saturated breath evokes miniature tornadoes. The fragrance of warm charcoal engulfs my olfactory bulb and my temporal lobe explodes with images of the past. I am transported back to scraped shins guarded by starched, white ruffled socks. My fingertips …
When practicing medicine, hold on to what makes you whole
In a field filled with history, data, and very smart people, it can be difficult to do anything with confidence. And yet, this is one of the most desirable traits a doctor can have, that and a light hand when it comes to handing out narcotics. However, I have never been a fan of over-confidence. I feel that if you are going …
Imposter syndrome makes medical training more difficult than it should be
“Sometimes a simple, almost insignificant gesture on the part of a teacher can have a profound formative effect on the life of a student.”
– Paulo Freire
Think back to a moment when a teacher or “authority” figure gave you a compliment. We all have them, from kindergarten to high school to college and sometimes graduate school and work. The reason why many of you can recall such moments is that unlike …
Being an attending means being a teacher. Take that job seriously.
As my third year of clinical rotations comes to an end, I’ve been reflecting on the ways in which I use my training as an anthropologist on the wards. One patient comes to mind, a recent immigrant from South Asia who came into the hospital after an accident where he was bicycling and got hit by a car. He was scanned from …
A background in anthropology comes in handy on the wards
The number of African-American physicians in academic medicine is dismal, and this leads to an abundance of problems. Academic hospitals (teaching hospitals associated with universities) generally do not have a proportionate representation of underrepresented minority faculty as compared to the surrounding population. According to a U.S. News & World Report article, the number of African-American faculty increased by 0.2 percent in ten …
Analyzing the deficit of African-Americans in academic medicine
Dear future Pranay,
By the time you read this, time will have passed with the same explosive inevitability that C. diff diarrhea passes from unfortunate rectums. I’m not sure where life has taken you — you might be a serious senior resident physician, frazzled fellow, or — maybe — living your dream of being an eccentric train conductor with an affinity for shoe …
An intern writes to his future self. See what he had to say.
In the news recently has been a complaint filed by over 60 Asian-American groups, alleging discrimination in admissions at Harvard. They point to such statistics as this: in 2009, among accepted applicants to the Ivy League, the average SAT score on a 1600 point scale for Caucasians was 310 points higher than Hispanics …
Asian-American discrimination: Is medical school next?
As a multi-racial and ethnically ambiguous American, 90 percent of the time I walk into a patient’s room or show up to help run a clinic I’m asked if I’m a nurse or a translator. Most of my patients simply do not perceive someone who looks like me to be a doctor. This may be because the majority of doctors at …
It’s time to celebrate diversity in physicians
Your First Patient: The opportunity to dissect a human body is a once in a lifetime opportunity. The cadaver that you will use for dissection was donated by a person who wished to make a contribution to your education as a physician. It is not possible to put into words the emotions experienced by that individual as he or she made …
The moment medical students discover a profound appreciation for humanity
Over the years, applicants whom I’ve interviewed for positions in the first-year medical student class at Georgetown have often asked how our school’s mission statement influences the educational experiences and clinical services we provide:
Guided by the Jesuit tradition of Cura Personalis, care of the whole person, Georgetown University School of Medicine will educate a diverse student body, in an integrated way, to become knowledgeable, ethical, skillful, and compassionate physicians and …
Mission statements of medical schools: Here’s why they matter
After the last elective case of the day, the neurosurgeon I was shadowing told me that he was on overnight call that evening, and that I could stick around to observe more surgeries if I wanted to. “Yes,” I responded. “Absolutely yes.”
My fascination with surgery stems from its ability to provide immediate results to a patient by cutting out, repairing, reshaping, or …
A neurosurgery case that this medical student won’t forget
The transition between the basic science years and the clinical years in medical school are jarring, mystifying, exhilarating and thought-provoking. Recently, I did an hour conference with approximately 30 medical students. About half started their clinical year five weeks ago, while the remainder have only three weeks left before they finish the year. They gave me permission to share our discussion. We focused on their (and my) observations about the …
10 thoughts on the transition to a third-year med student
Dr. James Lyons graduated from the University of Michigan’s Medical School in 1942, just a few months after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. As our country swung into a state of all-out war against the Axis powers, many newly minted MDs were assigned specialties by the government instead of being able to choose themselves, and Dr. Lyons …
As I start medical school, I’m inspired by Dr. James Lyons
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“Thank you.”
Looking back on my step 1 study period, I owe my sanity to three things. Numbers 1 and 2 include my best friend and Coffee Toffee ice cream, both of whom prevented me from falling apart at the seams on multiple occasions. Number 3 is a memory from volunteering earlier in the year, and it still stands out as the sole motivating force behind me ever finding my copy …
Looking a patient in the eye made all the difference in the world
One of the most distinctive aspects of a medical career is the vulnerability we see in essential strangers almost immediately upon introduction. Even without a medical degree, the third-year medical student will find out intimate details of one’s life while taking a history.
Patients will reveal their fears of a disease, embarrassing side effects of a new drug, a habit they are ashamed of. Halfway into third year, I have learned the …
A medical student, overcome with the gratefulness that she is in medicine
I came across an article featured on NPR and it immediately grabbed my attention. Traditionally medical student education is accomplished in a four-year program in medical schools nationwide but University of California, Davis is now offering their medical training as a three-year obligation. A three-year medical school as opposed to a four-year program is intriguing, thought provoking and …
The fourth year of medical school should be eliminated. Here’s why.
If you had asked me 15 years ago what I wanted to be when I “grow up,” a doctor was definitely not a thought in my mind. I wasn’t bred at a young age to become a physician by the ancestors that walked before me, nor did I desire to go through that much schooling before I could enter the real …
A physician completes residency: Here’s her advice to new doctors
During my third year of medical school, I would often tell my parents about my days on the clinical wards. As physicians, they were excited that I was following in their footsteps and eager to engage me in conversation about my education as doctor-in-training.
“So,” they would ask, “did you draw the blood for the labs?”
“No, I don’t think I’m allowed to …
Med students are marginalized in the hospital. It’s time for that to stop.
Years ago as a first-year medical student, I wrote a piece titled “Be an Innovator in Medical School.” The content was meant to be a starter guide for medical students interested in creating change at their institution or community. Now, at the tail end of medical school, I reflect on lessons I have learned along the way.
1. Do what moves …
7 things this med student learned about being an innovator
Ask any premed student what they fear most and the answer will always be the MCAT, or Medical College Admission Test. After 25 years, the MCAT is being revised, becoming longer (by three hours) and covering a broader range of topics than simply chemistry, physics, and biology. One-quarter of the new test covers “psychology, sociology and the biological foundations of behavior.” …
The danger of politically correct medical schools
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