Natasha Khalid is a physician in Pakistan.

From doctor’s journey in ICU to unveiling poisoning mysteries

Physician
July 19, 2023

Through a combination of coincidental privilege, silly circumstances, hard work, persistence, and perseverance, I ended up becoming a doctor. The journey post-graduation is a difficult one, as it introduces you to a world beyond books and examination halls. It’s a world where people are in agony and depend on you for every single ray of hope—a task that is both immense and heavy on the heart.

Being a doctor who takes …

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From doctor’s journey in ICU to unveiling poisoning mysteries

Revealing the hidden impact of skin conditions

Conditions and Diseases
July 8, 2023

During my internal medicine residency, I rotated through various subspecialties, but the one that always gave me thought-provoking perspectives at the end of the day was dermatology. I was very excited to work in derma and learn how to treat basic clinical conditions like acne, hair fall, dermatitis, etc., at the back of my hand. However, my daily clinics opened my eyes to a new Pandora’s box of issues in …

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Revealing the hidden impact of skin conditions

Remembering my grandmother in the ICU

Physician
August 18, 2022

ICU psychosis is a common phenomenon in hospitals. Most of us as clinicians deal with it well.

However, the ordeal changes when your loved one is struck with it. My grandmother, always admired for her storytelling skills, is now admitted with intestinal obstruction, and her worsening Parkinson’s has just escalated the intensity of her psychosis.

Now she tells me a story of a woman carrying knives, seeing blood everywhere, selling half the …

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Remembering my grandmother in the ICU

Pay heed to the little life traumas that hit us daily

Physician
January 16, 2022

In a world where everything is fast-paced, I believe we miss out on some stuff that deserves our attention.

Just like we need to stop and smell the roses, we need to stop and pay heed to the little life traumas that hit us daily. For today, I will jot down the list of small things that disturbed me and that I didn’t pay attention to.

My patient and colleague suffering from liver …

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Pay heed to the little life traumas that hit us daily

Understand the power of words when curing and harming

Physician
November 11, 2021

Some things in a physician’s life are perpetual. Nowadays, COVID-19 has become one of these inescapable crises that doctors must deal with.

At this point, everyone – including medical practitioners – is exhausted to the core. It feels as though we haven’t slept for weeks or that we’re repeatedly being hit by a train. Every movement feels as if we’re running a marathon.

Even so, my career as a medical professional gives …

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Understand the power of words when curing and harming

I’m a doctor who had COVID. Did I deserve this? Does anyone?

Physician
May 2, 2021

During this pandemic, do we blame people for acquiring COVID or do we empathize?

I wonder this as I read a message from my senior, who mentions that people are suffering or in isolation due to COVID because of their own negligence.

My mind reflects back on all the dying doctors who caught the infection while treating the virus. And then, there was the ophthalmologist in Wuhan who diagnosed the virus, the …

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I’m a doctor who had COVID. Did I deserve this? Does anyone?

Doctors: Don’t care about your handwriting? You should.

Physician
November 24, 2019

A quintessential art of communication is a well-written note. A decent note is one that is self-explanatory as you read. However, to read, you need to understand what is written, and decent handwriting is vital. Unfortunately, neat handwriting is something tough to find, especially when the writer is a doctor.

While doctors may be the smartest students in their class with gold medals around their necks, immaculate in appearance, polite in …

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Doctors: Don’t care about your handwriting? You should.

Chronicles of a resident’s life

Physician
May 8, 2019

I love working but truly detest taking exams. However, as life only gives you more of what you fear, I found myself responsible for my program’s weekly clinical grand rounds — an exercise in which I would present a real live patient and be judged by my program for my clinical acumen and physical exam skills. Passing would be a quiet victory; failing, on the other hand, would be a …

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Chronicles of a resident’s life

Always ask your patient this one thing

Physician
October 13, 2017

8:00 a.m.: Monday mornings are abhorred by almost everyone, but they are gloomier if you work as an intern. For me, this Monday was an anticipated work-free day — hence, it wasn’t too bad.

I had spent a long time at breakfast catching up with friends and later grabbed my books and went to the library to catch up on my studies. This happiness was short lived. And in the afternoon, …

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Always ask your patient this one thing

A new workplace brings a new perspective

Physician
October 5, 2017

I enter the corridor of my new workplace. I’m welcomed and introduced all around. For some reason, best known to her, the human resource lady took so much of my time that I am already pissed and looking angry. I don’t feel comfortable in this different setup, and I miss my old workplace. Every single thing about it, which previously used to get on my nerves, I miss.

However, I succumb …

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A new workplace brings a new perspective