This Shouldn’t Be Happening
Medical student Rebekah Russell reflects on her experience with the healthcare system during a miscarriage.
Arts and Poetry
This category contains poems and art pieces, which are also tagged under their respective themes in other cateogries.
Medical Student Contributing Writer
Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine
Rebekah Russell is a native of Cleveland, Ohio. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology in 2018 and her Master of Public Health in 2020 from Case Western Reserve University. She is currently in the MD class of 2024 at Case Western Reserve University with interests in health equity, social justice, and health disparities.
Chief Complaint: 27 year old female MS-2 reports feeling “hollow”
Medical student Olivia Dhaliwal reflects on the weight of medical school and her feelings of “hollow”
A Vision of Healthcare
Medical student Rucha Borkhetaria shares a photograph that represents her view of an ideal physician.
The Human Touch
Medical student Rooshi Parikh writes about the power of human connection through a small ritual performed between a physician and a patient.
Dark Sea
Medical student Lindsey Wright explores the stark contrast of love and grief after the loss of her father to cancer and finds solace in poetry and painting.
The Ring On My Hand
This creative piece explores the internal dialogue that a gay patient has with himself when his provider fails to use inclusive language and offers a question that probes disclosure.
Smoke
Medical student Jake Bardell poetically epitomizes the art of medicine: navigating the nuances that lie beyond the logical and algorithmic thinking expected of doctors.
Yellow
Medical student Lindsey Nae Wright discusses the unique and life-altering experience of practicing the physical exam on her dying father. Her experience has turned the happy color yellow into something darker.
One Day
Alicia Pugh writes a poem that reflects on how our backgrounds impact the way we view our patients.
The Pause
Katherine Panushka asks readers to reflect and acknowledge that our patients’ stories extend beyond their final moments in her poem, “The Pause.”
Mourning’s Glory
Lindsey Nae Wright reflects on mourning the losses that come with being a medical student.
His Perception
Medical student Alicia Pugh describes a conspicuous encounter with a patient that typified the lingering undercurrent of microaggresions against professionals of color. Read more to see how she responded to this experience.
Medical Student Contributing Writer
University of Illinois at Chicago
Alicia Pugh is a fourth-year medical student at the University of Illinois at Chicago. In her free time, she enjoys creative writing, gardening, and volunteering.
