How Literature Transformed an Engineer into a Doctor
Medical student Bassel Salka finds opportunities to improve health care by reading works of humorists, fiction writers, and philosophers.
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
University of Michigan School Medical School
Bassel is a fourth year medical student at the University of Michigan Medical School. He aspires to synthesize the technical skills he developed as an engineer with the clinical skills he's learned as a medical student to improve patient outcomes.
Orders, Consults, Notes
Intern Ervin Anies assesses the expectation versus the reality of the responsibilities medical students and residents are expected to manage.
Yearning for Yesterday
Shivani Sundaram, a third-year medical student, explores the need for humanity and patience in the face of algorithms and checkboxes.
Love Language
Medical student Saud Rehman writes a poem about understanding other people.
All-American Reject
In a spoken word piece, medical student Hannah Clarke writes about her experiences being a medical student in an unjust healthcare system run by unjust hospital corporations.
Changes
Medical student Saud Rehman has written a collection of poems focusing on the lockdown of March 2020 with artwork to give a visual representation of how he felt. Often times the manifestations of moods unrelated to coursework go overlooked, especially in medicine, and Saud hopes that these provide a representation of the humanity behind students going through difficult times.
First Dissection
Dyese Moody, a medical student, reflects and expresses appreciation for working with a human cadaver for the first time.
On Stages
Resident physician Raihan Noman, reflects on his ERAS residency application process and leaning on his faith.
An Understanding
Medical student MacKenzie Adams reflects on her experience with a patient who received news that he was dying via an interpreter. She addresses the importance of improving care for non-English speakers.
SIRS
Dr. Evin Anies utilizes haiku about systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) to reflect on his journey as a newly-minted physician.
The Blue Collar Underneath
Entering the field of medicine can be daunting, especially if you are the first physician in the family. Current intern Dr. Ervin Anies discusses the emotions associated with assimilating into the culture of medicine and how we as providers can use our diversity to foster better relationships between providers and our patients.
Who Am I?
Medical student Micaela Torres reflects on her progress in healing past traumas and improving her mental health.
Medical Student Contributing Writer
Charles R. Drew/UCLA University of Medicine and Science
Micaela is a first-generation medical student at the Charles R. Drew/UCLA Medical Education Program interested in surgery. She completed her undergraduate degree at UCLA and MPH at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Her experiences growing up in a low-income, medically underserved community motivate her to
advocate for equitable surgical care. In her free time, she enjoys listening to music and reading.