This category contains a collection of moments students have had with their patients that helped renew their purpose in the field.
Medical Student Contributing Writer
CUNY School of Medicine
Denisha McCurchin is a Class of 2025 medical student at the CUNY School of Medicine. Outside of school, she sings, manages a YouTube channel, and enjoys community service.
Medical student Denisha McCurchin shares one of her final moments in the hospital with her grandmother who had a stroke. She tells the story through the senses of sight and hearing and reflects on the care she wishes her grandmother received as well as the care she endeavors to deliver as a future doctor.
Max Hawkins, a second-year resident, reflects on his medical education journey, the process of consent and the importance of trusting that “gut feeling.”
Medical student Madeleine reflects on challenges in medical adherence stemming from gaps in education about the disease as well as a lack of social and psychological support.
Medical student Rebekah Russell reflects on her experience with the healthcare system during a miscarriage.
Medical student Kayla Schmittau reflects on her experience with a patient with substance use disorder and the importance of patient advocacy.
Medical student Leonard Wang presents his views on patient advocacy by exploring the role of patient stories, in particular an anecdote from a recent trip to Guatemala during his winter break.
Medical student Micky Akinrodoye reflects on the importance of advocating for patients by taking into consideration of a myriad of factors influencing their care.
Medical student Jackson Dean challenges readers to think critically about the variety of forms that prayers come in and the roles they pray at work and in our every day lives.
Four years ago, as I clung to my seat on a bus teetering back and forth on a one lane rocky road up the Jamaican hillside, I thought I knew what it meant to be a part of the medical community. I grew up in a family of doctors and nurses and, while none pressured me into the field, I felt drawn to it.
Medical student Sara Phillips writes a personal reflection, grounded in scholarly literature, that details her exploration of racism as a mechanism for perpetuating disparities in maternal health outcomes. The piece traces discriminatory policies and actions undertaken by physicians and leaders in the field of obstetrics and gynecology to portray a historical origin for contemporary health inequities. Interacting with these grim stories and statistics, she reflects on what it means for her to seek out a career in OB/GYN to confront this prejudicial history and create a more just path forward.
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.
Medical student Jake Bardell poetically epitomizes the art of medicine: navigating the nuances that lie beyond the logical and algorithmic thinking expected of doctors.
Medical Student Contributing Writer
University of Oklahoma College of Medicine
Jake Bardell is a member of the Class of 2022 at the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine. He is interested in pursuing a career in Urology. He completed his undergraduate degree at the University of Oklahoma in Religious Studies and is currently completing an MA in Theological Studies from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. In his free time, he enjoys reading, snowboarding, and spending time with friends and family. For him, writing provides an avenue for processing and creativity.
