The Year of COVID-19 in a Body Bag
An ICU nurse turned medical student reflects on the COVID-19 pandemic’s severe and lasting impact on healthcare workers and the acute shift to the new normal of expectations in the inpatient setting.
Words from the Wards
This category contains reflections on student clinical experience.
Medical Student Contributing Writer
University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston
Jane is a second-year medical student at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, TX. She graduated with University Honors from The University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. After graduating from nursing school, Jane began working as a critical care nurse in San Antonio, TX. She worked on the front lines during the COVID-19 pandemic and uses her experience, passion, and dedication to service to guide her as she pursues her medical degree. In her spare time, Jane is obtaining her MBA in Healthcare Administration and enjoys hiking, hanging out on the lake, and spending time with loved ones.
Sacred in the Everyday
Tim Niyogusaba, a third-year medical student, meditates on his fulfilling yet fatiguing experiences during clinical rotations.
I am the Face of Medicine – Representation of Color: A Narrative Reflection
Dr. Erin Saner reflects on the importance of underrepresented minorities and representation in clinical care and education.
From Provider to Patient: My Journey as a Medical Student with a Chronic Health Condition
Medical student Tom McNally reflects on the patient-provider relationship based on his experience managing his own chronic illness.
With Words, A Playlist: Finding a Way Back
Ana Jimenez, a fourth-year medical student, describes her encounter with Micah, a coffee-making, DJ-ing, emergency medicine resident.
The Blues of Code Blue
“Code blue!” They teach it as an algorithm and a protocol. But what you are not taught are the emotions attached to a code. I had just finished a cholecystectomy case on my surgery rotation and was walking by the medical intensive care unit when I heard “rapid response team, coronary care unit (CCU).” Since the CCU was not far and I am interested in emergency and critical care medicine, I decided to go to …
For the Love of a 6 ½
Medical student Ana Jimenez reflects on her experience during her surgery rotation.
The Unwanted Visitor
Medical student Kayla Schmittau reflects on her experience with a patient with substance use disorder and the importance of patient advocacy.
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.
First Times in Medicine as an Asian American
Medical student Alyssa Guo shares excerpts of her diary with reflections of her first times in medicine as an Asian American.
Mrs. D’s Breathing
Medical student Micky Akinrodoye reflects on the importance of advocating for patients by taking into consideration of a myriad of factors influencing their care.
Prayer in Practice
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.
Medical Student Contributing Writer
University of South Carolina School of Medicine Greenville
Jackson is a third year medical student who grew up in Charlotte, NC. After graduating from Presbyterian College in 2019 with a BS in biology he married his high-school sweetheart, and they moved to Greenville, SC where he matriculated at the University of South Carolina College of Medicine - Greenville. He plans to graduate with the class of 2023 and pursue a career in Internal Medicine.