The Medical Student Behind the Mask
Rachel Lawson describes her challenging experiences during her first year of medical school at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and how her experience was profoundly impacted by a vaccination clinic.
Tag: COVID-19
Editor, Medical Student
Michigan State University College of Human Medicine
I'm Rachel Lawson, a third year medical student at Michigan State University College of Human Medicine. I earned my BS from GVSU in Psychology and English. During my undergraduate career, I worked as a writing consultant and loved the opportunity to connect with students over their writing. I enjoy creative writing, painting, and spending time with my new puppy, Georgia, in my free time.
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.
Pursuing Medicine as a Chinese-American in the Time of COVID-19
Henry Zou, an Asian American fourth-year medical student, reflects on the COVID-19 pandemic and finds courage and hope.
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 health care workers and the acute shift to the new normal of expectations in the inpatient setting.
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.
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”
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.
The Unusual Curse
Medical student Scott Jamieson dissects the delicate balance of wanting to carry the burden of all of society’s health problems with necessary personal down-time and how students often struggle with these aspects of their lives.
Safe Haven
Amid the coronavirus pandemic, the author fondly reflects on the start of her unlikely friendship with Mr. R. This friendship ultimately became a safe haven for the author as she navigates her identity as a Chinese-American and learns about Mr. R’s cancer diagnosis.
Surviving Coronavirus: When Medical Knowledge Becomes a Curse
After learning that her father was diagnosed with COVID-19, medical student Catherina Lubin ruminates on her deepest thoughts, emotions and perspectives as a medical professional and, despite this gut-wrenching reality, how she ultimately found reaffirmation of the quintessential quality, which makes us uniquely human: hope.
Medical Student Contributing Writer
SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University
I'm Cat Lubin, a 3rd year medical student at SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University in Brooklyn. I am Haitian-American, a lover of the arts in all it's forms and will be pursuing a career as an Emergency Medicine physician. My hope is to one day meld my love of the arts and medicine together in an organization aimed at bringing healthcare to the disenfranchised communities around the globe, through the realization that health far surpasses treating symptoms, but includes the emotional, psychological, spiritual and physical well being of an individual.